​June 26, 2022
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
·   masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
Gary Iverson, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett, Jo Lefleur, Judy Welcher, Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx, Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Werner & Kelly Families, Avis Severson (Kolleen’s Mom), Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan, Karla Singer (Rich Lewis Niece), Bonnie Pillers, Deb Weller, Barbara Russell and Family, Manon Family, and Linda Wenzel.
 
PRELUDE
 
*Call to worship        adapted from Psalm 77
As we gather to worship, we may also feel like the psalmist who wrote:
“I cry aloud to God, that God may hear me…
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord.
Has God’s steadfast love ceased forever? Are God’s promises at an end for all time?  Has God forgotten to be gracious?”
Let us call to mind the deeds of the Lord. Let us remember God’s wonders…
Let us meditate on all God’s mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the people. With your strong arm you have redeemed your people.
Let us call to mind the deeds of the Lord.
We will remember your wonders.
 
*HYMN “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”  #276
 
 
 
Call to Confession
In this season after Pentecost, we read this from Galatians 5:13-16:
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence. Through love become slaves to one another…. Live by the Spirit I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.We know God knows our every thought and deed. So. let us also look within,            and confess our sins before God.
 
Prayer of Confession
           Gracious God, you offer us so much: a purpose that affects eternity, the Spirit who fills and empowers us, and the salvation of our souls. Forgive us when we choose to withhold love from others, when we choose not to forgive, when we look back with envy and ahead with fear. Help us to trust you in the good and bad times, in the times of abundance and in the times of scarcity. Help us to know that you have not left us as orphans, but have to come us to continue to use us in your kingdom purposes. Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
 
Words of Assurance
In Christ we are not only forgiven, we are set free from sin’s power over us. We now live by the Spirit. Let us also walk in the power and guidance of God’s Spirit, and bear the fruit of the Spirit as Christ did.
 
PASSING THE PEACE (facing those across the aisle from you)
Left: May the peace of Christ be with you.
Right: And also with you. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Left: And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
 
Scripture:
2 Kings 2:1-2
2 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel. “But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
 
2 Kings 2:6-15
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on. 7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.13 Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. 15 The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him
Luke 9:51-62
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them[a]?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village. 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
SERMON ““When the Glory Days Seem Over”
 
One man said to his friend: "Say, you look depressed. What are you thinking about'!"
"My future," was the quick answer.
"What makes it look so hopeless?"
 "My past"
Well, there could be two reasons for that 1) the person's past. Was not so great and he or she sees no hope that anything will change. Or, 2) the person's past was so glorious that he or she doubts it will ever be that great again! Both perspectives can feel hopeless!
These are the Days of Elijah... so goes the Christian song. Our Old Testament text is the story where Elijah is taken up and Elisha is standing on a riverbank, looking up to an empty sky, and down at Elijah's cloak. Elijah did amazing things in his life. How will Elisha ever hope to fill his shoes?  The people cheer, but also wonder, will Elisha be as great as Elijah? Are Elijah's days of glory in Israel over?
For most of us it may not be past glory that we hang onto, but familiarity and comfort.   People put their trust in Jesus, and then find themselves going back to their old ways, things that worked in the past to give them a sense of security. Even though the old has past and the new has come, there is comfort in old patterns, and many Christians do not progress spiritually because they are afraid to trust God to lead them into new relationships, new ways of thinking, new ways of using what God has given them, new ways of being. In other words, they [we] prefer the past.
That is what is happening in our gospel story. People want to follow Jesus (new wav) AND stay comfortable (old wavs) A commercial bas a couple entering a dining area at an inn, where people are all snoring over their tables. It’s not a Bed & Breakfast, but a Bed OR Breakfast, and they say, "I'm glad we chose bed.”, The point is the word ''and" is often very important
In our gospel some people they want to follow Christ, and hang onto their possessions, follow Christ and keep their comfort, follow Christ and say goodbye, and cling to their families, and keep the past, and so forth. Jesus says, "Well, I have no home. Let your dead bury the dead. Plus, if you take the plow and tum back you are not fit for the kingdom of God." When something similar happens later in the gospel Jesus adds that terse three-word verse, "Remember Lot's wife." Easy to memorize, Lu. 17:32, "Remember Lot's wife." She is the woman told not to look back while fleeing from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. But she turned back and became a pillar of salt. In other words, "if you follow Me," says the Lord, "There is no turning back." Hmmm, I wonder how many followers Jesus picked up that day!
Jesus himself “had set his face to go to Jerusalem," because he knew it was the time of his imminent demise, or as Luke puts it, the time for him to be taken up, that is, up to heaven. In many ways the glory days of Christ were over. The huge crowds, the sensational miracle the accolades from, masses -all that was mostly behind him. Now, in the words of the Old Testament prophecy, he had "set his face like a flint'' towards Jerusalem, towards the increasing resistance to his teachings, towards the increasing-difficulties with Roman authorities, and ultimately towards the events of Passion week and the cross. But Luke holds out the promise he would be "taken up."
No doubt, the eavesdropping disciples didn't like to hear Jesus talk like this. They had seen him walk on water, raise the sick and the dead, level the Pharisees with wisdom and authority, and now he was scaring people away? "We like the good old days better!"
Even for Jesus, glory comes and goes. Same with the church. In American history there have been times of revival, it seems every few decades. There are the Methodist revivals of the early 1800s. We remember the rise of the Billy Graham Crusades; I attended a couple of them. There was the Jesus Movement of the early 70s, while hippies and anti-war demonstrators were advocating love and anarchy, young people were turning in faith to advocate love through Jesus Christ. Currently, I think we are in between times of Christian renewal. The good old days of Christianity in this country seem gone maybe for good. You know, those days of bursting Sunday Schools and new church buildings springing up by the thousands all across the country in all the new suburbs-­ those days when almost. everyone went to church, or at least, had learned basic truths of the gospel.
So we might think we should try to make Christianity more appealing, easier, consumer-friendly, more accommodating to busy schedules and more politically correct. After all, we don't want to chase away any of the few followers the Lord has, do we?  We are in what philosopher’s call ''post-Modernism," where the church is fighting against secularism, just as Elijah fought against King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, like Jesus faced the opposition of the Jewish elite. In our day, post-modems tell us that there really are no moral absolutes, that truth is relative, and institutions like the church are irrelevant dinosaurs. After all, faith is a matter of personal preference, the Bible IS just literature, and everyone should be able to do what is right in their own eyes "as long as they don't hurt anybody." How does the church thrive in such a world?
The same way it always has. We proclaim the love of God without compromising his truth, without lowering his standards. We trust the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of people who still need the Lord. Fa1th is personal, and communal.   We trust with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. And with other believers we become the body of Christ
Watering down the gospel and pretending commitment to Christ and his kingdom doesn't matter is not true discipleship. Looking back only to the glory days insulates us, but leaves us with rocking chair faith and an inability to reach out to those who still need Jesus. It might be safe, but it's boring!
Jesus set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem against the advice of his closest friends. He didn't make any bones about the difficulty of following in his footsteps as people came up to join him. He simply requires that we count the cost first. He wants our whole heart soul and mind, not just space on our calendars.
Of course, the church of Christ will always need some new ways of doing things to be able to meet people where they are, not where we wish they were. It might be as simple as praise music vs. hymns, or coffee house informality vs. cathedral formality. But it’s probably much deeper. When people see our faith is real and vibrant, when people see how much we love our neighbor, then we have something to offer. With the Spirit's leading, we can employ those innovations that may touch people that maybe were not reached by our grandfather's way of doing church.
A good dose of realism is helpful, but let's not give up! We will pray. We will continue to seek the filling of the Holy Spirit. We will listen and obey and share our faith. The times have changed perhaps but people haven't, and certainly the Lord has not People are still empty inside and need Jesus, not a watered-down version, but the one who set his face towards Jerusalem, towards the cross, for our sake.
Lord, we seek to follow the words of the great Apostle Paul:
My beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Forgive us when we decide to "retire”. From serving you because we like the old days better. Refresh us, that we may be steadfast and immovable and always abounding in work for your kingdom. Our labor is not in vain. You have laid up for us the crown of life. May we rejoice to see the fruit of our labors in the lives you have allowed us to touch U:it your grace. May we continue to count the cost and remain faithful to your calling. We love you more than life itself, dear Lord May our love and faith be contagious in this ever-changing world.  Amen.
 
*HYMN                      “God of Our Life”                                                                                              #275
 
PASTORAL PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
Dedication of the Offering
Lord, as you have blessed us richly in so many ways, please accept these offerings an act of worship. May our offerings help shift our focus from our own needs, and be used to help fulfill your purposes in our community and in the world. Amen.
 
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed (Ecumenical) p. 14
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
    and life everlasting.
Hymn “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” 
 
Sending Forth
 
* Benediction
 
*POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
Some of today’s liturgy came from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship
 

​June 19, 2022
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
·   masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
Gary Iverson, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett, Jo Lefleur, Judy Welcher, Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx, Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Werner & Kelly Families, Avis Severson (Kolleen’s Mom), Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan, Karla Singer (Rich Lewis Niece), Bonnie Pillers, Deb Weller, Barbara Russell and Family, Manon Family, and Linda Wenzel.
 
PRELUDE
WORDS OF WORSHIP
(Unison) “I will bless the Lord at all time:  His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name forever. Amen (PS 34:1-3)
 
GATHERING PRAYER
(Unison) Great and Loving God, we come to You because You have invited us, loved us, forgiven us, and redeemed us. Help us as we are gathered here, to hear what You have to say to us. Amen
 
*HYMN Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee #464
 
CONFESSION AND PARDON (Unison)
   We confess, our father, we do not live up to the family name. We are more      ready to resent than to forgive, more ready to manipulate than to serve, more ready to fear than to love, more ready to keep our distance than to welcome, and more ready to compete than to help. At the root of this misbehavior is mistrust. We do not love one another as we should because we do not believe You love us the way You do. Forgive us our cold dis-belief. Make more vivid to us the meaning of Your love at the cross. Show us what it cost You to give up Your Son that we might become Your children. We ask this in the name of Jesus our righteousness. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
      (Leader) God has promised forgiveness to all who truly seek it. As we have opened       ourselves and asked God’s forgiveness we know.
      (Unison) God has heard and forgiven us and we are truly God’s forgiven    people.  Amen.
 
PASSING THE PEACE (facing those across the aisle from you)
Left: May the peace of Christ be with you.
Right: And also with you. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Left: And also with you.
 
OFFERING PRAYER
Lord God, you have blessed us with many gifts.  Take these offerings and our lives as our gifts to You. Amen
 
INTERLUDE
 
Prayer of Illumination
Lord God, open our hearts and minds that we may hear what You have to say to us. Amen
Scripture:
Luke 8:26-39
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned 34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.  38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
SERMON    “Declare what God has done for you”
 
*HYMN                      “Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak”                                          #426
 
PASTORAL PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed (Ecumenical) p. 14
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
    and life everlasting. Amen
*HYMN            Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise”                     #539
 
Sending Forth
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING
Go out into the world in peace, render to none evil for evil but render good for evil. Seek peace and comfort for all people. Now, the Lord bless and keep us in His love now and forever, Amen.
 
 *POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
Some of today’s liturgy came from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship.

​SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
May 1, 2022
Third Sunday of Easter
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
·   masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
   bulletins are placed in the pews to help with social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
Gary Iverson, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett,  Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx ,Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Werner& Kelly Families, Avis Severson (Kolleen’s Mom) Ukraine, Doug Nelson, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan , and Jake Pinkston
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 30:1-5, NLT
I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
    You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.
You brought me up from the grave, O Lord.
    You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
 
Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.
 
*GATHERING PRAYER (from the Book of Common Worship)
Almighty God, through your only Son you overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life. Grant that we who celebrate our Lord’s resurrection, may, through the renewing power of your Spirit, arise from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
 
*HYMN                            Thine Is The Glory                                                         #122
 
 
*CONFESSION
Let us confess our sins to the Lord:
 
Holy God, forgive the times we fail to see you at work around us,
Fail to see your purpose and intentions for us,
Fail to see those you would have us protect or help,
Fail to see those whom you have sent to teach or assist us,
Fail to see where we fit in your plans for this world.
 
Forgive us the times we struggle on our own without turning to you,
The times we ignore the resources around us,
The times we are timid in reaching out to others,
The times we don’t acknowledge your presence with us,
The times we doubt what you can do in and through us.
 
*WORDS OF ASSURANCE Colossians 1:13-14, GW
“13 God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves. 14 His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven.”  Thanks be to God!
 
*SONG OF PRAISE Gloria Patri #579
 
*PASSING THE PEACE (facing those across the aisle from you)
Left: May the peace of Christ be with you.
Right: And also with you. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Left: And also with you.
(You may be seated.)
 
 
INTERLUDE
 
Word
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS Acts 9:1-20, GW
Saul kept threatening to murder the Lord’s disciples. He went to the chief priest 2 and asked him to write letters of authorization to the synagogue leaders in the city of Damascus. Saul wanted to arrest any man or woman who followed the way of Christ and imprison them in Jerusalem.
 
3 As Saul was coming near the city of Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
 
5 Saul asked, “Who are you, sir?”The person replied, “I’m Jesus, the one you’re persecuting. 6 Get up! Go into the city, and you’ll be told what you should do.”
 
7 Meanwhile, the men traveling with him were speechless. They heard the voice but didn’t see anyone.
 
8 Saul was helped up from the ground. When he opened his eyes, he was blind. So his companions led him into Damascus. 9 For three days he couldn’t see and didn’t eat or drink.
 
10 A disciple named Ananias lived in the city of Damascus. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
 
Ananias answered, “Yes, Lord.”
 
11 The Lord told him, “Get up! Go to Judas’ house on Straight Street, and ask for a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. He’s praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
 
13 Ananias replied, “Lord, I’ve heard a lot of people tell about the many evil things this man has done to your people in Jerusalem. 14 Saul has come here to Damascus with authority from the chief priests to put anyone who calls on your name in prison.”
15 The Lord told Ananias, “Go! I’ve chosen this man to bring my name to nations, to kings, and to the people of Israel. 16 I’ll show him how much he has to suffer for the sake of my name.”
 
17 Ananias left and entered Judas’ house. After he placed his hands on Saul, Ananias said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way to Damascus, sent me to you. He wants you to see again and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
 
18 Immediately, something like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. Then Saul stood up and was baptized. 19 After he had something to eat, his strength came back to him.
 
Saul was with the disciples in the city of Damascus for several days. 20 He immediately began to spread the word in their synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God.
 
John 21:1-19, CEV
Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John, were there, together with two other disciples. 3  Simon Peter said, “I'm going fishing!” The others said, “We will go with you.” They went out in their boat. But they didn't catch a thing that night.
 
4 Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. 5 Jesus shouted, “Friends, have you caught anything?”
“No!” they answered.
 
6  So he told them, “Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish.”
 
They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.
7 Jesus' favorite disciple told Peter, “It's the Lord!” When Simon heard it was the Lord, he put on the clothes he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water. 8 The boat was only about 100 meters from shore. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.
 
9 When the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. 10 Jesus told his disciples, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” 11 Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were 153 large fish, but still the net did not rip.
 
12 Jesus said, “Come and eat!” But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord. 13 Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death.
 
15 When Jesus and his disciples had finished eating, he asked, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than the others do?”
 
Simon Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I do!”
 
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus said.
 
16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
 
Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you!”
 
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus told him.
 
17 Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
 
Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him. So he told Jesus, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you for certain that when you were a young man, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don't want to go.”
 
19 Jesus said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to God. Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!”
 
 
SERMON Open Your Eyes and Cast Your Nets
 
Some days the hardest thing to do is to open my eyes in the morning. I’m in denial that it is daylight, that I need to get out of bed and get started with the day. I might lay there and think about the things I need or at least intend to do. That might be enough to cause me to shut my eyes tighter and roll over toward the wall and the window. But there is this curious thing about sleeping eye level with a window to my backyard. I get curious. I get curious enough to move the pillow, reach for the shade and open my eyes to the world outside. If I’m lucky I’ll see the squirrels or the bunnies scampering about. I might spot the birds in the trees or on the utility lines. I’m happy if there is sunshine. It was worth opening my eyes.
 
I want to keep that thought in mind, that it was worth opening my eyes, because sometimes I’m not so sure I want my eyes opened. There is a phrase we use; we say something was an “eye opening experience.” Sometimes that was a positive experience; it usually teaches us something. Sometimes we are reluctant to learn a truth about ourselves or the world around us that asks us to change. Some examples come to mind.
 
The movie “Hidden Figures” a few years ago was an eye-opening experience for me, a reminder that we usually don’t hear the full story behind events in the news, that there are people behind the scenes who are every bit as much the hero as the people whose pictures are next to the headlines. It was also a reminder that as a society we push groups of people past the margins where we don’t see them, and it is for no good reason as far as I can tell. It made me ask why we hear some stories and we don’t hear others. I admit I still don’t pursue those other stories, but I also trust the news less recognizing that it will only tell me what that particular news source wants me to hear.
 
Another eye-opening experience back in 2003 was landing in a Peoria hospital needing a stent. That led to several lifestyle changes.  My diet changed a great deal. I started taking prescription medicines. I tried some exercise routines. I tried to destress. I was more successful at changing my diet than the other two. I needed to change it again several times in the years since because of other health concerns. But I think I did begin to pay more attention to my health overall when I could afford to do so. It’s a long-term ongoing process as all of you know in your own lives.
 
Saul was a Jewish scholar and persecutor of those who followed Jesus. On the Damascus Road he had an eye-opening experience that began with going blind. Perhaps you know in your own life that God will sometimes use drastic measures to get your attention. That was the case with Saul. Certificate in hand to arrest Christ followers at Damascus, Saul was suddenly struck by a blinding light and heard Jesus’ voice asking why Saul was persecuting him. That was pretty to the point. Then opening his eyes, Saul could not see, not for three days. Jesus directed Saul to the home of Ananias, whom Jesus had also prepared for this encounter. Following Jesus’ instruction, Ananias placed his hands on Saul’s eyes, and Saul could see.  Then Ananias invited the Holy Spirit into Saul’s life and taught Saul about Jesus, so that Saul could “see” in another sense, to begin to accept that Jesus was the Messiah and worthy of Saul dedicating the rest of his life to telling others about Jesus. After this time Saul became better known as Paul.
 
I wonder where God is asking us to open our eyes. Is it to see something we need to change in our own lives, behaviors, or attitudes? Is it to something in the world around us, to open our eyes to prejudice or injustice, to environmental or stewardship issues? Perhaps it is to the needs of someone close to us or someone along the margins of our lives whom we have failed to see. Perhaps it is to new possibilities when we just want things to go back to the way they used to be. Toward what vision is God asking you to open your eyes?
 
Peter had already been through some eye-opening experiences. Sometimes he could see beyond his own earthly wisdom, like when he recognized that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. God had opened Peter’s spiritual eyes that day. But other times Peter couldn’t see past his own nose enough to trust God’s plan, like when he cut off Malchus’ ear or when he denied Jesus’ in the courtyard. Peter was spiritually blind that night.
 
After Jesus was crucified, Peter went to the tomb when the women reported that Jesus had risen. Peter saw the empty tomb with his own eyes, and probably wondered what was next. He wasn’t yet ready to move ahead without Jesus to guide him, but that would come.
 
One of my favorite resurrection stories is our gospel lesson today, Breakfast on the Beach as it was called in a children’s musical version I recall. Peter had grown weary of sitting in the upper room, just as you grow weary when you have to stay home for long during a recovery or during the pandemic. Peter was a man of action, so that day he stood up and announced, “I’m going fishin’!” When we are stressed it sometimes helps to go back to familiar things we enjoy. Peter was a fisherman by trade, so that’s what he did. Some of the others joined him; I’m guessing his brother Andrew went with him and we know the other set of brothers, James and John who used to fish next to them were there that day. A few more disciples decided to ride along.
 
It was good to get out on the water in the boat, but as the long night continued, they might have gotten discouraged about their foolhardy adventure. They caught nothing all night long. It was dawn when they spotted a fire on the beach. Who was out building a fire already that morning? A somewhat familiar voice called out from shore, “Friends, have you caught any fish?” The answer was NO. The voice called to them again, “Cast your nets on the other side, then.”
 
Pause to think about that a minute. How often when something doesn’t work do we humans just keep trying the same thing. If we just work harder. If we just try longer. But like the fisherman who caught nothing all night, perhaps our labors are fruitless because we need to try something a bit different, cast our nets on the other side as it were.
 
Peter and the others surprisingly heeded the advice and were rewarded with such a haul of fish they couldn’t hardly pull the net into the boat. It was that full! Amazing how a little effort can yield such results when it is aimed in the right direction.
 
Now Peter realized who that man on shore must be. Impulsive as always, Peter jumped in the water, running against the waves toward shore. “Jesus!” He had to get to Jesus.
 
After breakfast, Jesus took Peter aside and had a significant conversation with him. Over the years I have appreciated scholars pointing out that Jesus asked Peter this question, “Do you love me?” three times, just as Peter had denied Jesus three times in the overnight hours before the crucifixion. Peter was given the opportunity to affirm his devotion and dedication to his risen Lord once for each time he had denied him.
 
We, too, are given opportunities in our daily lives to affirm our allegiance to our Lord, not only with our devotions and other spiritual practices but with our daily lives. Each time Peter responded, “Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus gave him an assignment. “Feed my lambs; tend my sheep; feed my sheep.” The fisherman whom Jesus promised to teach to catch people was now to become a shepherd to those people who identified themselves with Christ. This is the reason bishops in my denomination are given a staff that looks like a shepherd’s crook. It is because they continue Peter’s call to shepherd God’s people.
 
We also use a shepherd’s skill when we care for others. Whether you are a parent or grandparent, a group leader or the one who gathers your friends together, you, too, are like a shepherd. When you give good advice or listen to someone’s pain or help someone find their way, you are feeding or tending Jesus’ sheep by caring for one of God’s children. If you continue to cast your caring net in the direction God’s Spirit guides you, you just might be surprised at how that “catch” adds up over time. I’m always surprised when I think back over my years just how many lives God has allowed me to touch.
 
As you go about your daily lives, may your eyes be open to see what God has for you in the world around you, and may your spiritual eyes be open to see God at work in the world and to recognize spiritual truths. May you cast your nets of caring wherever God directs you, so that you become not only a fisher of people as Jesus first invited Peter, but also a shepherd of God’s people as Jesus later asked of him. Eyes and hearts open, may you daily follow Jesus.
 
 
 
*HYMN Open My Eyes                                             #324
 
PASTORAL PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
 
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever."      -- Amen.
Eucharist
 
OFFERING OUR LIVES
 
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
 
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed (Ecumenical) p. 14
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
 
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
​the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
 
*HYMN        I Come With Joy                                                 #507
 
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE 1 Cor. 5:7–8
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!
 
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise,
…
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels
and with all the faithful of every time and place,
who forever sing to the glory of your name:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
 
You are holy, O God of majesty,
…
Accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy offering of ourselves,
that our lives may proclaim the One crucified and risen.
Dying Christ destroyed our death.  Rising Christ restored our life.
Christ will come again in glory!
 
Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
…
Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
all glory and honor are yours, almighty God,
with the Holy Spirit in the holy church, now and forever.
Amen.
RECEIVING THE BREAD AND CUP
 
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Living Christ, as you open the scriptures to us you make yourself known inthe breaking of the bread. Let us now go forth from this place, fed at your table and filled by the Spirit, to walk with you all the days of our lives, and proclaim the glory of your resurrection to all the world. Amen.
 
Going Forth
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING
 
*POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
Presbyterians practice open communion which means anyone who seeks to be in a relationship with Christ is welcome at the table regardless of denomination, age, or status. The communion elements are already in your pew, and you will be instructed when to eat the wafer and when to drink the juice.

​ 
June 5, 2022
PENTECOST
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
·   masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
Gary Iverson, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett, Jo Lefleur, Judy Welcher, Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx, Lois Seger, Jon Ryner,  Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Werner & Kelly Families, Avis Severson (Kolleen’s Mom), Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan, Jake Pinkston, Karla Singer (Rich Lewis Niece), Bonnie Pillers, Deb Weller, Barbara Russell and Family, Manon Family, and Linda Wentzel.
 
PRELUDE
*CALL TO WORSHIP Acts 2:17; Rom. 8:26; Ps. 104:30, 35
Remember the promise of the Lord:
God will pour out the Spirit on all flesh.
The Spirit helps us in our weakness,
interceding with sighs too deep for words.
The Spirit of God renews the earth.
Bless the name of the Lord!
 
*GATHERING PRAYER                          
God our creator, earth has many languages,
but your gospel proclaims your love to all nations in one heavenly tongue.
Make us messengers of the good news that, through the power of your Spirit,
all the world may unite in one song of praise,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
 
*HYMN On Pentecost They Gathered #128
 
*CONFESSION John 7:37–38
Jesus says: Let anyone who is thirsty come to me.
Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.
Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
 
 
Almighty God, you poured your Spirit upon gathered disciples creating bold tongues, open ears, and a new community of faith. We confess that we hold back the force of your Spirit among us. We do not listen for your word of grace, speak the good news of your love, or live as a people made one in Christ. Have mercy on us, O God. Transform our timid lives by the power of your Spirit, and fill us with a flaming desire to be your faithful people, doing your will for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
*WORDS OF ASSURANCE John 20:22–23
Through Christ, God has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us for the forgiveness of sins. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!
 
*SONG OF PRAISE Gloria Patri #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE (facing those across the aisle from you)
Left: May the peace of Christ be with you.
Right: And also with you. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Left: And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
 
Word
 
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Genesis 11:1-9, NLT
At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” 5 But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” 8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.
 
GOSPEL LESSON John 14:12-17,26, CEB
12 I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. 14 When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever.  17 This Companion is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. You know him because he lives with you and will be with you. …
 
26 The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.
 
THE PENTECOST STORY Acts 2:1-21, CEB
When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. 5 There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. 7 They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? 8 How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!” 12 They were all surprised and bewildered. Some asked each other, “What does this mean?” 13 Others jeered at them, saying, “They’re full of new wine!”14 Peter stood with the other eleven apostles. He raised his voice and declared, “Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this! Listen carefully to my words! 15 These people aren’t drunk, as you suspect; after all, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams. 18 Even upon my servants, men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will cause wonders to occur in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. 20 The sun will be changed into darkness, and the moon will be changed into blood,
before the great and spectacular day of the Lord comes.  21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
 
SERMON The Promised Holy Spirit
 
For the past two weeks I have talked about living out our faith and our mission individually and as the Church of Jesus Christ. I kept reminding us that this life and mission are only possible with the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to his followers after he rose from the grave and before he disappeared back into heaven’s realms. Today is the day we celebrate that gift of the Holy Spirit and its work in our lives to bring us and the whole world into an ever-deeper relationship with our God. Much of our world has yet again fallen out of the intimate relationship to which our God invites us all. ‘Twas ever thus!  In our Old Testament lesson today, the story referred to as the Towel of Babel, is also a time of growing away from God. The tower was built on the plain of Shinar in the region settled by Nimrod who was Noah’s great grandson. We know the area better as Babylonia, and later to the north, Assyria. It includes the cities of Ur from which Abraham would set out, Babylon to which the exiles would be taken, and Nineveh to which Jonah would preach.
 
The story comes early in the book of Genesis before the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, or Jacob and his wives. This story in Chapter 11 comes after Noah’s story concludes in Chapter 9 with the ark landing after the flood wiped away a sinful world, and Noah replanted his vineyards while the animals reclaimed the earth. Chapter 10 is the genealogy of Noah’s sons. In a very few generations they repopulated their known world, and from them came many nations and peoples.
 
Chapter 11 comes in the midst of establishing these peoples and nations. Some grew ambitious, and unlike their ancestor Noah, they were more concerned about their own ambitions than with living in appreciation and relationship with their Creator and Savior. You would think it a good thing that they chose to cooperate with one another, but sadly the goal of that cooperation paralleled the sin of more distant ancestors. Adam and Eve were tempted by the notion that they could become like God. The ancients who built the tower wanted to make a name for themselves by building a city that would reach up to the heavens. Given God’s reaction, I suspect these builders weren’t content to live as God’s companions and servants here on earth, but in a sense strove to usurp God’s position in heaven. So God confused their language preventing them from completing such a task. On one hand it is a story to explain why there are so many different languages if we began as one people. On the other hand it reminds us that God will not forever tolerate human ambitions that ignore God’s sovereignty and authority over all creation including God’s lordship and rule over humankind.
 
The rest of the Old Testament presents a roller coaster like history of humanity’s relationship with God. At times there is great reverence, friendship, and service, and a process whereby mistakes are confessed, repented, and forgiven. At other times even those who acknowledge God fell into either fear or complacency, or their ambitions strayed far from God’s covenantal relationship and intentions for us. Seventy years of exile back to the land where the Tower of Babel had been built were meant to teach God’s people a lesson. A remnant remained faithful and eventually were allowed to return home to the promised land and rebuild their lives in service and worship to their God.
 
By the time of Jesus, the faithful had become more concerned with maintaining the laws, worship, and Temple as they understood them. They were also concerned with survival in the midst of political constraints. But Jesus called them out for maintaining the letter of the Law without understanding the call to compassion and mercy for God’s people. Religious structures were in danger of becoming another tower of human ambition. Instead Jesus called forth new leadership from among the people and prepared them to continue his teachings of what the Kingdom of our God was truly meant to be. Rather than building towers of human effort; Jesus called forth a people to build God’s kingdom with the Spirit’s power.
 
Gathered in Jerusalem that day were people from various regions, some representing the diverse nations established by Noah’s descendants. They had come to celebrate Shavuot which honors two things in Jewish tradition. First, Shavuot is called the Festival of Weeks because it comes seven weeks after Passover, the remembrance of God freeing the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. Toward the end of Passover the first sheaves of the barley are offered to God as the first fruits of the new harvest. In Greek Shavuot is called Pentecost meaning fifty, because it comes 50 days after that harvest offering. Paul later wrote that Jesus rose on Easter as the first fruits of those who died in faith. (1 Corinthians 15:20) I think of Jesus’ ministry as planting seeds for God’s kingdom by how he taught and cared for common people. His life and resurrection led to a first harvest of believers who would strive to live into that kingdom. With Pentecost and receiving the Holy Spirit, there was a new harvest. After Peter’s preaching empowered by the Spirit, about 3,000 new believers were baptized that day. They formed the beginnings of the church.
 
Second, Shavuot celebrates the law given to God’s people through Moses at Sinai. First they left slavery. The law was meant to teach them how to live a new way as God’s people. Jesus’ death and resurrection also means setting us free from the slavery of sin and death as it’s frequently said in our communion liturgy. Jesus’ teachings and interpretation of the Law still tell us how to live as God’s people. The gift of the Holy Spirit empowers us to do so as it refreshes and recreates us for living into God’s Kingdom. Jesus said, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
 
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift through Christ to enable us to live out our faith and our mission. As we remembered Jesus’ ascension last week, we talked about Jesus’ mission for his followers, for the Church, to carry forward. That mission is still ours to discern and fulfill. When the Holy Spirit came with power on that Pentecost Sunday of Acts chapter 2, the first noticeable miracle was that those who were gathered in the city from various regions and nations understood what the disciples were saying, probably in Aramaic, though the listeners themselves spoke assorted languages.
 
When Peter stood to preach, everyone understood his inspired message in their own language. If you set that scene against the story of the Tower of Babel, it is as if God reversed his curse to serve a new purpose. God had confused the language of the ancients so that they could not work together against God. But now God gifted people with a common understanding in spite of their diverse language, so that God’s message of hope and grace could be spread throughout the earth, to become one people of God. The disciples and others would have the task of taking God’s word to the nations, but the process was jumpstarted that day as many of the new believers would take the message they heard home with them to share it with family and friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
 
As he preached, Peter quoted the Old Testament prophet Joel who had promised the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit long before Jesus. The work of the Spirit mentioned by Joel would be prophesy, visions, and dreams. All of these are ways God  communicates with God’s people. Think of the words of so many Old Testament prophets, visions shared by Ezekiel or Daniel and later John of Patmos, dreams interpreted by Joseph in the Old Testament or dreams sent to another Joseph in the New Testament or to the Wise Men.
 
This outpouring of God’s Spirit as promised by Joel was not limited to a particular gender or age. It would be poured on men and women, young and old, on all people. (Joel 2:28-29) On Pentecost it was received by many, both locals and visitors to the city. As the work of the Holy Spirit continued it was received by Jews and non-Jews, without regard to status or nationality or race.
 
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to all God’s children for the mission and ministries to which God has called each of us. It came on Pentecost as a strong wind with a loud sound and what looked like tongues of fire. It was not to be controlled or contained. Jesus told his disciples earlier, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) We are not meant to control or contain God’s Spirit. How foolish! Rather we are to let it teach, guide, correct, and empower us to do God’s work in this world.
 
Some of Jesus’ references to the Holy Spirit from the Gospel of John have been translated as Helper, Comforter, or Advocate. Jesus also called it the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit indeed helps and comforts us, advocates for us and guides us in the truth.
 
Paul’s writings have much to say about the work of the Holy Spirit. Those who have the Holy Spirit in them become children of God, and the Spirit testifies to this with our inner spirit. (Romans 8:14,16) It prays for us with sighs too deep for words. (Romans 8:26) It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to claim Jesus as Lord and gives to us the gifts needed to serve and work for our Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:3-6) The Holy Spirit seals our salvation. (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) It develops within us the qualities we sometimes refer to as fruits of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) All of this is the work of the Holy Spirit which Christ still shares with us, that we might continue his mission here on earth, a mission to be shared in all languages and with all people.
 
Just as Jesus wanted for his follows then and still wants for us now, and as Paul prayed for those he encouraged through his letters, it is my prayer that you will be encouraged and empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the work to which you are called individually and as a Church. I pray as the Spirit comforts, gifts, and guides you, that you will continue to be Christ’s servants and ambassadors in this needy world of ours, to continue to build God’s Kingdom here on earth for all God’s children to live in covenant with God and in peace with one another. May the Holy Spirit refresh and renew you for this mission!
 
*HYMN        Spirit                                                       #319
 
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING
On this day of Pentecost let us give our thanks to God,
For the gifts of creation,
Penagegee (Winnebago)
For those we love and those who love us,
Merci (French)
For the bounty of resources the earth provides,
Gracias (Spanish)
For international cooperation and care,
Toximica (Swedish)
For people of faith around the world,
Kanga Palar (Ao)
For healing and strength
Danke (German)
For things of beauty that enrich our lives,
Arigato (Japanese)
For the things we take for granted,
Gam sa ham ni da (Korean)
For all the ways you have blessed us,
Dyakuyu (Ukrainian)
and for your Holy Presence in our lives,
Thank you, O God!
 
PRAYERS FOR THE WORLD
 
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
Eucharist
 
OFFERING OUR LIVES
Lord God, as you have given us life, so we offer our lives back to you. Fill us once again with your Holy Spirit that we might be faithful in obedience and service fulfilling your purpose in our world. Amen.
 
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
 
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed (Ecumenical) p. 14
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
 
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
 
*HYMN Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ #514
 
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
The Risen Christ invites to his table, all who love him
And calls us according to his purpose.
Come be nourished and renewed in Christ.
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
 
It is truly right and our greatest joy
to give you thanks and praise, eternal God.
…
Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with choirs of angels
and with all the faithful of every time and place,
who forever sing to the glory of your name:
 
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
 
Hosanna in the highest.
 
Thank you for Jesus, our Savior and Lord.
…
Accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy offering of ourselves,
that our lives may proclaim the One crucified and risen.
 
Dying Christ destroyed our death.
Rising Christ restored our life.
Christ will come again in glory!
 
Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these your gifts of bread and wine. 
…
Through Christ, all glory and honor are yours, almighty God,
with the Holy Spirit in the holy church, now and forever.
Amen.
 
RECEIVING THE BREAD AND CUP
Gracious God, may we who have received this sacrament live in the unity of your Holy Spirit, that we may show forth your gifts to all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
Sending Forth
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING
 
*POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
Some of today’s liturgy came from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship.
 
Presbyterians practice open communion which means anyone who seeks to be in a relationship with Christ is welcome at the table regardless of denomination, age, or status. The communion elements are already in your pew, and you will be instructed when to eat the wafer and when to drink the juice.