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Wesley United Methodist Church

Our vision is to show people the hope in Jesus.  Our mission is to make

   disciples by:  Growing & Learning, Worshiping & Praying, Serving, and Connecting

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Pentecost Sunday!

May 31, 2020

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​"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly from heaven there came

a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting" (Acts 2:1-2).

​Entering Into Worship

We enter with a spirit of reverence and praise,

as we prepare our hearts and minds for

worship of Almighty God.

Today's scriptures are from The New Revised Common Lectionary:​

​

Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; John 7:37-39

The Music to Prepare for Worship

"Holy Spirit" ~ Francesca Battistelli

The Call to Worship

​

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind.

There appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.

All were amazed and perplexed, asking, "What does this mean?"

It shall be, on that great and manifest day, that whoever calls on God shall be saved.

​

​

The Opening Hymn

"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" ~ Nockles

"Praise to the Lord" ~ Sara Groves

A Prayer of Invocation

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia!
The Lord be with you. 

And also with you.
Let us pray together.

We call on you, gracious God, to pour out your Spirit on all flesh,

that old and young may see visions and dream dreams.  Lead us out of slavery

to our fears and undue focus on our troubles.   Prepare us here to do those greater

works to which Christ calls us.  May our worship be found pleasing in your sight. 

Amen.  Amen!​

The Hymn

"Your Will be Done" ~ CityAlight

Doxology" ~ The David Crowder Band​

"Doxology" ~ Anthem Lights (featuring Selah)

The Prayer for Illumination​

Let us pray:  Show yourself to us, gracious God, and guide us by your Spirit of truth, that we may hear and keep

your commandment to love. Do not hide your face from us, but reveal yourself through the scriptures in fresh and

vital ways. Let us not shrink from the mighty winds or tongues of fire that would invest us with power to speak

and act in your name.   AMEN.

The Reading from Acts

Acts 2:1-21 (NRSV)

In the reading from the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon those gathered in Jerusalem for a Pentecost celebration.

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
        and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
    and signs on the earth below,
        blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
        before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

This is the Word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God.

​​

The Song

"Because He Lives" in Brazil

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

The Reading from the Epistles

1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 (NRSV)

In the reading from the epistles, Paul speaks about the gifts of the Spirit.

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

One Body with Many Members

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

This is the Word of God for the people of God.  Thanks be to God!

​

The Song:
Spirit of God ~ The Faith We Sing #2117

"Spirit of God" ~ Phil Wickham

​

The Reading from the Gospel

John 7:37-39 (NRSV)

In the Gospel reading, Jesus cries out, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me."

Rivers of Living Water

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.  Praise be to You, O Christ!
​

The Apostles' Creed, Traditional Version​
We believe in one God,
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick 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 the life everlasting. Amen

*meaning the universal Christian church (all believers in Jesus Christ)

The Song:

"Spirit Song" ~ Maranatha Singers

​A Pentecost Message ~ Keith Turner

​

In a couple of weeks, our churches will transform. They will feature blazing red colors. Various artworks depicting the descent of the Holy Spirit will be on display. Clergy will don their red vestments. Acts 2 will be read once more, and hymns featuring the Holy Spirit will be sung. Finally, the long Easter celebration is over. Let’s move onto something different – for an hour on a Sunday morning at least. All of the brouhaha that is Lent and Easter is over, and thus begins the long season excitingly dubbed The Season after Pentecost. Wow. Two millennia of Christian tradition, and after is the best we could come up with?

I always wondered why the Christian Church only celebrated Pentecost one day out of the entire year. Why did the Church not see fit to give Pentecost a season to call its own? It’s the birthday of the Church. It marks a day when the unleashed Spirit of God empowered 120 people to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and turn the known world upside down. In less than twenty years, the message of salvation had spread from a band of followers in Jerusalem to the Emperor of Rome hearing about it. It had reached the entire Mediterranean world. God was up to something amazing, and alas, we only get to celebrate it one day out of the entire year.

A couple of years ago, I sat in my office, preparing a sermon for Pentecost. The sunlight was streaming through the Tiffany stained glass windows, and I was reflecting on the meaning of Pentecost. And then it hit me:

Pentecost is a lifestyle.

Pentecost is much more than a day on the calendar. It is much more than a feast day in the liturgical year. Pentecost is a lifestyle. Every day is Pentecost, because every day, Christians are empowered by God’s Spirit to bear witness to God’s Kingdom in the world. We are empowered to proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. We are empowered to reduce world hunger. We are empowered to provide opportunities for education and literacy. We are empowered to strive for justice and peace among all people.

Unfortunately, I have all too often seen many Christians treat the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives much like the Church liturgical life – a tiny blip only to be consumed by other things we deem more important. Yet, it is the Holy Spirit who made Pentecost what it was. Had the Spirit not descended that morning in Jerusalem, everyone around would have considered the disciples nothing more than a bunch of drunk insurrectionists who sought to disturb the peace and push an agenda. The Holy Spirit brought empowerment to the Church, and the Spirit still brings empowerment to the Church. We would not be where we are today had God the Holy Spirit not been residing with God’s people over these two thousand years, turning the world upside down…with each new generation arising to say, “We are God’s people!” If the Church started treating Pentecost as a lifestyle rather than just a day on the Church calendar, then our future would be as unlimited as God’s Spirit.

So, I invite you not only to celebrate the Day of Pentecost but also to live Pentecost. Live in the power of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who breathed life into God’s people, birthing the Church, is the same Spirit who is breathed onto us and breathes flame into our hearts with the same message Jesus gave to his disciples so long ago: “You shall be my witnesses.”

​

 The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, which 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,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever.
AMEN.

A Prayer for Our Offerings

May these gifts carry forward the ministry you intend here in our church, our community, and wherever people are

scattered abroad over the face of the earth.  May our open hands share your gifts, our open hearts reach out in

love and peace, and our open doors welcome any that might wish to learn the truth of your Gospel. 

Show us how to use this offering to accomplish your loving purposes for humankind.  Amen.

​

The Closing Song​

"O Spirit of the Living God" ~ Hymn #539

"Spirit of the Living God" ~ Vertical Worship

The Benediction​

God sends us out to do greater works than we have yet accomplished.
We follow in faith where Christ leads, knowing the water of life will be available to us.

The promises of God go with us every day, and the love of God dwells among us.
God wipes away the tears from our eyes and grants us rest when we are weary.

God offers us eternal life, beginning now, inviting us daily to accept God's goodness and mercy.

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God.

Let us go forth in peace, to love and to serve the Lord.  Thanks be to God!  

​​​

Parting Song
"The Great Awakening" ~ Leeland

​​"One man wakes, awakens another
Second one wakes his next door brother
Three awake can rouse a town
And turn the whole place upside down

"Many awake will cause such a fuss
It finally awakes all of us
One man wakes with dawn in his eyes
Surely then it multiplies
Surely then it multiplies"

​Click here to return to the homepage and see other messages from Wesley UMC.

God be with you 'til we meet again!

​

Past Sermons...

           ~  March 1, 2020:   Gospel Reading and Sermon - "Temptation."  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill​

​​           ~  February 23, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon - "Faith."  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  February 16, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  February 9, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  February 2, 2020:  Sermon.  Linda S. Yost, United Methodist Women

           ~  January 26, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  January 19, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  January 12, 2020:  Gospel Reading and Sermon.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill

           ~  January 5, 2020:  About the UMC and the Wesley Covenant Service and

                                          the Essential Wesley Covenant.  Rev. Amy Sarah Lewis-Rill