Sunday, May 23, 2021
PENTECOST SUNDAY
MAY 23, 2021
10:15A.M.
Organ Prelude
Welcome and Announcements John Strawbridge
Choral Introit “Gracious Spirit, Dwell with Me” (Redhead)
Gracious Spirit, dwell with me:
I myself would gracious be;
And with words that help and heal
Would thy life in mine reveal;
And with actions bold and meek
Would for Christ my Savior speak.
Call to Worship
L: Once we walked the hillsides and pathways
P: Then, in fear we hid in an upper room
L: News of Jesus’ resurrection stunned and awed our souls.
P: We didn’t know what to believe.
L: On this day, long ago, God’s Holy Spirit inflamed the hearts of those who had hidden in
fear. They were encouraged to go and proclaim God’s Good News to all the world.
P: May God’s Holy Spirit inflame our hearts and stir us from apathy and complacency
to energy and enthusiasm to serve God in this world. AMEN.
Opening Hymn “Faithful God, You Sent Your Spirit ,” words by Carolyn Winfrey Gilette
NETTLETON 8.7.8.7 D (“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”)
Faithful God, you sent your Spirit
Long ago at Pentecost.
You gave life and said to share it,
All as one, beneath your cross.
May we see your wondrous blessing
When your people everywhere
Work together, all confessing
Faith that binds us, faith to share.
God of hope, you daily nurture
Those who seek to follow you.
You’re not bound by any culture;
You love rich and poor ones, too.
In an ever-changing nation,
May your churches welcome in
Every child of your creation,
Giving hope to all again.
God of love, may we in worship
Welcome our diversity.
May we reach in trust and friendship
To the poor and refugee.
May we see Christ in the stranger,
Breaking bonds of hate and fear.
By your Spirit, may we offer
Glimpses of your kingdom here.
Old Testament Lesson Genesis 11: 1-8 (NRSV)
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as the people migrated from the east,
they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, ‘Come,
let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us
make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad
upon the face of the whole earth.’ The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals
had built. And the Lord said, ’Look, they are one people, and they have all one language. And this is
only the beginning of what they will do; Nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for
them. ‘Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so they will not understand one
another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them all over the face of all the earth,
and the people left off building the city. Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord
confused the language of all the earth.
The Word of God….Thanks Be To God
Sacrament of Baptism UMH 33 (Insert Attached Below)
Charles “Q” Robert Charles IV (May 20, 2020 – Baltimore, MD)
Parents: Courtney & Charles “Chuck” Robert Charles III
Godmother – Kimberly Speed Routson
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
Lord’s Prayer
Choral Response “Spirit of the Living God” UMH 393
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Epistle Lesson Acts 2:1-21 (NIV)
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound
like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they
were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on
each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6
When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard
their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are
speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and
Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from
Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring
the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another,
“What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow
Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what
I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No,
this is what was spoken by 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 men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
The Word of God for the people of God….Thanks be to God.
Sermon “Fire Dance” Rev. Debbie Scott
Invitation to Offering
Offertory “Listen, Sweet Dove” (Grayston Ives)
Listen, sweet dove, unto my song,
And spread Thy golden wings in me;
Hatching my tender heart so long,
Till it get wing and flie away with thee.
Such glorious gifts thou didst bestow,
The earth did like a heaven appeare,
The starres were coming down to know
If they might mend their wages and serve here.
The sunne which once did shine alone
Hung down his head and wisht for night,
When he beheld twelve sunnes for one,
Going and giving light.
Lord, though we change, Thou art the same,
The same sweet God of love and light:
Restore this day for Thy great name
Unto his ancient and miraculous right.
Offering Prayer (All)
For all you have given, for all we have received, we give you thanks.
We bring before you our gifts of substance and the gift of our lives.
We bring our passion and joy and surprise, our visions and dreams.
May they refresh and enliven our church and community,
as the wind of your Spirit did long ago. Amen
Closing Hymn “Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness” TFWS 2120 Vs. 1, 2, & 3
Refrain: Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness calling and free,
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
wind, wind on the sea.
1 You moved on the waters,
you called to the deep,
then you coaxed up the mountains
from the valleys of sleep;
and over the eons you called to each thing:
“”Awake from your slumbers
and rise on your wings.”"
3 You sang in a stable,
you cried from a hill,
then you whispered in silence
when the whole world was still;
and down in the city
you called once again,
when you blew through your people
on the rush of the wind.
4 You call from tomorrow,
you break ancient schemes.
From the bondage of sorrow
all the captives dream dreams;
our women see visions,
our men clear their eyes.
With bold new decisions
your people arise.
Benediction
We have heard the voice of God, who scatters us to gather the world into the community of grace and
hope.
We will go to fill the emptiness of others, to bring fresh air into all the stagnant places of our
neighborhoods and world.
We have heard the words of Jesus, who calls us to share the whispers of healing, of reconciliation, of
renewal.
We will go to comfort those hiding in shadows, to be the breath of kindness to the ridiculed, to
share in the silence of the broken and grieving.
We have heard the rush of the Spirit’s wind, who would shatter our complacency, and give us voices
for justice and righteousness.
We will go to sing songs of strength to the weak, to whisper words of love to those who know
only hate, to shout for the renewal of all people everywhere.
Choral Benediction “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” (Jackson)
Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew,
That I may love the way You love, and do what You would do.
Ringing the Bicentennial Bell
Organ Postlude
Link to Sacrament of Baptism:
http://lovelylane.net/home/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TB-Insert-May-23.pdf
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