Sunday Worship + May 31, 2020

+ Pentecost derives its name from the Jewish festival celebrating the harvest and the giving of the law on Mount Sinai fifty days after Passover. Fifty days after Easter, we celebrate the Holy Spirit as God’s presence within and among us. In Acts the Spirit arrives in rushing wind and flame, bringing God’s presence to all people. Paul reminds us that though we each have different capacities, we are unified in the Spirit that equips us with these gifts. Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples, empowering them to forgive sin. We celebrate that we too are given the breath of the Holy Spirit and sent out to proclaim God’s redeeming love to all the world. +

Gathering Hymn: Gracious Spirit, Heed Our Pleading (ELW #401), Verses 1, 2, 3

1 Gracious Spirit, heed our pleading,
fashion us all anew.
It’s your leading that we’re needing,
help us to follow you.

Refrain
Come, come, come, Holy Spirit, come.
Come, come, come, Holy Spirit, come.

2 Come to teach us, come to nourish
those who believe in Christ.
Bless the faithful, may they flourish,
strengthened by grace unpriced.  Refrain

3 Guide our thinking and our speaking
done in your holy name.
Motivate all in their seeking,
freeing from guilt and shame.  Refrain

Text: Wilson Niwagila; tr. Howard S. Olson, b. 1922
English and Swahili text © Lutheran Theological College, Makumira, Tanzania, admin. Augsburg Fortress.
Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.

Hymn of Praise: Lord I Lift Your Name On High (ELW #857)

Confession and Forgiveness

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Opening Prayer

O God, on this day you open the hearts of your faithful people by sending into us your Holy Spirit. Direct us by the light of that Spirit, that we may have a right judgment in all things and rejoice at all times in your peace, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Readings

Acts 2:1-21

+ Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival that marked the fiftieth day after Passover. Luke portrays the Holy Spirit being poured out upon the disciples before the gathered and astonished people assembled in Jerusalem for the festival. Filled with the Spirit, the disciples were able to witness to the power of Christ’s resurrection. +

The first reading comes from Acts beginning at the second chapter.

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
  ⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
  ¹⁴But 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. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
 ¹⁷‘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.
 ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
  in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
   and they shall prophesy.
 ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above
  and signs on the earth below,
   blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
 ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness
  and the moon to blood,
   before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
 ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

+ Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth. (Ps. 104:30) +

Together we will read responsively from Psalm 104.

²⁴How manifold are your works, O Lord!
  In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵Yonder is the sea, great and wide, with its swarms too many to number,
living things both small and great.
²⁶There go the ships to and fro,
  and Leviathan, which you made for the sport of it.
²⁷All of them look to you
to give them their food in due season. 
²⁸You give it to them; they gather it;
  you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
²⁹When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
³⁰You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;
  and so you renew the face of the earth.
³¹May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
O Lord, rejoice in all your works. 
³²You look at the earth and it trembles;
  you touch the mountains and they smoke.
³³I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will praise my God while I have my being.
³⁴May these words of mine please God.
  I will rejoice in the Lord.
^35bBless the Lord, O my soul.
Hallelujah! 

1 Corinthians 12:3b-13

+ Paul is helping the Corinthians understand the relationship between our God-given unity and Spirit-created diversity. The Spirit creates the unity of faith and gives all Christians diverse gifts for the common benefit of all. We need one another’s diverse spiritual gifts because the same Spirit has given them to each person for the common good. +

The second reading comes from 1 Corinthians beginning at the 12^th chapter.

^3bNo one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.
⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to 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. ¹¹All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

¹²For 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. ¹³For 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.

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

Children’s Message

Earlier this week I found an incredible devotional resource by Pastor Mark and Pastor Jesse, who are good friends of mine and ELCA pastors in Greensboro, NC. They’ve created Morning Watch as a daily devotion and singing time that they are posting daily. There is one for adults and one just for children. Check it out as well as the coloring pages I’ve posted to the Holy Trinity Facebook Page!

John 20:19-23

+ The risen Jesus appears to his disciples, offering them a benediction, a commission, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. +

The Holy Gospel according to John beginning at the 20^th chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.

¹⁹When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

The Gospel of the Lord, Praise to you O Christ.

Sermon

Hymn of the Day: Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness ( ELW #386) Verses 1, 3, 4

Prayers of the People

Uplifted by the promised hope of healing and resurrection, we join the people of God in all times and places in praying for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

A brief silence.

We call on your spirit of unity, giving thanks for our different vocations. Activate and utilize the diverse gifts present in your church, that they reveal your love for all. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We call on your spirit of life, present in air, wind, humidity, storms, and oxygen in our atmosphere, breathing energy into all things. Heal with your breath the whole creation, especially those who struggle to breathe due to air pollution. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We call on your spirit of righteousness. Wherever we as a people are divided, unite us. Wherever we are prideful, humble us. Give each one of us a heart for justice and empathy. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We call on your spirit of healing. Bless nurses, doctors, midwives, chaplains, counselors, and hospice workers as they care for those in need. We pray for all who long for comfort Peter, Laura, Kathy, Susan, Tom S. Bob, Joe I., Jennifer, Kara, Rosetta, Franco, the family and friends of Marie, Charlie, the family and friends of Dorothy Correll, Zenaida, Daniel, the family of Marsenna Rentel, the family and friends of Charles Kuttler and anyone we name silently in our hearts, aloud in our homes, or in the comments below. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We call on your spirit of friendship. As Elizabeth welcomed Mary to her home, give us a spirit of welcome to those whom we meet in this congregation and outside these doors. Surprise us daily with unexpected grace, that we rejoice in every blessing you send. God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For those in pursuit of recovery and perseverance in the midst of the Coronavirus. We pray for all essential workers in New York City and around the world who continue to work and put their own wellbeing on the line to help us face this crisis. We pray for doctors, nurses, first responders, researchers, law enforcement, caregivers, sanitation and maintenance workers, and all working to combat COVID-19. Be with those who work in service and restaurant professions, those keeping stores stocked and making at home deliveries, for teachers both at home and online working tirelessly to give our children an education in the midst of crisis. We pray for those who transport goods to the places that need them, provide them with what they need along the journey. Keep them safe, keep them healthy, and help us to find ways to provide them with the supplies that they need to do their jobs well. We ask that you continue to be with employers and employees who are struggling to figure out how to keep things going during this time. God in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We call on your spirit of hope. As you have led your saints in all times and places, stir in us the desire to follow their example, leading us from death to new life in you. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

With bold confidence in your love, almighty God, we place all for whom we pray into your eternal care; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Offering

Please consider continuing to mail in your offering or giving online!  We continue to have expenses that need to be covered during this time. We are most grateful for your generosity.

Offertory Hymn We Are an Offering (ELW #692)

Thanksgiving for the Word

Let us pray.    
O God of justice and love, we give thanks to you that you illumine our way through life with the words of your Son. Give us the light we need, awaken us to the needs of others, and at the end bring all the world to your feast; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:

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;     
and forgive us our trespasses,     
as we forgive those who trespass against us;     
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.     

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

Benediction

May the One who brought forth Jesus from the dead
raise you to new life, fill you with hope,
and turn your mourning into dancing.
Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.Amen.

Sending Hymn: God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind (ELW #400)

1 God of tempest, God of whirlwind,
as on Pentecost descend!
Drive us out from sheltered comfort;
past these walls your people send!
Sweep us into costly service,
there with Christ to bear the cross,
there with Christ to bear the cross!

2 God of blazing, God of burning,
all that blocks your purpose, purge!
Through your church, Christ’s living Body,
let your flaming Spirit surge!
Where deceit conceals injustice,
kindle us to speak your truth,
kindle us to speak your truth!

3 God of earthquake, God of thunder,
shake us loose from lethargy!
Break the chains of sin asunder,
for earth’s healing set us free!
Crumble walls that still divide us;
make us one in Christ our Lord,
make us one in Christ our Lord!

4 God of passion, God unsleeping,
stir in us love’s restlessness!
Where the people cry in anguish,
may we share your heart’s distress.
Rouse us from content with evil;
claim us for your kingdom’s work,
claim us for your kingdom’s work!

Text: Herman G. Stuempfle Jr., b. 1923
Text © 2000 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. http://www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.

Dismissal

What is our mission? Welcoming all to grow in faith; living Christ’s message of serving and loving neighbors near and far.

Go in Peace, share the Good News! Thanks be to God!