Worship
May 23, 2021
“If you set your hopes low, you can be pleasantly surprised if anything good happens. I guess it’s a way of hardening your heart. A way of resisting the love of God that has been generously poured out through the Holy Spirit. Poured out. Not measured out by teaspoons. Poured. An image of abundance.”
~ Sharon Garlough Brown
“Will God ever ask you to do something you are not able to do? The answer is yes–all the time! If we function according to our ability alone, we get the glory; if we function according to the power of the Spirit within us, God gets the glory.”
~ Henry Blackaby
“To put it simply: the Holy Spirit bothers us. Because the Spirit moves us, makes us walk, pushes the Church to go forward. We want the Holy Spirit to doze off … we want to domesticate the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the power of God, the one who gives us consolation and strength to move forward. But: to move forward! And this bothers us. It’s so much nicer to be comfortable.”
~ Pope Francis
“The church is intended to be a beautiful place of community. A place where wealth is shared and when one suffers, everyone suffers. A place where when one rejoices, everyone rejoices. A place where everyone experiences real love and acceptance in the midst of great honesty about our brokenness. Yet most of the time this is not even close to how we would describe our churches.
Without the Spirit of God in our midst, working in us, guiding us, and living and loving through us, we will never be the kind of people who make up this kind of community.”
~ Francis Chan
Prelude
Kevin McCullough, Contemporary Worship Director
Call to Worship
Even after the resurrection, when the disciples
were weighed down with worry,
Jesus assured them that they were not alone:
“The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in my name, will teach you everything,
and remind you of all that I have said to you.”
Even after the resurrection, when the disciples
were burdened by their fears,
Jesus calmed their troubled hearts:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled,
and do not let them be afraid.”
Even after the resurrection, when we struggle
with our faith,
Jesus blesses us with comfort and hope:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace
I give to you.”
Especially after the resurrection, when our souls
are dry and barren,
the Holy Spirit blows through our lives,
bringing us new life. Alleluia!
Songs
Praise Band
Time for Youth
Robbie Frederiksen, Youth Ministries Director
Scripture Lesson
Acts 2:1-21
Message
Pastor Kate Conolly
“Passing the Baton”
Offering Prayer
(Acts 2, John 14)
Pentecost God,
take our hearts and set them on fire.
Take our lives and transform them.
Take our church and resurrect it
with your life-giving Spirit.
Take our gifts and use them
for the fulfillment of your vision
of peace and unity. Amen.
Song
Praise Band
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
Sending Forth
(Acts 2, Psalm 104, John 14)
The God who made this amazing universe
is creating you anew every day.
Jesus Christ, the resurrected One,
offers you peace that never dies.
The Holy Spirit is setting your hearts on fire—
right here, right now.
Go in peace, and be transformed,
that you may change the world. Amen.
Liturgy from The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press.
Postlude
Praise Band