May 24, 2026

THE SERVICE

DAY OF PENTECOST—HE LIVES TO POUR OUT HIS SPIRIT

When the disciples were distressed about Jesus ascending into heaven, he assured them, “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). That Advocate is the Holy Spirit. If Jesus had stayed in the grave, the Holy Spirit would have had no reason to enter the lives of disciples.

But Jesus lives, and it makes a difference. The Spirit provides faith and purpose for life. Pentecost, the celebration of the special arrival of the Holy Spirit, is the third great festival of the Church, along with the Nativity and the Resurrection. Pentecost closes the fifty-day period after Easter and ends the festival half of the church year. The Church dresses in red on this day to commemorate the tongues of fire that marked the Spirit’s gift as well as the blood of the martyrs.

OPENING HYMN 633 Speak, O Lord

1 Speak, O Lord, as we come to you
to receive the food of your holy Word;
    take your truth, plant it deep in us,
    shape and fashion us in your likeness,
that the light of Christ might be seen today
in our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
    Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
    all your purposes for your glory.

2       Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
holy reverence, true humility;
    test our thoughts and our attitudes
    in the radiance of your purity.
Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see
your majestic love and authority.
    Words of pow’r that can never fail,
    let their truth prevail over unbelief.

3       Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds,
help us grasp the heights of your plans for us,
    truths unchanged from the dawn of time,
    that will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on your promises,
and by faith we’ll walk as you walk with us.
    Speak, O Lord, till your Church is built,
    and the earth is filled with your glory.

Text: Keith Getty, b. 1974; Stuart Townend, b. 1963
Text: © 2006 Thankyou Music, admin. CapitolCMGPublishing,com. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 717826

Please Stand

INVOCATION

In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

CONFESSION

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Let us confess our sins to the Lord.
Holy God, gracious Father,
    I am sinful by nature
        and have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions.
    I have not loved you with my whole heart;
    I have not loved others as I should.
        I deserve your punishment both now and forever.
    But Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins
        with his innocent suffering and death.
    Trusting in him, I pray: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Silence for meditation and reflection

ABSOLUTION 154

Our gracious Father in heaven has been merciful to us. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

KYRIE Lord, Have Mercy

In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS Glory to God in the Highest

♫ Ref: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. (Refrain)

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
You are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer, receive our prayer. (Refrain)

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. (Refrain)

Glory to God, glory to God.

THE WORD

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.

Holy Spirit, God and Lord, come to us this joyful day with your sevenfold gift of grace. Rekindle in our hearts the holy fire of your love that in a true and living faith we may tell abroad the glory of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Father, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Be seated

FIRST READING Acts 2:1–21

On Pentecost, the disciples proclaimed the gospel. Through their words the Holy Spirit unleashes his saving power.

1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia 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!” 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

14Then 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. 15These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16No, 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.
18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

PSALM OF THE DAY 607 Ten Thousand Reasons

Ref Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul;
worship his holy name.
Sing like never before, O my soul;
I’ll worship your holy name.

1 The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning;
it’s time to sing your song again.
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me,
let me be singing when the evening comes. (Refrain)

2 You’re rich in love, and you’re slow to anger.
Your name is great, and your heart is kind.
For all your goodness, I will keep on singing—
ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. (Refrain)

3 And on that day when my strength is failing,
the end draws near, and my time has come;
still my soul will sing your praise unending—
ten thousand years and then forevermore. (Refrain)

Text: Jonas Myrin, b. 1982; Matt Redman, b. 1974
Text: © 2011 Thankyou Music / Atlas Mountain Songs / Worship Together Songs / sixsteps Music, admin. CapitolCMGPublishing,com. Used by permission: Onelicense no. 717826

SECOND READING 1 Corinthians 12:3–11

When God pours out his Spirit, it is for the benefit of the entire Church.

3Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Please Stand

GOSPEL (in English and Karen) John 7:37–39

Jesus promised that those who were spiritually thirsty would be filled with the living water of the Spirit.

37On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

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

Be seated

CHILDREN'S MESSAGE

HYMN OF THE DAY 585 Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord

1 Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord!
May all your graces be outpoured
    on each believer’s mind and heart;
    your fervent love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of your light
you gather and in faith unite
    your Church from ev’ry land and tongue:
    this to your praise, O Lord our God, be sung.
        Alleluia, alleluia!

2       Come, holy Light, guide divine,
and cause the Word of life to shine.
    Teach us to know our God aright
    and call him Father with delight.
From ev’ry error keep us free;
let none but Christ our master be
    that we in living faith abide,
    in him, our Lord, with all our might confide.
        Alleluia, alleluia!

3       Come, holy Fire, comfort true,
grant us the will your work to do
    and in your service to abide;
    let trials turn us not aside.
Lord, by your pow’r prepare each heart,
and to our weakness strength impart
    that bravely here we may contend,
    through life and death to you, our Lord, ascend.
        Alleluia, alleluia!

Text: tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt.; (st. 1): German, 15th cent.; (sts. 2–3): Martin Luther, 1483–1546
Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: OneLicense no. 717826

SERMON

Please Stand

CONFESSION OF FAITH Nicene Creed 325 & 381 AD

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Be seated

OFFERING PRESENTED BEFORE THE ALTAR

OFFERING HYMN CWS p21 Create in Me a Pure Heart

♫ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold, uphold me with your free Spirit.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Spirit of love, teach us to do your will. Preserve our lives. Bring us through all trouble. Lead us on level ground.