For the week of May 28 to June 3 – Pentecost
Hymn: #575 Onward, Christian Soldiers
- Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle see His banners go!
Refrain: Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
- At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee; on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise. (Refrain) - Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity. (Refrain) - Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
but the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail;
we have Christ's own promise, and that cannot fail. (Refrain) - Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng,
blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King,
this through countless ages men and angels sing. (Refrain)
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan that You formed to sport in it.
These all look to You to give them their food in due season; when You give to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are filled with good things.
When You hide Your face, they are dismayed; when You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When You send forth Your spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works--who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!
Children’s Time Acts 2:1-4
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.
Children’s Message
It is Pentecost Sunday! Today we celebrate the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples which began this movement we call the church. The Holy Spirit has always been since before time and will continue through infinity. The difference now is that the Holy Spirit dwells with us always, before the pouring out, the Spirit would be with those anointed for a time. The Holy Spirit was with the prophets as they taught and then returned to God. The Holy Spirit moved upon the earth and enabled creation to come to life and then returned to God.
This pouring out of the Holy Spirit falls upon us also. It informs us, teaches us, guides us, and encourages us. It is our constant companion. It causes the church to grow in relationship with God and moves the church forward in her mission to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In some ways, we can think of Pentecost as the birthday of the church, the very beginning of all that God would desire for God’s creation coming into being. Yet, it is much more – it is the reminder we need of all that is available to us because of God’s love for us, because we could do none of this without the Holy Spirit.
Prayers of Intercession: Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those dear to our hearts. We now pray as You have taught us: 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 sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us, not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: Our Confirmation class are full members of our church. Welcome them with joy. As you give your gifts, praise God for growing His kingdom with willing disciples; those who cheerfully give their prayers, gifts, presence, service and witness.
Offering prayer: God of wind and flame: set us on fire this morning as we celebrate the explosion of Your Holy Spirit coming into the world on the Day of Pentecost! Remind us that the gift You gave that day was not just the gift to speak in different tongues, but also the gift of hearing and comprehension. May Your Holy Spirit keep us attuned to the voices all around us, to those who need us to be bearers of Your love and compassion, and may these gifts we give help us, through Your church, meet those needs. In the holy name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Hymn of Preparation #599 Break Thou the Bread of Life
- Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
as Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea;
beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord; my spirit pants for Thee, O Living Word!
- Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me, as Thou didst bless the bread by Galilee;
then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall; and I shall find my peace, my all in all.
Today’s message: Unity Carly Megargell, a member of the confirmation class
Good morning!
I invite you to take a look around the room. Do you feel it? Do you feel unity?
Unity is the act of coming together. The disciples came into unity when they met Jesus. They were fishermen and then Jesus called them “fishers - of - men.” They came together to join Jesus’ cause.
So, where do you feel unity? Where do you look to feel united with others? Is it with family? Friends? Do you feel unity at work or school? Perhaps playing on a team or cheering with fellow fans at a game?
Unity for the church today is about doing things like gathering for worship, volunteering for VBS, joining a Sunday School class, or helping at the food pantry. There are even more examples in this church. We have youth group, the crafters, the praise band, choir, and Bible study groups.
Hebrews 13:16 tells, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
Mark 10:45 reads, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Another passage from Hebrews 10:24 states, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”
I feel unity with this group of confirmands joining Lightstreet United Methodist Church today.
If you are not part of any of the groups that I mentioned before, I encourage you to try one. Or, do you have a new idea to bring people together? What can we do to bring more people to church and to Jesus?
I will close with this thought. In Google, I found this question, “Why do Christians need unity?” The answer was, “The unity of the church is vital for our endurance. We’re not meant to live the Christian life in isolation. And it’s vital for our witness; Jesus authorized the unbelieving world to judge whether or not the Father sent Him into the world based on the church’s visible unity.” This comes from John 17:21 – “That all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”
Let us pray.
Dear God, we hope that You treat us as if we are in unity as the church. I also hope that our distant ministries that we support, like EOS and Dwell, will continue to be in unity to help Your cause. We also pray that all of the groups that we have including this group of confirmands will stay in unity with the church forevermore. Amen.
Hymn: #540 I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord
- I love Thy kingdom, Lord, the house of Thine abode,
the church our blest Redeemer saved with His own precious blood. - I love Thy church, O God! Her walls before Thee stand
dear as the apple of Thine eye, and graven on Thy hand. - For her my tears shall fall, for her my prayers ascend,
to her my cares and toils be given, till toils and cares shall end. - Beyond my highest joy I prize her heavenly ways,
her sweet communion, solemn vows, her hymns of love and praise. - Sure as Thy truth shall last, to Zion shall be given
the brightest glories earth can yield, and brighter bliss of heaven.
Go into your week with the blessings of The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.
