The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost in many forms. The Spirit comes as wind, blowing where she will, moving us forward, reminding us of God’s power. The Spirit comes in the miracle of communication—people speaking across boundaries of race, religion, even language. And the Spirit comes as fire, ”wild and cozy, creative and destructive, everyday and extraordinary, domesticated and purely elemental.” (Rev. Carol H. Prickett, Deep Well Resources.)
Join us for our celebration of Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church! We would love to see you in our beautiful sanctuary, or to have you join us right here online. You are invited!
Pentecost Sunday: “Holy Flame”
Psalm 104:24-34; 35b; Acts 2:1-21
May 28, 2023
Union Presbyterian Church
Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Liturgist: Cathie Makowka Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube
Announcements Cathie Makowka
Prelude Colin DeLap
“See How Great a Flame Aspires,” Daniel Burton
© 2022, Lorenz Publishing Co, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Welcome Rev. Pat Raube
*Call to Worship Cathie Makowka
You call us to worship, Holy Spirit of God.
You are truth.
You come like the wind of heaven, unseen, unbidden.
You are all around us.
Like the dawn you reveal the world around us,
and grant us a new beginning every day.
You are light.
You warm and comfort us.
You are hope.
You give us courage and fire and strength beyond our everyday resources.
You are inspiration.
You call us to worship, Holy Spirit of God.
We are your people.
* Hymn #131 PH
“Wind Who Makes All Winds That Blow,” Thomas H. Troeger
©1985, Oxford University Press, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Wind who makes all winds that blow—
Gusts that bend the saplings low,
Gales that heave the sea in waves,
Stirrings in the mind’s deep caves—
Aim Your breath with steady power
On Your church this day, this hour.
Raise, renew the life we’ve lost,
Spirit God of Pentecost
Fire who fuels all fires that burn—
Suns around which planets turn,
Beacons marking reefs and shoals,
Shining truth to guide our souls—
Come to us as once You came:
Burst in tongues of sacred flame!
Light and Power, Might and Strength,
Fill Your church, its breadth and length.
Holy Spirit, Wind and Flame,
Move within our mortal frame.
Make our hearts an altar pyre,
Kindle them with Your own fire.
Breathe and blow upon that blaze
Till our lives, our deeds and ways,
Speak that tongue which every land
By Your grace shall understand.
* Call to New Life
Let us call upon the Holy Spirit to bless, guide, and heal us.
* Prayer for Pentecost Sunday (responsive)
Holy Spirit, Creator, in the beginning you moved over the waters.
From your breath all creation drew life.
Without you, life turns to dust.
Come, Holy Spirit!
Holy Spirit, Counselor, by your inspiration, the prophets spoke and acted in faith.
You clothed them in power to be bearers of your word.
Come, Holy Spirit!
Holy Spirit, Power, you came as fire to Jesus’ disciples;
you gave them voice before the rulers of this world.
Come, Holy Spirit!
Holy Spirit, Sanctifier, you created us as children of God;
you make us the living temple of your presence;
you intercede with us with sighs too deep for words.
Come, Holy Spirit!
Holy Spirit, Giver of Life, you guide us and make holy the church you create;
you give gifts—
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord,
the spirit of joy in your presence,
that the whole creation may become what you want it to be.
Come, Holy Spirit!
True and only Light, from whom comes every good gift;
Send your Spirit into our lives with the power of a mighty wind.
Open the horizons of our minds by the flame of your wisdom.
Loosen our tongues to show your praise,
for only in your Spirit can we voice your words of peace and acclaim Jesus as Lord.
We pray in his holy name. Amen.
* Words of Assurance
With the whole church:
We affirm that we are made in God’s image,
befriended by Christ, and empowered by the Spirit.
With people everywhere:
We affirm God’s goodness at the heart of humanity,
planted more deeply than all that is wrong.
With all creation:
We celebrate the miracle and wonder of life and the unfolding purposes of God, forever at work in ourselves and the world. Thanks be to God. Amen!
*Sharing of the Peace
The love of God has been poured into our hearts,
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
May the peace of God, Creator, Christ, and Spirit, be with you.
And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
Scripture Reading Psalm 104:1, 24-34, 35b
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
O my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with majesty and splendor.
How manifold are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
with its swarms too many to number,
living things both small and great.
There go the ships to and fro,
and Leviathan which you made for the sport of it.
All of them look to you
to give them their food in due season;
You give it to them, they gather it;
you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
You send forth your spirit, and they are created;
and so you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
O Lord, rejoice in all your works.
You look at the earth and it trembles,
you touch the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will praise my God while I have my being.
May these words of mine please God.
I will rejoice in the Lord!
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Hallelujah!
Time for Young Disciples Rev. Pat Raube
Music: “Come, O Spirit,” John A. Dalles
© 1962, J. Fischer and Bro.
Used by permission, CCLI License #CSPL068847
Scripture Reading Acts 2:1-21
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.
Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
‘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.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Response: This is the Good News we have received, in which we stand,
and by which we are saved.
Thanks be to God!
Sermon ”Holy Flame” Rev. Pat Raube
* Affirmation of Faith from the Brief Statement of Faith
In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.
We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Anthem Choir
“Great and Awesome God,” Mark Hayes
©2004, Beckenhorst Press, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
This is a day of celebration.
This is a day to praise.
Almighty God who loves and sustains us,
Faithful in every way.
Lord, we join with Your people down through the ages
Your mighty deeds to share.
You have been faithful to all generations.
This truth we now declare:
You are a great and awesome God.
Your wonders we proclaim.
You are our Rock, our Strength, our Shield,
From age to age the same.
You forgive us all our sins.
You transform us with your love.
With joyful, grateful hearts we sing,
You are a great and awesome God!
This is a day of celebration.
This is a time to rejoice.
This is the day to look to the future
And give our dreams a voice.
With courage and faith we are running the race.
We are reaching for the prize.
Our hope is to be found worthy of
Our calling in Jesus Christ.
We are a chosen generation,
A royal priesthood, a holy nation,
Called from darkness into light,
So we must testify.
You are a great and awesome God.
Your wonders we proclaim.
You are our Rock, our Strength, our Shield,
From age to age the same.
You forgive us all our sins.
You transform us with your love.
With joyful, grateful hearts we sing,
You are a great and awesome God!
You are a great and awesome God.
You are a great and awesome God.
A great and awesome God!
Prayers of the People
Response: By your Spirit, O God, transform our lives.
The Lord’s Prayer (Traditional Version)
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Prayer Response #489 W & R
“Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying,” Ken Medema
©1973, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Lord, send your Spirit in this place;
Lord, listen to you children praying,
Send us love, send us power, send us grace.
Call for Offering
* Doxology
“Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” Brian Wren
©1989, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures high and low.
Praise God, in Jesus fully known:
Creator, Word, and Spirit one.
* Prayer of Dedication
* Hymn #323 PH “Loving Spirit,” Shirley Erena Murray
©1987, The Hymn Society, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Loving Spirit, Holy Spirit,
You have chosen me to be;
You have drawn me to Your wonder,
You have set Your sign on me.
Like a mother, You enfold me,
Hold my life within Your own,
Feed me with Your very body,
Form me of Your flesh and bone.
Like a father, You protect me,
Teach me the discerning eye,
Hoist me up upon Your shoulder,
Let me see the world from high.
Loving Spirit, in Your closeness
I am known and held and blest:
In Your promise is my comfort,
In Your presence I may rest.
* Benediction
Postlude Colin DeLap
“Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory,” public domain
Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.
“W & R” ~ the red Worship and Rejoice hymnal.
“PH” ~ the blue Presbyterian Hymnal
The Call to Worship was adapted from a prayer from the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer.
The Prayer for Pentecost Sunday was taken from the PCUSA Book of Common Worship, 1993.
Words of Assurance taken and adapted from the Iona Community Worship Book.