Crandall United Methodist Church

Worship Guide

May 19, 2024

Pentecost Sunday

Creating Disciples of Jesus who Transform the World

ENTRANCE WITH PRAISE

Greetings:

Minister: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

People: And also with you!

Special Music:  “O My Soul” Charles

Centering Words:

In rushing wind and tongues of fire, the Church is born through the power of the Holy Spirit.

*Call to Worship:

Leader:    In rushing wind and tongues of fire...

People:   the Church is born.

Leader:    In courage found and faith renewed...

People:   the Church gains strength.

Leader:    In visions seen and dreams made real...

People:   the Church blessed the world.

Leader:    In hopes rekindled and fears released...

People:   the Church leads the way.

Leader:    In rushing wind and tongues of fire...

People:   Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Leader:    Let us pray.

ALL: God of wind and flame, ignite a fire in our hearts and fill us with your courage and power. On this day of Pentecost, may our young people see visions and our elders dream dreams. Blow open the doors of our shut up hearts and send us into the world to spread the good news of your saving love. Amen.

Hymn: “Spirit Song”                                  

Oh let the Son of God enfold you

with his Spirit and his love.

Let him fill your heart and satisfy your soul.

Oh let him have the things that hold you,

and his Spirit like a dove

will descend upon your life

and make you whole.

Jesus, oh Jesus

come and fill your lambs.

Jesus, oh Jesus

come and fill your lambs.

Oh come and sing the song of gladness

as your hearts are filled with joy.

Lift your hands in sweet surrender to his name.

Oh give him all your tears and sadness;

give him all your years of pain,

and you'll enter into life in Jesus' name

Jesus, oh Jesus

come and fill your lambs.

Jesus, oh Jesus

come and fill your lambs.

PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

Words of Assurance

God searches the heart and the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

Rejoice, sisters and brothers in Christ, God’s steadfast love endures forever.

Amen.

*New Testament Reading: Acts 2:1-21

¹ When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² 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. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire,  appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ But 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. ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ No, 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.

¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;

   and they shall prophesy.

¹⁹ And I will show portents in the heaven above

   and signs on the earth below,

   blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

²⁰ The sun shall be turned to darkness

   and the moon to blood,

   before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.

²¹ Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

WORD AND RESPONSE

Time with Young Friends:  “Jesus Loves Me” 

Children’s Message: “Dem Bones”

Hymn: “My Hope is Built”                             

My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean in Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils his lovely face,

I rest on his unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

my anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, his covenant, his blood,

support me in the whelming flood.

When all around my soul gives way,

he then is all my hope and stay.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in him be found.

Dressed in his righteousness alone,

faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,

all other ground is sinking sand;

all other ground is sinking sand.

Sermon: “These Bones Will Live”  Ezekiel 37:1-14

¹ The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. ³ He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁷ So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.

 RESPONSE TO THE WORD  

Prayers of the People: Joys and concerns

  Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer

THE SACRAMENTS OF HOLY COMMUNION

Invitation, Prayer of Confession and Pardon:

Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.

Therefore, let us confess our sin before God

and one another.

Merciful God,

we confess that we have not loved you

with our whole hearts.

We have failed to be an obedient church.

We have not done your will,

we have broken your law,

we have rebelled against your love,

we have not loved our neighbors,

and we have not heard the

cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray.

Free us for joyful obedience,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Hear the good news:

Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;

that proves God's love toward us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Glory to God. Amen

The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life.

When we turned away, and our love failed, your love remained steadfast. You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God, and spoke to us through your prophets.

And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,

God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.

Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to        announce that the time had come when you would save your people.

He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners.

By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always, in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Take, eat; this my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

When the supper was over, he took the cup,

gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Drink from this all of you;

this is my blood of the new covenant,

poured out for you and for many

for the forgiveness of sins.

Do this, as often as you drink it

in remembrance of me."

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith

Christ has died;

Christ is risen;

Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.   Amen

And now with the confidence of children of God, let us pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

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.

Amen

Sharing of the Cup and Loaf

Moment of Prayer and Meditation  

Prayer of Thanks

Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. 

Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your Spirit, to give ourselves to others, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen

SENDING FORTH

Hymn: “Days of Elijah”  

These are the days of Elijah,

declaring the Word of the Lord.

And these are the days

of your servant, Moses;

righteousness being restored.

And though these are days of great trials,

of famine and darkness and sword,

still we are the voice in the desert crying

"Prepare ye the way of the Lord."

Behold he comes riding on the clouds,

shining like the sun at the trumpet call.

So lift your voice, it's the year of Jubilee.

And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

These are the days of Ezekiel,

the dry bones becoming as flesh.

And these are the days

of your servant, David,

rebuilding the temple of praise.

And these are the days of the harvest;

the fields are as white in the world.

And we are the laborers in your vineyard

declaring the Word of the Lord.

Behold he comes riding on the clouds,

shining like the sun at the trumpet call.

So lift your voice, it's the year of Jubilee.

And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

Behold he comes riding on the clouds,

shining like the sun at the trumpet call.

So lift your voice, it's the year of Jubilee.

And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

Behold he comes riding on the clouds,

shining like the sun at the trumpet call.

So lift your voice, it's the year of Jubilee.

And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

So lift your voice,

it's the year of Jubilee.

And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

Benediction