Imagine
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
It's interesting that we observe Pentecost Sunday during the spring graduation and marriage season. But it's really quite appropriate if you think about it, because Pentecost shares many characteristics with these rites of passage in our culture. Marriages and graduation celebrate the exciting beginning of a new chapter in their participants' lives (we even refer to graduation ceremonies as "commencement"), even as they depart from their previous status as single adults and students. Similarly, Pentecost is something of a "commencement" for the church; while Jesus is no longer physically with the disciples, the coming of the Spirit marks an exciting new chapter as the disciples (and us too) fulfill the Great Commission and take the gospel out into the world. Marriages and graduations are also filled with optimistic visions of the future; while there are often perfunctory nods to the difficult road ahead, our rhetoric is much more likely to emphasize dreams and "thinking big." In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Roger Lovette suggests that's a good way for the church to approach Pentecost as well. As we look around, it's difficult to avoid feeling pessimistic about the future (of both the church and the world). But Roger points out that what the astounding events of Pentecost really suggest to us is the enduring power of imagination -- and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about possibilities that previously seemed unimaginable. Indeed, Pentecost can inspire us to recover the dreams and imagination that are so easily lost in church life.
Team member Ron Love shares some additional thoughts about Paul's theme in the epistle reading about the many members of the Christian body all being "given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). The Acts passage opens by telling us that the disciples were "all together in one place." But it's instructive that many translations render that same phrase as "all together in one accord." That underlines what Paul stresses about Christians who have "varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit" needing to bring them together for a common purpose. As Ron notes, the headlines in the mainstream press all too often highlight what divides Christians from each other and from the larger society -- but if we patiently look "below the fold," as well as in the work of our congregations, we can find plenty of stories that lift up what brings us together, heals us, and builds up the greater work of the church -- exactly what Paul was hoping the fractured Corinthian congregation would grasp.
Imagine
by Roger Lovette
John 20:19-23; Acts 2:1-21
THE WORLD
A graduation speaker recently ended his commencement address with these words: "Don't go!" It's that kind of a world, where we're told that college grads face dwindling jobs and mounting loans. Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 face an unemployment rate nearly twice that of the rest of the population. It isn't only in this country -- observers say that worldwide this age group is having a hard time. They have played a large role in the protests that have swept Britain and the Arab world. The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne says that we are suffering from a deficit of the imagination. People moan that our best days are over as a country. Commentators keep reminding us that 14 million of us are still without jobs. When we look to Washington we grow frustrated. In the midst of this turmoil, the mainline church shuffles along as our numbers dwindle. It would be easy to shut the door, ignore the headlines, hunker down, and take care of our own. The word "me" rises to the surface in many of our discussions. Not the word them, but me. Where is hope to be found in a world like this?
THE WORD
Don't forget the context of Luke's Pentecost story. The lectionary text in John 20 says that after Easter the disciples were huddled together in a house with locked doors. They were afraid of the Jews; they were afraid of the future; they were afraid of what might happen to them. And so Jesus came to fear and locked doors whispering peace, saying: Receive the Spirit I bring. As the Father sent me, so I send you.
Weeks later Acts 2 says that the disciples were all together in one place. Jim Honig in The Christian Century says: "We're not even sure why the disciples were gathered in the Pentecost room." They were praying, he says, but "What kind of prayers? That they not be found and arrested? Prayers for safekeeping if they were found? Prayers that Jesus would keep his promise by returning soon?"
We do know that into that setting something powerful happened. Luke could hardly put it into words, it was so surreal. The wind blew like they'd never seen it. Divided tongues like fire rested on each one. They all began to speak in different languages that all could understand. The emphasis was on the all. They looked at each other and asked, "What does this mean?" Peter interpreted the event by turning back to the old words of Joel: "In the last days... I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women... I will pour out my Spirit." It was a hinge-turning moment. They too began to dream what if... and perhaps. They too recovered the word all and began to see how large and all-encompassing the Spirit of God really was. The Spirit energized those all-too-human disciples, and we know now that they left that room to take the good news everywhere. Dr. Frank Stag called the book of Acts an "unhindered gospel" (Acts 28:30-31). From that tiny little circle of Jewish believers this power began to leap over wall after wall -- but not without enormous struggle. Yet the Spirit continued to flow outward and change all it touched.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
When that graduation speaker ended his address with "Don't Go!" even those in their caps and gowns, who were most bored and asleep, woke up. How far afield those words are from our Pentecost text! Down beside that depressing don't go we read what the Spirit said to those first frightened disciples: Go! "As the Father has sent me, so send I you" (John 20: 21b). Jesus never said "Don't go." Matthew ends his gospel with the challenge of Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19a).
Do you remember John Lennon's song "Imagine," which came out in the middle of the wrenching Vietnam War? Rated by Rolling Stone magazine as #3 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of the rock era, it touched people around the world:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
He went on to imagine "no countries... nothing to kill or die for / no religion that would divide. Imagine all the people living in peace... no need for greed or hunger."
Pentecost Sunday is a day of imagination. It is a day to recover our dreams and visions. It is a day to remember that old promise Jesus left with his disciples, "I will not leave you orphans," and then the following promise that remains today: "I will send my Spirit." Over and over the church has rediscovered the greatest promise of them all: "I am with you."
Imagine then that in our lives and churches and little counties and world we are not simply left to our own resources. Imagine that there really is this breath of God that fills the sails of all our lives. Imagine the tongues of fire that enable us to reach across every barrier and speak to one another despite our differences. Imagine that the "once upon a time" of the prophecy might just be fulfilled today. Imagine that the signs and wonders those early followers could scarcely believe are not consigned to a leather bound book. Imagine the gladness that filled their hearts could send us out with a courage that would believe in our going and in our doing we just might not only change this troubled world but ourselves as well.
The old missionary taught the natives a chorus, which they came to love.
Go on! Go on! Go on! Go on!
Go on! Go on! Go on! Go on!
Go on! Go on! Go on! Go on!
Go on! Go on! Go on! Go on!
On Pentecost Sunday we are reminded that for the church the word is never "Don't go!" Our challenge is "Go!" Imagine.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Read Below the Fold
by Ron Love
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
The Christian religion is always making front-page headline news. This is rightfully so, for the church is often engaged in everything from the absurd to irreconcilable conflicts. Harold Camping kept the church forefront with his May 21st prediction of the Rapture. The Presbyterian Church USA has embarked on a headline-making schism, voting to remove clergy requirements of marital fidelity or single chastity, thus allowing the ordination of ministers who are openly homosexual or living in unmarried relationships. The ornate Crystal Cathedral, no longer under the leadership of the charismatic Robert Schuller, is for sale to pay for its indebtedness.
These are the stories above the fold in your local newspaper. But if you take the time to read the fine-print stories below the fold, you will discover that these items are not as enticing but much more provocative. Christian groups in Zimbabwe prayed for peace on May 25, fearing political violence from upcoming national elections. The international Ecumenical Peace Convocation convened recently to offer a positive response to the challenge of climate change. Japan's Christian Council has established an office to coordinate foreign relief efforts to their earthquake-ravaged nation. As Cuba moves toward a post-Fidel Castro society, the churches have organized to promote church-state relations in the formerly atheistic nation. The Mormons have established a congregation for singles only in Washington DC to provide an avenue for dating and eventual marriage. These are just a few of the countless stories that may not be as much fun to read about as the prophecies of Harold Camping, but they are far more representative of a church guided by the Holy Spirit.
You need not look globally. Look to the silent saints of your own congregation: the lady who quietly comes into the sanctuary each week and changes the altar flowers for worship; the man and his son who mow the lawn each Saturday so it is fresh-looking for Sunday; the usher who remains behind to tidy the pews. This list, of course, is also endless.
Paul speaks that in the church we work for the "common good." This may not be newsworthy, but it is noteworthy.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
I. Discuss the church headlines that are making the news and how this can give the wrong impression about the work of the church.
II. Spotlight the good that the church is doing both globally and in your own community.
III. Discuss how we all have been given different gifts, so we each have a positive contribution to make to the ministry of the church.
IV. Discuss how all that we do must be for the "common good" of all.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The Roman Catholic spiritual writer Anthony de Mello tells a story of an eagle's egg that a farmer placed by mistake in the nest of a brooding hen in the barnyard. The eaglet hatched along with the chickens -- and as he grew, he grew to be like them. He clucked and cackled; he scratched the earth for worms. When he flapped his wings, he could only manage to fly a few feet into the air.
Years went by. One day the eagle, now grown old, saw a magnificent bird soar above him in the sky. It glided in graceful majesty against the powerful wind with scarcely a movement of its golden wings. Spellbound, the eagle asked, "Who's that?"
"That's the king of birds, the eagle," replied his neighbor. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth -- we're chickens."
And so, the story goes, the eagle lived and died a chicken -- for that's what he thought he was.
The wisdom of Pentecost is the capacity for imagination -- to look at the church not as the human institution it is but as the divine reality it's meant to be. Because the Spirit is with the church, the Pentecostal perspective is that there's always more to the life of this community than meets the naked eye.
* * *
Old Man: There are many things you don't understand.
Young Man: And many more I can learn.
Old Man: Why, I can remember things you can't imagine.
Young Man: I can imagine things you can't remember.
Old Man: That may be, but experience counts for something.
Young Man: Dreams can account for almost anything.
Old Man: (pause) I had dreams once.
Young Man: I'll bet you did; I'll bet you still do.
Old Man: Who, me? Dreams? (pause) Well, a few.
Young Man: Tell me about them.
Old Man: Oh no, you're not interested... are you?
Young Man: I am.
Old Man: Well, I think about the past a lot...
Young Man: You have a lot of past to think about.
Old Man: But I think about the future too, because I'm so close to it.
Young Man: And how does it look?
Old Man: (pause) The same.
Young Man: What do you mean?
Old Man: It looks the same as it's always looked.
Young Man: The future?
Old Man: Yes, it never changes.
Young Man: How so?
Old Man: It's always the same because we never know what it will be.
Young Man: I don't understand.
Old Man: Neither do I, but it gives me hope.
Young Man: Why?
Old Man: Well, I think about all the times I felt hopeless...
Young Man: And?
Old Man: And I'm still here. Something must have pulled me through.
Young Man: What?
Old Man: It must have been the future; that's where I am now.
Young Man: So... hope is the future?
Old Man: And the future is hope.
Young Man: (pause) I hope.
Old Man: Well, we'll find out, won't we?
* * *
When John Philip Sousa was the director of the U.S. Marine Corps Marching Band, a reporter once asked him: "Which is the most important instrument in the band?"
The reporter likely knew that Sousa was a virtuoso cornet player who often played the cornet with one hand while he directed the band with the other. He also probably knew that Sousa had invented the sousaphone, a tuba reconfigured so it could be carried and played in a marching band. And Sousa had often been quoted saying that the bass drum was the "heartbeat" of the band.
Sousa took only a moment of thought before he answered the reporter by holding up the director's baton. "This," he said, "is the most important instrument in the band."
Without the baton, all the instruments are just instruments playing at the same time and the sound they make is just noise. When they all follow the baton, however, that noise becomes music.
If we think of the Christian community as a brass band or an orchestra with each of us contributing our own music to the whole, our director is the Holy Spirit and the baton we watch and follow is the cross of Calvary.
* * *
In Leo Lionni's classic children's story Swimmy, the title character is a little black fish whose school is swallowed by a tuna. Swimmy alone survives to live a lonely existence by himself in the sea. Then one day he comes upon a school of little red fish just like his brothers and sisters, but they refuse to swim and play with him because they are afraid of the big fish. They are paralyzed by fear. Swimmy finds this state of affairs unacceptable and searches for a solution.
In the final pages of the book we see a big red fish swimming across the page, scaring away the fierce and hungry tuna -- but when the big red fish gets closer we see that it is actually an entire school of red fish swimming in formation. And Swimmy is the eye.
(An animated version of the Swimmy story can be seen on YouTube)
* * *
The Oprah Winfrey Show opened its 24th season in September 2009 by taking over Chicago's Magnificent Mile for a free concert by the Black Eyed Peas. Twenty thousand fans of Oprah and the Peas gathered to welcome Oprah back and enjoy the music.
As the Peas launched into their hit song "I Gotta Feeling," 19,999 people stood in polite silence and watched the band while one woman danced in front of the stage. After a few moments a few people near her joined in the dance, mimicking her moves... then a few more, and a few more. As the song continued the dance flowed through the crowd as more and more people picked it up. Finally, with Oprah watching in shocked surprise, the entire audience of 20,000 people was dancing as one, each person following the pre-arranged dance moves that had been created as a surprise by Oprah's staff and professional choreographer and director, Michael Gracey.
Gracey said that it was the interaction between the Black Eyed Peas and the crowd that made the flash mob so extraordinary. "There's something really special when you take an audience and instead of just being passive and watching, you invite them to participate," he said. "That's why it was so magical for both parties. Two groups of people came together to create something that neither of them could have done alone."
(Click here to see a flash mob.)
* * *
The 2009 film Invictus was directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Morgan Freeman as South African President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, South Africa's national rugby team.
The movie tells the dramatic story of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was played in South Africa, and how the sport of rugby, which had once been a symbol of racial segregation and tension in the days of apartheid, actually became a uniting force when the two leaders -- one, white, a leader of a sports team, and the other, black, a leader of a country -- joined together to unite South Africans, black and white, behind their national team.
The Latin title of the film comes from a poem by English poet William Ernest Henley, and means "undefeated."
"In Africa there is a concept known as Ubuntu -- the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others." -- Nelson Mandela
(These events are also powerfully recounted in the excellent documentary The 16th Man, produced as part of ESPN's "30 for 30" series. The documentary features commentary from Pienaar and several of his Springbok teammates, as well as stirring testimony from two former radicals, one black and one white, each of whom had been imprisoned for racially motivated killings, on how the once unimaginable events of that Rugby World Cup completely changed their perspectives.)
* * *
Charles Plumb was a navy jet pilot during the Vietnam War. On his 75th combat mission, he was shot down and parachuted into enemy territory. He was captured and spent six years as a prisoner of war. He survived and now lectures on the lessons he learned from his experiences.
One day, a man approached Plumb and his wife in a restaurant and said, "Are you Plumb the navy pilot?"
"Yes, how did you know?" asked Plumb.
"I packed your parachute," the man replied.
Plumb was amazed -- and grateful. He told the man: "If the chute you packed hadn't worked I wouldn't be here today."
Plumb refers to this in his lectures: his realization that the anonymous sailors who packed the parachutes held the pilots' lives in their hands and yet the pilots never gave these sailors a second thought... never even said hello, let alone said thanks.
Now Plumb asks his audiences, "Who packs your parachutes? Who helps you through your life -- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Think about who helps you; recognize them and say thanks."
(www.businessballs.com)
* * *
"The Battle at Kruger" is an 8-minute, 24-second video that was shot at South Africa's Kruger National Park by a man on a photographic safari. It is eight minutes of raw drama that begins pastorally enough with a herd of cape buffalo drinking near a small river.
As one calf and its mother move away from the herd, the photographer notices a pride of lions crouched nearby, watching patiently. When the calf is judged to be sufficiently removed from the rest of the herd, the lions pounce upon it and the mother runs away, bawling.
The calf is made of sturdy stuff, however, and even with five lionesses biting and pulling on her she refuses to go down. She continues to struggle, dragging herself and her tormentors to the edge of the river where a crocodile leaps out of the water and grabs the calf's hind quarters.
Now it's lions on one end and a crocodile on the other -- and the calf still refuses to go down. Eventually the lionesses win the tug-o-war and drag the calf up onto shore, where she falls. But all is not lost. We hear a woman's voice say, "Oh my, look at all those buffalo." The camera shifts, and sure enough, here comes mom and the rest of the herd. She has not run away after all -- she has gone for reinforcements.
The buffalo attack -- and in the ensuing melee a huge dust cloud emerges... out of which we see lionesses flying through the air and running away, with buffalo in hot pursuit. When all is done, the calf rises, shakes the dust from her coat, and rejoins her mother -- thankful, no doubt, for the support of her community.
(Go here view this remarkable video, and learn more about "The Battle at Kruger.")
* * *
People can sit side-by-side but be light-years apart. It happens regularly. Folks share houses, airplanes, buses, movie theaters, and even church buildings but chasms divide their hearts and minds. Wrangling, disputes, and spats evidence their separation.
When Acts tells us that the disciples were "all together in one place" it refers to more than physical togetherness. It means that they were emotionally and spiritually in sync. They proved it by the mighty things they later did for God. "Together" people do astonishing things.
What brought the disciples together making them such a powerful force? First, they all obeyed Jesus. He told them to wait in Jerusalem and they did exactly that. Are you currently in full obedience to him?
Second, the disciples continually prayed. Some of us entreat God only if we think we need something or feel that we're in trouble. Do you pray constantly?
Third, the disciples were open to God's Spirit and were ready to act for him. How "together" are you? Are you ready to act with fellow Christians for God's glory? If so, God's Spirit may soon work powerfully in you.
* * *
In July 2008, youth from all over the world converged on Sydney, for World Youth Day, an event of the Roman Catholic church. Walking through the crowd -- the largest in Australian history -- it would not be hard to imagine what the people at Pentecost felt. In Sydney, one saw people of every color, heard languages from every corner of the earth, and witnessed the dress of many different cultures. The amazing thing about the connection between Pentecost and World Youth Day 2008 was the theme: "You Will Receive Power when the Holy Spirit Comes Upon You and You Shall Be My Witnesses."
One might truly have felt back on the streets of Jerusalem circa AD 33.
(The next triennial World Youth Day is scheduled for this August in Madrid.)
* * *
In many respects, the modern church has been domesticated, taken for granted. What is the church to the minds of many Americans but the chaplain for an increasingly affluent and self-centered society? The church exists, in the eyes of many, for the sole purpose of helping people feel good about themselves -- to build individual self-esteem.
Others see the church as a reliable provider of moral education for children; or as a place of fellowship that sponsors genteel picnics, dinners, and socials; or as a patron of the arts -- an architecturally pleasing setting in which to enjoy beautiful music.
To many, in other words, the church is a leisure activity -- just one among many. "What shall we do on this sunny Sunday morning? Play tennis? Go to the beach? Go to church? (No... better save church for a rainy day!)"
Yet the church, according to Christian sociologist Robert Bellah, is a greater treasure to our society than most people realize. He says that the church is the only institution that "can offer a community that was here before any of us were born, that will be here after all of us die, and that binds us to one another because it binds us to Christ." Bellah thinks that the greatest danger our society faces is "capitalism without restraint -- without a moral framework -- that is both the most creative and most destructive force in the world."
"All the primary relationships in our society," he continues, "those between employers and employees, between lawyers and clients, between doctors and patients, between universities and students are being stripped of any moral understanding other than that of market exchange." The only thing that seems to matter, in other words, is the bottom line.
Did the Holy Spirit descend as rushing wind and tongues of fire so a generation of people 2,000 years hence, on a distant continent unknown to those simple Galileans, could enjoy an increasingly affluent standard of living? Is life really all about building and maintaining a positive "bottom line" -- and nothing more?
Of course not -- the events of Pentecost witness otherwise. The events of Pentecost portray God the Holy Spirit as transforming power: a power that descends upon a ragtag band of Palestinian peasants and sends them out to change the world.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let us praise our God, who in wisdom made us all.
People: We all look to God for food in its season.
Leader: When God gives us good, we gather it.
People: When God opens the hand, we are filled with good.
Leader: When God hides the face, we are dismayed.
People: When God takes away our breath, we return to the dust.
Leader: When God's Spirit comes upon us, we are created anew.
People: May the glory of our God endure forever.
OR
Leader: Come and join together with your sisters and brothers in Christ.
People: But we have come to worship God.
Leader: Your coming together will please God.
People: We want to please our God.
Leader: Coming together will open you to God's loving presence.
People: That is what we want! We will come together and worship.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"All Creatures of Our God and King"
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
Renew: 47
"Let All the World in Every Corner Sing"
found in:
UMH: 93
H82: 402, 403
PH: 468
"Sweet, Sweet Spirit"
found in:
UMH: 334
AAHH: 326
NNBH: 127
NCH: 293
CH: 261
CCB: 7
"Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart"
found in:
UMH: 500
PH: 326
AAHH: 312
NCH: 290
CH: 265
LBW: 486
ELA: 800
"Spirit of the Living God"
found in:
UMH: 393
PH: 322
AAHH: 320
NNBH: 130
NCH: 283
CH: 259
CCB: 57
Renew: 90
"In Christ There Is No East or West"
found in:
UMH: 548
H82: 529
PH: 439, 440
AAHH: 398, 399
NNBH: 299
NCH: 394, 395
CH: 687
LBW: 259
ELA: 650
"O Church of God, United"
found in:
UMH: 547
"Like the Murmur of the Dove's Song"
found in:
UMH: 544
H82: 513
PH: 314
NCH: 270
CH: 245
ELA: 403
Renew: 280
"As We Gather"
found in:
CCB: 12
Renew: 6
"We Are One in Christ Jesus"
found in:
CCB: 43
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who in the unity of all created the world: Grant us a fresh outpouring of your Spirit that we may once again be made one in you and one with each other through all the earth; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come together, O God, to worship you and to bind our hearts and lives together as one. As you pour your Spirit out on us afresh, may we allow ourselves to be bound to you and to one another. Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
Pour out your Spirit upon us, O God, that our eyes may be opened and our hearts may be warmed as the light of your word comes to renew and make us whole. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways in which we separate ourselves from others and still think we can be close to you.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We want to know we are loved by you and we gladly tell you of our love and devotion to you. Yet we look down on others who have been made in your image. We judge others who are your beloved children. We separate ourselves from others who are part of your Body. Forgive us our foolish, short-sighted ways and empower us with your Spirit to open our lives and our hearts to one another, not just those like us but all your children. Amen.
Leader: God loves us all and calls us all together. We only draw close to God by drawing closer to one another. As you open yourselves to others, you will find yourself closer to God.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We have come to worship you, O God, and to praise you for your love and unity. You are perfectly whole in your being and you reach out to embrace all creation within yourself.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We want to know we are loved by you and we gladly tell you of our love and devotion to you. Yet we look down on others who have been made in your image. We judge others who are your beloved children. We separate ourselves from others who are part of your Body. Forgive us our foolish, short-sighted ways and empower us with your Spirit to open our lives and our hearts to one another, not just those like us but all your children.
We give you thanks for all the ways your have drawn us to yourself. We thank you for the words of scripture and the testimonies of your saints who attest to your loving kindness and willingness to accept us all into your presence. We thank you for Jesus who was willing to embrace all of us sinners even at the cost of his own life.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We know there are many who are unaware of your uniting love. We know there are many who have been pushed away and told they did not belong. We pray for them and all who need to find out that your loving kindness is open to all your creatures.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals (suggestions for either a worship center or a slide show)
Bring in images of flames, fire, light, people together who are getting along, people praying or singing or engaging in any act of worship.
Children's Sermon Starter
Tell the children "God loves you." Then say it in another language or two. (Here are some examples: Spanish -- Dios te ama; French -- Dieu vous aime; German -- Gott liebt Sie; Swedish -- Gud ‰lskar dig. Include any languages you know.) Tell the children that if someone were there who spoke (list the languages you used), they would have heard in their own language what the children heard in theirs: "God loves you."
On Pentecost all the people heard the good news of God's love in their own language. God wants everyone to know they are loved. God wants all people to be together in love and care for each other. We may not be able to learn every language in the world to tell people that God loves us, but we can act in kind ways to everyone so they experience God's love through us.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Birthday of the Church
Acts 2:1-11
Object: balloons or birthday candles
Good morning, boys and girls! Does anyone here have a birthday this week (this month)? (let the children respond) Are you excited about it? Will you have a party? Do you know who will be at your party? Do you know what presents you will get? Parties are fun, aren't they?
Do you know what I think is part of the great fun of parties and special events? It is the anticipation. Your imagination is filled with all the possibilities of joy. You get excited and more excited as the event draws closer and closer. Sometimes you feel like you just can't wait!
The disciples of Jesus had an experience like that. Before Jesus went back to be with God, he told them to wait in Jerusalem because God was going to release his power on them.
That day was called "Pentecost" and after the anticipation and excitement of waiting, God did just as Jesus had promised. He released his mighty power on those disciples. They preached and spoke to people from all over the world who were in Jerusalem in their native tongues and thousands of people believed in Jesus.
Pentecost became the birthday of the church! That's why we celebrate today because since that day God has been doing new and wonderful things by the power of his Holy Spirit in the world.
I think a birthday celebration calls for balloons (candles), don't you? Let's celebrate what God is doing in his church today and through his Holy Spirit.
(Lead a prayer that God will fill his church today with the power of his Holy Spirit. Then if you have balloons, pass them out. If possible, pre-inflated balloons are preferable, but un-inflated balloons are sufficient.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, June 12, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Team member Ron Love shares some additional thoughts about Paul's theme in the epistle reading about the many members of the Christian body all being "given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). The Acts passage opens by telling us that the disciples were "all together in one place." But it's instructive that many translations render that same phrase as "all together in one accord." That underlines what Paul stresses about Christians who have "varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit" needing to bring them together for a common purpose. As Ron notes, the headlines in the mainstream press all too often highlight what divides Christians from each other and from the larger society -- but if we patiently look "below the fold," as well as in the work of our congregations, we can find plenty of stories that lift up what brings us together, heals us, and builds up the greater work of the church -- exactly what Paul was hoping the fractured Corinthian congregation would grasp.
Imagine
by Roger Lovette
John 20:19-23; Acts 2:1-21
THE WORLD
A graduation speaker recently ended his commencement address with these words: "Don't go!" It's that kind of a world, where we're told that college grads face dwindling jobs and mounting loans. Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 face an unemployment rate nearly twice that of the rest of the population. It isn't only in this country -- observers say that worldwide this age group is having a hard time. They have played a large role in the protests that have swept Britain and the Arab world. The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne says that we are suffering from a deficit of the imagination. People moan that our best days are over as a country. Commentators keep reminding us that 14 million of us are still without jobs. When we look to Washington we grow frustrated. In the midst of this turmoil, the mainline church shuffles along as our numbers dwindle. It would be easy to shut the door, ignore the headlines, hunker down, and take care of our own. The word "me" rises to the surface in many of our discussions. Not the word them, but me. Where is hope to be found in a world like this?
THE WORD
Don't forget the context of Luke's Pentecost story. The lectionary text in John 20 says that after Easter the disciples were huddled together in a house with locked doors. They were afraid of the Jews; they were afraid of the future; they were afraid of what might happen to them. And so Jesus came to fear and locked doors whispering peace, saying: Receive the Spirit I bring. As the Father sent me, so I send you.
Weeks later Acts 2 says that the disciples were all together in one place. Jim Honig in The Christian Century says: "We're not even sure why the disciples were gathered in the Pentecost room." They were praying, he says, but "What kind of prayers? That they not be found and arrested? Prayers for safekeeping if they were found? Prayers that Jesus would keep his promise by returning soon?"
We do know that into that setting something powerful happened. Luke could hardly put it into words, it was so surreal. The wind blew like they'd never seen it. Divided tongues like fire rested on each one. They all began to speak in different languages that all could understand. The emphasis was on the all. They looked at each other and asked, "What does this mean?" Peter interpreted the event by turning back to the old words of Joel: "In the last days... I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women... I will pour out my Spirit." It was a hinge-turning moment. They too began to dream what if... and perhaps. They too recovered the word all and began to see how large and all-encompassing the Spirit of God really was. The Spirit energized those all-too-human disciples, and we know now that they left that room to take the good news everywhere. Dr. Frank Stag called the book of Acts an "unhindered gospel" (Acts 28:30-31). From that tiny little circle of Jewish believers this power began to leap over wall after wall -- but not without enormous struggle. Yet the Spirit continued to flow outward and change all it touched.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
When that graduation speaker ended his address with "Don't Go!" even those in their caps and gowns, who were most bored and asleep, woke up. How far afield those words are from our Pentecost text! Down beside that depressing don't go we read what the Spirit said to those first frightened disciples: Go! "As the Father has sent me, so send I you" (John 20: 21b). Jesus never said "Don't go." Matthew ends his gospel with the challenge of Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19a).
Do you remember John Lennon's song "Imagine," which came out in the middle of the wrenching Vietnam War? Rated by Rolling Stone magazine as #3 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of the rock era, it touched people around the world:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
He went on to imagine "no countries... nothing to kill or die for / no religion that would divide. Imagine all the people living in peace... no need for greed or hunger."
Pentecost Sunday is a day of imagination. It is a day to recover our dreams and visions. It is a day to remember that old promise Jesus left with his disciples, "I will not leave you orphans," and then the following promise that remains today: "I will send my Spirit." Over and over the church has rediscovered the greatest promise of them all: "I am with you."
Imagine then that in our lives and churches and little counties and world we are not simply left to our own resources. Imagine that there really is this breath of God that fills the sails of all our lives. Imagine the tongues of fire that enable us to reach across every barrier and speak to one another despite our differences. Imagine that the "once upon a time" of the prophecy might just be fulfilled today. Imagine that the signs and wonders those early followers could scarcely believe are not consigned to a leather bound book. Imagine the gladness that filled their hearts could send us out with a courage that would believe in our going and in our doing we just might not only change this troubled world but ourselves as well.
The old missionary taught the natives a chorus, which they came to love.
Go on! Go on! Go on! Go on!
Go on! Go on! Go on! Go on!
Go on! Go on! Go on! Go on!
Go on! Go on! Go on! Go on!
On Pentecost Sunday we are reminded that for the church the word is never "Don't go!" Our challenge is "Go!" Imagine.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Read Below the Fold
by Ron Love
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
The Christian religion is always making front-page headline news. This is rightfully so, for the church is often engaged in everything from the absurd to irreconcilable conflicts. Harold Camping kept the church forefront with his May 21st prediction of the Rapture. The Presbyterian Church USA has embarked on a headline-making schism, voting to remove clergy requirements of marital fidelity or single chastity, thus allowing the ordination of ministers who are openly homosexual or living in unmarried relationships. The ornate Crystal Cathedral, no longer under the leadership of the charismatic Robert Schuller, is for sale to pay for its indebtedness.
These are the stories above the fold in your local newspaper. But if you take the time to read the fine-print stories below the fold, you will discover that these items are not as enticing but much more provocative. Christian groups in Zimbabwe prayed for peace on May 25, fearing political violence from upcoming national elections. The international Ecumenical Peace Convocation convened recently to offer a positive response to the challenge of climate change. Japan's Christian Council has established an office to coordinate foreign relief efforts to their earthquake-ravaged nation. As Cuba moves toward a post-Fidel Castro society, the churches have organized to promote church-state relations in the formerly atheistic nation. The Mormons have established a congregation for singles only in Washington DC to provide an avenue for dating and eventual marriage. These are just a few of the countless stories that may not be as much fun to read about as the prophecies of Harold Camping, but they are far more representative of a church guided by the Holy Spirit.
You need not look globally. Look to the silent saints of your own congregation: the lady who quietly comes into the sanctuary each week and changes the altar flowers for worship; the man and his son who mow the lawn each Saturday so it is fresh-looking for Sunday; the usher who remains behind to tidy the pews. This list, of course, is also endless.
Paul speaks that in the church we work for the "common good." This may not be newsworthy, but it is noteworthy.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
I. Discuss the church headlines that are making the news and how this can give the wrong impression about the work of the church.
II. Spotlight the good that the church is doing both globally and in your own community.
III. Discuss how we all have been given different gifts, so we each have a positive contribution to make to the ministry of the church.
IV. Discuss how all that we do must be for the "common good" of all.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The Roman Catholic spiritual writer Anthony de Mello tells a story of an eagle's egg that a farmer placed by mistake in the nest of a brooding hen in the barnyard. The eaglet hatched along with the chickens -- and as he grew, he grew to be like them. He clucked and cackled; he scratched the earth for worms. When he flapped his wings, he could only manage to fly a few feet into the air.
Years went by. One day the eagle, now grown old, saw a magnificent bird soar above him in the sky. It glided in graceful majesty against the powerful wind with scarcely a movement of its golden wings. Spellbound, the eagle asked, "Who's that?"
"That's the king of birds, the eagle," replied his neighbor. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth -- we're chickens."
And so, the story goes, the eagle lived and died a chicken -- for that's what he thought he was.
The wisdom of Pentecost is the capacity for imagination -- to look at the church not as the human institution it is but as the divine reality it's meant to be. Because the Spirit is with the church, the Pentecostal perspective is that there's always more to the life of this community than meets the naked eye.
* * *
Old Man: There are many things you don't understand.
Young Man: And many more I can learn.
Old Man: Why, I can remember things you can't imagine.
Young Man: I can imagine things you can't remember.
Old Man: That may be, but experience counts for something.
Young Man: Dreams can account for almost anything.
Old Man: (pause) I had dreams once.
Young Man: I'll bet you did; I'll bet you still do.
Old Man: Who, me? Dreams? (pause) Well, a few.
Young Man: Tell me about them.
Old Man: Oh no, you're not interested... are you?
Young Man: I am.
Old Man: Well, I think about the past a lot...
Young Man: You have a lot of past to think about.
Old Man: But I think about the future too, because I'm so close to it.
Young Man: And how does it look?
Old Man: (pause) The same.
Young Man: What do you mean?
Old Man: It looks the same as it's always looked.
Young Man: The future?
Old Man: Yes, it never changes.
Young Man: How so?
Old Man: It's always the same because we never know what it will be.
Young Man: I don't understand.
Old Man: Neither do I, but it gives me hope.
Young Man: Why?
Old Man: Well, I think about all the times I felt hopeless...
Young Man: And?
Old Man: And I'm still here. Something must have pulled me through.
Young Man: What?
Old Man: It must have been the future; that's where I am now.
Young Man: So... hope is the future?
Old Man: And the future is hope.
Young Man: (pause) I hope.
Old Man: Well, we'll find out, won't we?
* * *
When John Philip Sousa was the director of the U.S. Marine Corps Marching Band, a reporter once asked him: "Which is the most important instrument in the band?"
The reporter likely knew that Sousa was a virtuoso cornet player who often played the cornet with one hand while he directed the band with the other. He also probably knew that Sousa had invented the sousaphone, a tuba reconfigured so it could be carried and played in a marching band. And Sousa had often been quoted saying that the bass drum was the "heartbeat" of the band.
Sousa took only a moment of thought before he answered the reporter by holding up the director's baton. "This," he said, "is the most important instrument in the band."
Without the baton, all the instruments are just instruments playing at the same time and the sound they make is just noise. When they all follow the baton, however, that noise becomes music.
If we think of the Christian community as a brass band or an orchestra with each of us contributing our own music to the whole, our director is the Holy Spirit and the baton we watch and follow is the cross of Calvary.
* * *
In Leo Lionni's classic children's story Swimmy, the title character is a little black fish whose school is swallowed by a tuna. Swimmy alone survives to live a lonely existence by himself in the sea. Then one day he comes upon a school of little red fish just like his brothers and sisters, but they refuse to swim and play with him because they are afraid of the big fish. They are paralyzed by fear. Swimmy finds this state of affairs unacceptable and searches for a solution.
In the final pages of the book we see a big red fish swimming across the page, scaring away the fierce and hungry tuna -- but when the big red fish gets closer we see that it is actually an entire school of red fish swimming in formation. And Swimmy is the eye.
(An animated version of the Swimmy story can be seen on YouTube)
* * *
The Oprah Winfrey Show opened its 24th season in September 2009 by taking over Chicago's Magnificent Mile for a free concert by the Black Eyed Peas. Twenty thousand fans of Oprah and the Peas gathered to welcome Oprah back and enjoy the music.
As the Peas launched into their hit song "I Gotta Feeling," 19,999 people stood in polite silence and watched the band while one woman danced in front of the stage. After a few moments a few people near her joined in the dance, mimicking her moves... then a few more, and a few more. As the song continued the dance flowed through the crowd as more and more people picked it up. Finally, with Oprah watching in shocked surprise, the entire audience of 20,000 people was dancing as one, each person following the pre-arranged dance moves that had been created as a surprise by Oprah's staff and professional choreographer and director, Michael Gracey.
Gracey said that it was the interaction between the Black Eyed Peas and the crowd that made the flash mob so extraordinary. "There's something really special when you take an audience and instead of just being passive and watching, you invite them to participate," he said. "That's why it was so magical for both parties. Two groups of people came together to create something that neither of them could have done alone."
(Click here to see a flash mob.)
* * *
The 2009 film Invictus was directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Morgan Freeman as South African President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, South Africa's national rugby team.
The movie tells the dramatic story of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was played in South Africa, and how the sport of rugby, which had once been a symbol of racial segregation and tension in the days of apartheid, actually became a uniting force when the two leaders -- one, white, a leader of a sports team, and the other, black, a leader of a country -- joined together to unite South Africans, black and white, behind their national team.
The Latin title of the film comes from a poem by English poet William Ernest Henley, and means "undefeated."
"In Africa there is a concept known as Ubuntu -- the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievements of others." -- Nelson Mandela
(These events are also powerfully recounted in the excellent documentary The 16th Man, produced as part of ESPN's "30 for 30" series. The documentary features commentary from Pienaar and several of his Springbok teammates, as well as stirring testimony from two former radicals, one black and one white, each of whom had been imprisoned for racially motivated killings, on how the once unimaginable events of that Rugby World Cup completely changed their perspectives.)
* * *
Charles Plumb was a navy jet pilot during the Vietnam War. On his 75th combat mission, he was shot down and parachuted into enemy territory. He was captured and spent six years as a prisoner of war. He survived and now lectures on the lessons he learned from his experiences.
One day, a man approached Plumb and his wife in a restaurant and said, "Are you Plumb the navy pilot?"
"Yes, how did you know?" asked Plumb.
"I packed your parachute," the man replied.
Plumb was amazed -- and grateful. He told the man: "If the chute you packed hadn't worked I wouldn't be here today."
Plumb refers to this in his lectures: his realization that the anonymous sailors who packed the parachutes held the pilots' lives in their hands and yet the pilots never gave these sailors a second thought... never even said hello, let alone said thanks.
Now Plumb asks his audiences, "Who packs your parachutes? Who helps you through your life -- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Think about who helps you; recognize them and say thanks."
(www.businessballs.com)
* * *
"The Battle at Kruger" is an 8-minute, 24-second video that was shot at South Africa's Kruger National Park by a man on a photographic safari. It is eight minutes of raw drama that begins pastorally enough with a herd of cape buffalo drinking near a small river.
As one calf and its mother move away from the herd, the photographer notices a pride of lions crouched nearby, watching patiently. When the calf is judged to be sufficiently removed from the rest of the herd, the lions pounce upon it and the mother runs away, bawling.
The calf is made of sturdy stuff, however, and even with five lionesses biting and pulling on her she refuses to go down. She continues to struggle, dragging herself and her tormentors to the edge of the river where a crocodile leaps out of the water and grabs the calf's hind quarters.
Now it's lions on one end and a crocodile on the other -- and the calf still refuses to go down. Eventually the lionesses win the tug-o-war and drag the calf up onto shore, where she falls. But all is not lost. We hear a woman's voice say, "Oh my, look at all those buffalo." The camera shifts, and sure enough, here comes mom and the rest of the herd. She has not run away after all -- she has gone for reinforcements.
The buffalo attack -- and in the ensuing melee a huge dust cloud emerges... out of which we see lionesses flying through the air and running away, with buffalo in hot pursuit. When all is done, the calf rises, shakes the dust from her coat, and rejoins her mother -- thankful, no doubt, for the support of her community.
(Go here view this remarkable video, and learn more about "The Battle at Kruger.")
* * *
People can sit side-by-side but be light-years apart. It happens regularly. Folks share houses, airplanes, buses, movie theaters, and even church buildings but chasms divide their hearts and minds. Wrangling, disputes, and spats evidence their separation.
When Acts tells us that the disciples were "all together in one place" it refers to more than physical togetherness. It means that they were emotionally and spiritually in sync. They proved it by the mighty things they later did for God. "Together" people do astonishing things.
What brought the disciples together making them such a powerful force? First, they all obeyed Jesus. He told them to wait in Jerusalem and they did exactly that. Are you currently in full obedience to him?
Second, the disciples continually prayed. Some of us entreat God only if we think we need something or feel that we're in trouble. Do you pray constantly?
Third, the disciples were open to God's Spirit and were ready to act for him. How "together" are you? Are you ready to act with fellow Christians for God's glory? If so, God's Spirit may soon work powerfully in you.
* * *
In July 2008, youth from all over the world converged on Sydney, for World Youth Day, an event of the Roman Catholic church. Walking through the crowd -- the largest in Australian history -- it would not be hard to imagine what the people at Pentecost felt. In Sydney, one saw people of every color, heard languages from every corner of the earth, and witnessed the dress of many different cultures. The amazing thing about the connection between Pentecost and World Youth Day 2008 was the theme: "You Will Receive Power when the Holy Spirit Comes Upon You and You Shall Be My Witnesses."
One might truly have felt back on the streets of Jerusalem circa AD 33.
(The next triennial World Youth Day is scheduled for this August in Madrid.)
* * *
In many respects, the modern church has been domesticated, taken for granted. What is the church to the minds of many Americans but the chaplain for an increasingly affluent and self-centered society? The church exists, in the eyes of many, for the sole purpose of helping people feel good about themselves -- to build individual self-esteem.
Others see the church as a reliable provider of moral education for children; or as a place of fellowship that sponsors genteel picnics, dinners, and socials; or as a patron of the arts -- an architecturally pleasing setting in which to enjoy beautiful music.
To many, in other words, the church is a leisure activity -- just one among many. "What shall we do on this sunny Sunday morning? Play tennis? Go to the beach? Go to church? (No... better save church for a rainy day!)"
Yet the church, according to Christian sociologist Robert Bellah, is a greater treasure to our society than most people realize. He says that the church is the only institution that "can offer a community that was here before any of us were born, that will be here after all of us die, and that binds us to one another because it binds us to Christ." Bellah thinks that the greatest danger our society faces is "capitalism without restraint -- without a moral framework -- that is both the most creative and most destructive force in the world."
"All the primary relationships in our society," he continues, "those between employers and employees, between lawyers and clients, between doctors and patients, between universities and students are being stripped of any moral understanding other than that of market exchange." The only thing that seems to matter, in other words, is the bottom line.
Did the Holy Spirit descend as rushing wind and tongues of fire so a generation of people 2,000 years hence, on a distant continent unknown to those simple Galileans, could enjoy an increasingly affluent standard of living? Is life really all about building and maintaining a positive "bottom line" -- and nothing more?
Of course not -- the events of Pentecost witness otherwise. The events of Pentecost portray God the Holy Spirit as transforming power: a power that descends upon a ragtag band of Palestinian peasants and sends them out to change the world.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let us praise our God, who in wisdom made us all.
People: We all look to God for food in its season.
Leader: When God gives us good, we gather it.
People: When God opens the hand, we are filled with good.
Leader: When God hides the face, we are dismayed.
People: When God takes away our breath, we return to the dust.
Leader: When God's Spirit comes upon us, we are created anew.
People: May the glory of our God endure forever.
OR
Leader: Come and join together with your sisters and brothers in Christ.
People: But we have come to worship God.
Leader: Your coming together will please God.
People: We want to please our God.
Leader: Coming together will open you to God's loving presence.
People: That is what we want! We will come together and worship.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"All Creatures of Our God and King"
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
Renew: 47
"Let All the World in Every Corner Sing"
found in:
UMH: 93
H82: 402, 403
PH: 468
"Sweet, Sweet Spirit"
found in:
UMH: 334
AAHH: 326
NNBH: 127
NCH: 293
CH: 261
CCB: 7
"Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart"
found in:
UMH: 500
PH: 326
AAHH: 312
NCH: 290
CH: 265
LBW: 486
ELA: 800
"Spirit of the Living God"
found in:
UMH: 393
PH: 322
AAHH: 320
NNBH: 130
NCH: 283
CH: 259
CCB: 57
Renew: 90
"In Christ There Is No East or West"
found in:
UMH: 548
H82: 529
PH: 439, 440
AAHH: 398, 399
NNBH: 299
NCH: 394, 395
CH: 687
LBW: 259
ELA: 650
"O Church of God, United"
found in:
UMH: 547
"Like the Murmur of the Dove's Song"
found in:
UMH: 544
H82: 513
PH: 314
NCH: 270
CH: 245
ELA: 403
Renew: 280
"As We Gather"
found in:
CCB: 12
Renew: 6
"We Are One in Christ Jesus"
found in:
CCB: 43
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who in the unity of all created the world: Grant us a fresh outpouring of your Spirit that we may once again be made one in you and one with each other through all the earth; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come together, O God, to worship you and to bind our hearts and lives together as one. As you pour your Spirit out on us afresh, may we allow ourselves to be bound to you and to one another. Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
Pour out your Spirit upon us, O God, that our eyes may be opened and our hearts may be warmed as the light of your word comes to renew and make us whole. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways in which we separate ourselves from others and still think we can be close to you.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We want to know we are loved by you and we gladly tell you of our love and devotion to you. Yet we look down on others who have been made in your image. We judge others who are your beloved children. We separate ourselves from others who are part of your Body. Forgive us our foolish, short-sighted ways and empower us with your Spirit to open our lives and our hearts to one another, not just those like us but all your children. Amen.
Leader: God loves us all and calls us all together. We only draw close to God by drawing closer to one another. As you open yourselves to others, you will find yourself closer to God.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We have come to worship you, O God, and to praise you for your love and unity. You are perfectly whole in your being and you reach out to embrace all creation within yourself.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We want to know we are loved by you and we gladly tell you of our love and devotion to you. Yet we look down on others who have been made in your image. We judge others who are your beloved children. We separate ourselves from others who are part of your Body. Forgive us our foolish, short-sighted ways and empower us with your Spirit to open our lives and our hearts to one another, not just those like us but all your children.
We give you thanks for all the ways your have drawn us to yourself. We thank you for the words of scripture and the testimonies of your saints who attest to your loving kindness and willingness to accept us all into your presence. We thank you for Jesus who was willing to embrace all of us sinners even at the cost of his own life.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We know there are many who are unaware of your uniting love. We know there are many who have been pushed away and told they did not belong. We pray for them and all who need to find out that your loving kindness is open to all your creatures.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals (suggestions for either a worship center or a slide show)
Bring in images of flames, fire, light, people together who are getting along, people praying or singing or engaging in any act of worship.
Children's Sermon Starter
Tell the children "God loves you." Then say it in another language or two. (Here are some examples: Spanish -- Dios te ama; French -- Dieu vous aime; German -- Gott liebt Sie; Swedish -- Gud ‰lskar dig. Include any languages you know.) Tell the children that if someone were there who spoke (list the languages you used), they would have heard in their own language what the children heard in theirs: "God loves you."
On Pentecost all the people heard the good news of God's love in their own language. God wants everyone to know they are loved. God wants all people to be together in love and care for each other. We may not be able to learn every language in the world to tell people that God loves us, but we can act in kind ways to everyone so they experience God's love through us.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Birthday of the Church
Acts 2:1-11
Object: balloons or birthday candles
Good morning, boys and girls! Does anyone here have a birthday this week (this month)? (let the children respond) Are you excited about it? Will you have a party? Do you know who will be at your party? Do you know what presents you will get? Parties are fun, aren't they?
Do you know what I think is part of the great fun of parties and special events? It is the anticipation. Your imagination is filled with all the possibilities of joy. You get excited and more excited as the event draws closer and closer. Sometimes you feel like you just can't wait!
The disciples of Jesus had an experience like that. Before Jesus went back to be with God, he told them to wait in Jerusalem because God was going to release his power on them.
That day was called "Pentecost" and after the anticipation and excitement of waiting, God did just as Jesus had promised. He released his mighty power on those disciples. They preached and spoke to people from all over the world who were in Jerusalem in their native tongues and thousands of people believed in Jesus.
Pentecost became the birthday of the church! That's why we celebrate today because since that day God has been doing new and wonderful things by the power of his Holy Spirit in the world.
I think a birthday celebration calls for balloons (candles), don't you? Let's celebrate what God is doing in his church today and through his Holy Spirit.
(Lead a prayer that God will fill his church today with the power of his Holy Spirit. Then if you have balloons, pass them out. If possible, pre-inflated balloons are preferable, but un-inflated balloons are sufficient.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, June 12, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
