Pentecost
The word ‘Pentecost’ comes from the Greek meaning simply ‘fiftieth.’ Pentecost Sunday ends the season of Easter and symbolizes a new beginning. It celebrates the unleashing of the Holy Spirit on the world and the empowering of the church to reach the world with the gospel. In remembering Pentecost and living in light of this powerful turning point the church expresses gratitude to Christ for sending “another counselor” (John 14:16), celebrates the work of the Spirit in the renewal of all creation, and professes its confidence and security in knowing the Spirit’s power is available for its mission.
- Calling -
O Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim Your praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!
The Lord is glorious in his saints:
O come, let us adore him.
- Constitution -
Read/Listen, Meditate, Pray, and Contemplate on God’s Word, remembering that God is with you and ready to speak to you because he loves you.
Praying the Psalms
Psalm 31
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
[1] In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me!
[2] Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!
[3] For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
[4] you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
[5] Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
[6] I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
[7] I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
[8] and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
[9] Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eye is wasted from grief;
my soul and my body also.
[10] For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away.
[11] Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,
especially to my neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
[12] I have been forgotten like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
[13] For I hear the whispering of many—
terror on every side!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
[14] But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
[15] My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
[16] Make your face shine on your servant;
save me in your steadfast love!
[17] O LORD, let me not be put to shame,
for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go silently to Sheol.
[18] Let the lying lips be mute,
which speak insolently against the righteous
in pride and contempt.
[19] Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
[20] In the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
from the strife of tongues.
[21] Blessed be the LORD,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
[22] I had said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
when I cried to you for help.
[23] Love the LORD, all you his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
[24] Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD!
Psalm 32
A Maskil of David.
[1] Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
[2] Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
[3] For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
[4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
[5] I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
[6] Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
[7] You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
[8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
[9] Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
[10] Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
[11] Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Old Testament Reading
1 Chronicles 16
[1] And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. [2] And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD [3] and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.
[4] Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. [5] Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, [6] and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. [7] Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers.
[8] Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
[9] Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
[10] Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
[11] Seek the LORD and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
[12] Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
[13] O offspring of Israel his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
[14] He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
[15] Remember his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
[16] the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
[17] which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
[18] saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,
as your portion for an inheritance.”
[19] When you were few in number,
of little account, and sojourners in it,
[20] wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
[21] he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
[22] saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
do my prophets no harm!”
[23] Sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
[24] Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
[25] For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be feared above all gods.
[26] For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
[27] Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.
[28] Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
[29] Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
[30] tremble before him, all the earth;
yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
[31] Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
[32] Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
[33] Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.
[34] Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
[35] Say also:
“Save us, O God of our salvation,
and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
[36] Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!”
Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD.
[37] So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister regularly before the ark as each day required, [38] and also Obed-edom and his sixty-eight brothers, while Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers. [39] And he left Zadok the priest and his brothers the priests before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon [40] to offer burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly morning and evening, to do all that is written in the Law of the LORD that he commanded Israel. [41] With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever. [42] Heman and Jeduthun had trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were appointed to the gate.
[43] Then all the people departed each to his house, and David went home to bless his household.
New Testament Reading
James 3
[1] Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. [2] For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. [3] If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. [4] Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. [5] So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! [6] And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. [7] For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, [8] but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [9] With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. [10] From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. [11] Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? [12] Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
[13] Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. [14] But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. [15] This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. [16] For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. [17] But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. [18] And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
- Communion -
Pray for yourself, others, our church, our neighbors, and the world.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer & the collect of the week:
Our Father who art in heaven...
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
- Commission -
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and our neighbors.