Experience Pentecost

Experience Pentecost is our worship theme for Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2013. Our focus scripture is Acts 2:1-12.

As Luke tells it in Acts 2, the story of Pentecost is the story of the Holy Spirit creating the Body of Christ in a way that parallels Luke’s Gospel story of the Holy Spirit creating Jesus. While the Holy Spirit quietly “overshadows” or “lays upon” Mary to cause her to conceive Jesus, the Holy Spirit is anything but quiet in impregnating the Church. Instead there is the sound of a mighty rushing wind, followed by fiery flames, followed by a surge of energy that has the followers of Jesus speaking in all kinds of languages, followed by the drawing of a large, diverse crowd who hear and come to understand the good news of God’s acts in Jesus.

Clearly, the Spirit brings enormous power and energy to the Church. This power binds us together as a community of the fire of Christ. And it gives us sending power to go out into the world and offer a radical welcome. We experience Pentecost when we experience the indwelling of Christ’s living presence and when we speak the language of those around us and tell the good news in ways that they can hear and understand it.

Here is a Call to Worship based on Acts 2:1-21. Please use or adapt anything that is helpful to you.

Call to Worship   (from Acts 2:1-21)

    L: On Pentecost all Christ’s followers were in one place.

    P: Suddenly from heaven came the sound of rushing wind!

All: Whooosh!

    L: Like a tornado, it shook their house!

    P: Then fiery flames appeared, arcing and dancing above their heads.  

    L: They were filled with Holy Spirit! They started speaking in tongues!

    P: What were they saying?

    L: The Spirit gave each a different language. But each told the same story.

    P: Devout people from every nation lived in Jerusalem.

         Hearing the uproar, they came running.

    L: “This is amazing!” We hear God’s deeds proclaimed in our languages.

    P: But some scoffed: “Can’t you see, these people are drunk!”

    L: Then Peter shouted: “Are you kidding? This is what Joel predicted!”

         “In the last days,” God reveals, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh!”

    P: Our children will prophesy. Our youth will see visions.

         Our elderly will dream dreams.

    L: Slaves and free, men and women, everyone drenched in Holy Spirit!

    P: Then signs will appear in earth and heaven. The sun will go dark.

         The moon will turn to blood.

All: And everyone, yes everyone, who calls on God will be saved!

        Alleluia! Let us worship God!