May 24, 2026 Order of Worship

Fanfare and Rumba on "Veni, Creator Spiritus" (Paul Leddington Wright) – Geoffrey Liu

Welcome – Terry Bolender

Pentecost Fire – Joyful Noise and Youth Choir

Opening Prayer – Dana Bowne

Leader: Church, the Holy Spirit was given to the followers of Jesus on that first day of Pentecost and it is a gift, a blessing. God continues to pour out Holy Spirit on all of us every day. It is the blessing we cannot give ourselves.

People: Wait. Breathe together. See what the Holy Spirit brings.

Leader: This is the blessing we cannot summon by our own devices, cannot shape to our own purposes, cannot bend to our own will.

People: Wait. Breathe together. See what the Holy Spirit brings.

Leader: This is the blessing that comes when we leave behind our divisions and turn toward one another.

People: Wait. Breathe together. See what the Holy Spirit brings.

Leader: This is the blessing that blazes all around us when we speak God’s strange and powerful Word, when we finally listen to others, when we…

People: Wait. Breathe together. See what the Holy Spirit brings.

Every Time I Feel the Spirit – UMH #404

Time with Young Disciples – Stephanie McIlwain Miller

Go Ye Into All the World – Sanctuary Choir

Scripture Reading – Dana Bowne

Introduction to the Scripture Readings

The Acts of the Apostles is the second part of Luke’s 2-part story of Jesus and God’s revolution carried out by the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our reading today is about God giving the Holy Spirit to the church on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:5-21.

Acts 2:1-21 (The Message)

When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were blown away. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
    Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
    Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

“They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”

Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make sense of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”

Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”

That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:

“In the Last Days,” God says,
“I will pour out my Spirit
    on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
    also your daughters;
Your young will see visions,
    your old will dream dreams.
When the time comes,
    I’ll pour out my Holy Spirit
On those who serve me, on all people everywhere,
    and they’ll prophesy.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
    and signs on the earth below,
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
    the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Day of the Lord arrives,
    the Day tremendous and marvelous;
And whoever calls out for help from God will be saved.”

The Lord’s Prayer – In 5 Languages

Rhoda Palermo (Tagalog), Fred Woo (Cantonese), Shannon Chang (Mandarin),
Delwin Andrews (Tamil), Reuben Gounder (Hindi)

Message – Your Life, Our Church, on Fire – Pastor Jim Head-Corliss

Baptism of Zoey Avianna Barnett

Offering Our Gifts to God – Spirit of the Living God (setting by Malcolm Archer) – Geoffrey Liu

Doxology – Many Gifts, One Spirit, UMH #114, refrain

Prayer of Dedication

Leader: All that we have, we have from you, Creator and Preserver of all.

People: Accept these gifts which we now offer. Help us to make the whole of life an offering and every thought a prayer.

Confirmation of Faith

Zoey Barnett, Claire Coffland, Emman Ginez, Bells Marino, Lucas Reisig, Mace Reisig, Katy Stebbins, Adri Walt

Reception of New Members

Jennifer Wanyeki, Kenneth Mutiga, Zoey Barnett, Claire Coffland, Emman Ginez, Bells Marino,
Lucas Reisig, Mace Reisig, Katy Stebbins, Adri Walt

Spirit of Gentleness – TFWS #2120

Blessing

Festival Toccata (Percy Fletcher) – Geoffrey Liu

Resources for Worship

Call to Worship is by Jim Head-Corliss for worship June 8, 2025, adapted from prayers by Jan Richardson in Circle of Grace (Orlando: Wanton Gospeller Press, 2015).