Good Morning & Welcome to Worship. This Sunday’s Order of Worship is below. We are worshipping in our Sanctuary or you may join us for our 10:10 AM worship on Facebook. Have a blessed day.

May 28, 2023
PENTECOST SUNDAY
Come, Holy Spirit, Come

Preaching: Elder Deborah Patterson

Welcome
The Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. And also with you.

Lighting of the Christ Candle & A Time of Silence
We invite you to a time of silent meditation and companionship with God.

Prelude My Heart Ever Faithful     Bach’s Pentecost Cantata

Call to Worship (responsive)
Come, Holy Spirit! Ignite our hearts with joy and confidence!
For God has done wondrous things for us.
Come, Holy Spirit! Fill us with the power of the rushing wind that we may faithfully serve you in all that we do.
For Christ has called each of us and blessed us!
Come, Holy Spirit! Be with us today.
Help us to proclaim boldly the risen Christ!  Amen.

Hymn of Praise #319(please rise as you are able)             Spirit

Invitation to a Time of Confession                         
Do not be astonished that Jesus says to us: “You must be born from above”. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. So, even as we sense the Spirit’s wind blowing through our hearts today, let us open ourselves before the Lord and confess our sins. 

Prayer of Personal and Communal Confession (unison)
Gracious and loving God, you poured your Holy Spirit upon gathered disciples, creating bold tongues, open ears and a new community of faith. You encourage and strengthen us as Your grace is sufficient for every need. You send us out to serve you. However, we often doubt Your presence and do not listen for the good news of Your love. We wonder where you are in all that happens in this world. We fail to keep our hearts centered and our minds focused on the good new of Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One. Forgive us and have mercy on us, oh God. Transform our timid lives by the power of Your spirit, and fill us with a flaming desire to be your faithful people, doing your will for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.    (Silence is kept) 

Affirmation of Forgiveness      
Lord God, through Christ you have given us peace that the world cannot give. Let your spirit of truth abide with us so that we may live in hope, grow in faith and keep your commandments of love. Friends, believe the Good News of the Gospel, In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

Sung Response                    Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia!  Give thanks to the risen Lord. Alleluia, alleluia! Give praise to God’s Name.
Alleluia, alleluia!  Give thanks to the risen Lord. Alleluia, alleluia! Give praise to God’s Name.

Prayer for Illumination  (unison) Amy Loving, The Worship Closet
Living God, prepare our minds to hear your Word that we may truly understand;
that understanding, we may believe; and believing, we may follow your way in all faithfulness, seeking your honor and glory in all that we do. Pour out upon us your spirit of wisdom and understanding, that our hearts and minds may be open to know your truth and your way. Move our hearts to embrace what we hear and strengths our will to follow your way. This we pray through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

First Scripture Lesson                                  John 15-21
Come Holy Spirit (silence is kept for reflection) … This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Psalm of Response (responsive) Psalm 51:6-12
You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be fresh as new fallen snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Come Holy Spirit (silence is kept for reflection) … This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Anthem                Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God         Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Second Scripture Lesson                              Acts 17:22-31
Come Holy Spirit (silence is kept for reflection) … This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Sermon                             Come, Holy Spirit, Come

Affirmation of Faith (unison)                                   The Brief Statement of Faith, PCUSA
We trust in God, the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. 
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church.
The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation and calls women and men to all ministries of the church.
In a broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all the peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new Earth, praying. “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Hymn of Response #130(please rise as you are able)                Let Every Christian Pray

Sharing Our Joys & Concerns

Prayers of the People and The Lord’s Prayer 
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,  
on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts,  
as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,  
for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

Invitation to a Time of Offering and Dedication (unison)
In the name and in the spirit of Jesus, we bring all of our gifts to you, O God. Help us to give with them a ready mind, a willing spirit, and a joyful heart. Amen.

Hymn of Sending #128(please rise as you are able)    On Pentecost They Gathered

 God is Good-All the Time      All the Time- God is Good          

Closing Litany (responsive)
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Today, Lord, we meet in your presence
to celebrate the gift of you Spirit who now lives among us.
We remember that you Son, Jesus Christ, called him another Counselor whom he would send to us.
Renew our hearts, move us to faith, lead us in truth and empower us for obedience.
Thanks be to God!
Amen!

Postlude