May 24 2026 – Pentecost
CHIMING OF THE HOUR
WELCOME
On the Day of Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit descending in a mighty rush of wind and flame to inspire the church’s proclamation of Christ’s rising and to empower its mission and ministry to the world.
PRAYER
God of all creation,
we come at last to be united in the Spirit,
your gleaming fire among us,
setting our hearts ablaze.
We praise you with our whole being.
Live in us, that we may love with your love,
speak with your truth, and serve with your mercy.
Keep us faithful until the very end,
through Jesus the Christ. Amen.
PRELUDE
CALL TO WORSHIP
On the day of Pentecost, the church was gathered together in one place. Could it have looked something like this?
Turn and look around you; notice the people who sit near you today.
On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God blew through the church like a howling wind. Could it have sounded something like this?
Respond by making wind noises with your mouth and by rubbing your hands back and forth.
On the day of Pentecost, differences were minimized as people came together seeing and hearing one another. Could it have felt something like this?
Respond by holding hands with family members seated close to you.
On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God fell down like rain on everyone gathered there that day. And sons and daughters prophesied.
If you are someone’s child, no matter your age, place one hand on your heart.
And young people saw visions, and old people dreamed dreams.
If you consider yourself wise in years, place a second hand on your heart.
Thanks be to God for bringing us together in this place for worship.
May we, like those before us, worship God with our whole hearts. Amen.
*HYMN No. 289 “On Pentecost They Gathered”
1 On Pentecost they gathered
quite early in the day,
a band of Christ’s disciples,
to worship, sing, and pray.
A mighty wind came blowing,
filled all the swirling air,
and tongues of fire aglowing
inspired each person there.
2 The people all around them
were startled and amazed
to understand their language,
as Christ the Lord they praised.
What universal message,
what great good news was here?
That Christ, once dead, is risen
to vanquish all our fear.
3 God pours the Holy Spirit
on all who would believe,
on women, men, and children
who would God’s grace receive.
That Spirit knows no limit,
bestowing life and power.
The church, formed and reforming,
responds in every hour.
4 O Spirit, sent from heaven
on that day long ago,
rekindle faith among us
in all life’s ebb and flow.
O give us ears to listen
and tongues aflame with praise,
so folk of every nation
glad songs of joy shall raise.
CALL TO CONFESSION
God pours out the Spirit upon us,
but we do not always welcome God’s gifts.
Let us confess our doubts and fears,
that we might find forgiveness and newness of life.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Infinite God,
you come to us in many colors, shapes, and languages.
You speak to each of us in the way we can understand.
You reach out to us and meet us where we are.
But we are quick to limit you
to what we can understand and control.
Forgive us,
and set your Spirit loose among us.
Challenge us, surprise us,
and open us to your power,
that we might know you more deeply,
follow you more faithfully,
and love more fully.
Silence is observed
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Scripture is clear: everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. God draws us together, offering salvation, forgiveness, and new life to all.
Alleluia! Thanks be to God!
*RESPONSE AFTER ASSURANCE NO. 581 “Glory Be to the Father”
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen, amen.
*PASSING OF THE PEACE OF CHRIST
When Jesus left his disciples, he did not leave them alone. He promised that the Holy Spirit would be present in their lives, and he gave them an amazing gift: his peace, the peace of Christ. Through the Spirit, this gift lives still, and it is ours to share with others.
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Worshippers are invited to briefly “pass the peace” of Christ to those directly seated around them thus keeping our worship time “decent and in order” with a focus upon being part of God’s community.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
UNISON PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Friends, join me in a meditative prayer for illumination.
I invite you to bow your heads
and open your non-dominant hand, palm side up.
Trace the shape of the wind on your palm
in honor of the way the Spirit can move in us.
Now, trace a flame on your palm,
remembering how God can show up in mysterious ways,
remembering how the presence of God warms and purifies us.
Now, clasp your hands, lacing your fingers together,
remembering the way Scripture calls us
into unity with one another.
With clear minds and focused hearts,
I pray that we may hear the words of Scripture today,
and be receptive to the way God speaks to us
through this good word.
In God’s holy name we pray. Amen.
SCRIPTURE Acts 2:1-21
2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews[a] and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Pause…
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!!
Pentecost – Choral Reading
A: The fire,
B: the wind,
C: the water.
The Word of the Lord
A: The liberation of God’s people began with
C: the burning of a flame.
B: The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
A: Moses led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
C: There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush:
B: Is not my word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
A: He looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed.
C: The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness.
A: The liberation of God’s people continued with fire
C: and with wind.
A: On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain,
B: and a blast of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
A: Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
C: The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
A: Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord had descended upon it in fire;
B: the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently.
C: As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder.
A: God’s people remembered their liberation out of Egypt in the celebration of three festivals:
B: Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread;
A: Shavuot, or Pentecost;
C: and the Feast of Tabernacles.
A: For God had said:
C: Three times in the year you shall hold a festival for me.
B: You shall observe the feast of Passover, which marks the first spring harvest.
C: You shall observe Pentecost, the thanksgiving festival of the harvest of wheat,
B: and remember the giving of the Law.
C: You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles at the end of the harvest,
B: when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.
A: These are the three times in the year when all your males shall appear before the Lord God.
C: The fire, the wind.
B: The water.
A: After his suffering, Jesus presented himself alive to the apostles by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
C: While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father.
B: “This is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
A: When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
B: The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
A: And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind,
C: He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.
A: and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
B: And anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean.
A: Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.
B: Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?
A: All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
C: The fire,
B: the wind,
A: the water.
C: Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.
B: Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
C: And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
B: And they said to one another, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
C: Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Germans, Swedes, Palestinians, and residents of Moscow, Geneva and Beijing, Pretoria and Cairo, France and Indonesia, Egypt and Libya, visitors from …
B: The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the Lord said, “Let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”
C: In our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.
B: So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
C: Is not my word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
[B and C return to original positions.]
A: All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
C: “What does this mean?”
A: But others sneered and said,
C: “They are filled with new wine.”
A: But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them,
B: “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
C: The fire,
A: the wind, the water.
B: This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: “In the last days it will be,” God declares, “that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
A: out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.
B: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
C: those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty.
A: The water that I give will become a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.
B: And they shall prophesy. And I will show signs in the heaven above and signs on the earth below; blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
C: The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
B: “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you—this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.
A: So that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
B: This Jesus God raised up, and of that, all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear.
C: On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
B: Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
A: Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles,
C: “Brothers, what should we do?”
A: Peter said to them,
B: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
A: And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying,
B: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
C: Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; and every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
A: The fire, the wind, the water.
A: All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.
C: Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm.
A: Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple,
C: they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,
B: praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.
C: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
B: And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
SERMON “The Beginning of the Community”
Pentecost – what is Pentecost?
Fifty Days after Easter – YES
The Holy Spirit descending upon the Disciples – YES
The gift that allows us to proclaim the Good News – YES
The beginning of the church -YES
Our affirmation of faith has been questions from The Belgic Confession of Faith. The Belgic Confession, written in 1561, owes its origin to the need for a clear and comprehensive statement of Reformed faith during the time of the Spanish inquisition in the Netherlands. One of the main points of this historic statement of the Reformed church is about the church:
What do you believe about the Church of Christ?
We believe and confess one single catholic or universal church- a holy congregation and gathering of true Christian believers.
Since it’s beginning the church – the body of Christ – has wrestled with what it was called to do and who is part of the community. Even today, we don’t have a clear definition of what it means to be a member of the Presbyterian Church at Woodbury. If I asked 10 of you to tell me what the church is, I would probably get 15 different answers.
Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Church, captures the intent of the passage we read about the beginning of the church on Pentecost: “Many American Christians are what I call ‘floating believers.’ Anywhere else in the world, being a believer is synonymous with being connected to a local body of believers-you rarely find a lone-ranger Christian in other countries. Many American Christians, however, hop from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. They have not been taught that the Christian life involves more than just believing-it also includes belonging.”
There is implicit tension built into these Scripture passages. On the one hand, church members pull tightly together. Notice how Acts 2 describes common activities and the caring that expresses the Spirit-directed bond with each other. These believers obviously spent considerable time with each other in worship. They “belonged” to each other and treasured that sense of belonging. But, on the other hand, this bond should never be so tight that it becomes exclusionary. After Pentecost, the Acts of the Apostles’ shows the early church was always ready to include others, and illustrates that including others even means accepting Gentiles, those who previously were considered excluded. This tension runs throughout the book of Acts-the unifying force of pulling together as the “body of Christ” and the spiral force that propels outwards to embrace others. This tension is not easy to live with, as the conflict of the community is seen in the last chapters of Acts. For that matter, even Peter had a struggle with it, and the vision of Acts 10 is designed to help him see that the church is bigger than he thought.
For the members of the local congregation, this tension is played out in our need to be committed to the local body while having a worldwide identity and seeing the body of Christ as including many others with cultures, languages and practices that are very different from ours. We are loyal to “our church,” but at the same time we don’t want it to be only “our church.” What binds us together in our unity is that the Holy Spirit has given us faith which must be expressed, nurtured and lived out in the world.
The large view of Scripture especially the events of Pentecost help us to see that from beginning the Spirit is preparing the church to be a worldwide body. The promise of Jesus at his ascension and the multiple languages spoken at Pentecost point to the same process. Once the church captures the view of God’s widely gathering work, many references in the Old Testament take on new life and meaning. We see the culmination expressed in the vision of Revelation 7:9 – 9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb!” or as the Belgic Confession of Faith asks: How big is this Church? This holy church is not confined, bound, or limited to a certain place or certain persons. But it is spread and dispersed throughout the entire world, though still joined and united in heart and will, in one and the same Spirit, by the power of faith.
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,
The Holy Spirit continue to spread and helps us be the body of Christ – the church!
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
The Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 27-28:
What do you believe about the Church of Christ?
We believe and confess one single catholic or universal church- a holy congregation and gathering of true Christian believers.
And what binds them all together?
They await their entire salvation in Jesus Christ, are washed by his blood, and sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
When did this church begin?
This church has existed from the beginning of the world and will last until the end, as appears from the fact that Christ is eternal King who cannot be without subjects
Will God protect his Church from its enemies?
This holy church is preserved by God against the rage of the whole world, even though for a time it may appear very small as though it were snuffed out.
How big is this Church?
This holy church is not confined, bound, or limited to a certain place or certain persons. But it is spread and dispersed throughout the entire world, though still joined and united in heart and will, in one and the same Spirit, by the power of faith.
How important is church membership?
We believe that since this holy assembly and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, no one ought to withdraw from it, content to be by himself, regardless of his status or condition.
What is our obligation and duty toward the church of Christ?
All people are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to its instruction and discipline, by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ, and by serving to build up one another, according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body.
*HYMN No. 291 “Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness”
Refrain:
Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness, calling and free.
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
wind, wind on the sea.
1 You moved on the waters;
you called to the deep;
then you coaxed up the mountains
from the valleys of sleep;
and over the eons
you called to each thing,
“Awake from your slumbers
and rise on your wings.” (Refrain)
Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness, calling and free.
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
wind, wind on the sea.
2 You swept through the desert;
you stung with the sand;
and you goaded your people
with a law and a land.
When they were confounded
with idols and lies,
then you spoke through your prophets
to open their eyes. (Refrain)
Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness, calling and free.
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
wind, wind on the sea.
3 You sang in a stable;
you cried from a hill;
then you whispered in silence
when the whole world was still.
And down in the city,
you called once again
when you blew through your people
on the rush of the wind. (Refrain)
Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness, calling and free.
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
wind, wind on the sea.
4 You call from tomorrow;
you break ancient schemes;
from the bondage of sorrow
the captives dream dreams.
Our women see visions;
our men clear their eyes.
With bold new decisions
your people arise. (Refrain)
Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness, calling and free.
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
wind, wind on the sea.
THE PASTORAL PRAYER & THE LORD’S PRAYER
On this day of Pentecost, we remember Christ’s great promise to us. Before he ascended from the earth, he said to the disciples:
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and to the ends of the earth.
Thank you, Father, for this place to gather and your Spirit who gathers us. May we accept your gift with grace and wisdom, hope and fearlessness. Give us strength and wisdom to act on your will.
And on this day, we marvel at the possibilities of God’s Holy Spirit here with us.
For in the last days, says the prophet Joel, the Lord will show wonders in the heavens and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, smoke, a darkened sun, and a moon turned to blood.
God Almighty, we are humbled in your awesome presence. We are reminded of our weakness, our insignificance. Ashamed, we pray for mercy.
But on this day, we remember the sacrifice that made this gift possible: the perfect Lamb who was slain, the blood that was spilled, the curtain that was torn in two. And we remember the stone that was rolled away.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Praise be to the Father, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and holy is your precious Spirit. For we were lost in the depths, but you have found us and invited us to your table. Now we are bearers of your holy Name.
And on this day, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit within us, we put aside our grievances. We reach out to those around us. We lift up our talents and gifts. We ask to be filled and then poured out. We are no longer satisfied with a life not lived abundantly.
I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters, they will prophesy. The young will see visions; the old, they will have dreams. I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and you will prophesy.
Lord, we receive your gift with patient anticipation. Make us the hands and feet of your invisible Spirit, and like your Spirit, make us invisible, so that the light of Christ Jesus may shine through us.
And all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Lord, give us the ability to speak not in languages of hate or greed, complacency or discontent, but in love and peace, mercy and kindness; in generosity and benevolence, in humility and patience, and in truthful words of encouragement.
On this day of Pentecost, may the moving of your Spirit not be to us a chasing after the wind, but a warm breeze of hope. May the Church act as one body to bring love, joy, and your holy truth to every generation and people. And may we also have the wisdom to receive these things graciously.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.
We make our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who taught us to say when we pray, Our Father …
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. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
PASSING OF FELLOWSHIP PADS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
TITHES & OFFERINGS
As we move toward the Table,
the place where we meet God’s love
every time we dine together, we also
remember that this Sunday we receive
the Pentecost Offering which enables
young people here and around the world
to meet God’s love in powerful acts of
worship and community, transformative experiences
of intentional living, and ensuring that all children
are educated and can flourish exactly as God made them.
Friends, if all you give is yourself,
God’s heart will be full.
However, if you are able to give another offering of some sort,
and if it is able to impact another —
providing worship that comforts them,
food that feeds them,
or relationships that nurture them —
then perhaps God’s heart might overflow.
So, let us give joyfully now, for the Spirit of God is moving,
and there are many who need Her comfort.
Let us give our offering now.
OFFERTORY ANTHEM
*RESPONSE N0. 606 “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Come”
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
God, you have given us absolutely everything we have.
You gave us sunsets and speckled eggs,
tiny newborn hands and silver moons,
so that we could know what beauty looks like.
You gave us melody and harmony,
forgiveness and poetry,
so that we could know what love sounds like.
You gave us hands to build, fire to warm,
water to clean and food to fill,
so that we could know what peace feels like.
And you gave us hearts to give, minds to hope,
hands to serve and mouths to pray,
so that we know what your Kingdom loves like.
So today we pray that you might be able to use these humble gifts
to bring your kingdom here,
so that more may know what beauty looks like,
what love sounds like and what peace feels like,
saying all the while, “thank you, thank you, thank you.”
For you have given us everything we have. Gratefully we pray. Amen.
*HYMN No. 340 “This Is My Song”
1 This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
2 My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
So hear my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.
3 This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth’s kingdoms:
thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done.
Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,
and hearts united learn to live as one.
So hear my prayer, O God of all the nations:
myself I give thee; let thy will be done.
*BENEDICTION
Now go from this service of worship with refreshed faith from the same Pentecost wind that blew so many years ago, warmed with hope from the same Pentecost flame, and reminded you are loved in language you understand, just as It was spoken by those same Pentecost tongues. And may the God who gives, Jesus, the one given, and the Spirit who gives us to one another go with you. Amen.
*POSTLUDE