Sunday: The Day of Pentecost Date: May 15, 2016 First reading: Genesis 11:1 9 Second reading: Acts 2:1 21 Gospel Reading: John 14:23 31

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1 Sunday: The Day of Pentecost Date: May 15, 2016 First reading: Genesis 11:1 9 Second reading: Acts 2:1 21 Gospel Reading: John 14:23 31 Greetings: Introduce yourselves and ask everyone s name. Opening Prayer (Read together): Dear heavenly Father, we are so thankful that you have brought us together again, for this time of worship and meditation in your Word. The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is, when brothers and sisters live together in unity. As we gather together Lord, we are reminded that we are here because You have called us out of darkness into Your wonderful light. Assure us Lord, of Your mercy and ever present forgiveness. Help us to look to the cross and remind us that Your Son Jesus Christ died and rose again, to give us the victory over our sins, over the devil and over this evil world. Help us to walk in Your path, the path You have set before us in Jesus Christ. Keep us close to You and close to one another. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Absolution: Dear friends, God s Word tells us that if we are in Christ, we are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come. Because of Jesus sacrifice on the cross, His death and resurrection, God assures you that your sins are forgiven. In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 503 O Day Full of Grace, v O day full of grace that now we see Appearing on earth s horizon, Bring light from our God that we may be

2 Replete in His joy this season. God, shine for us now in this dark place; Your name on our hearts emblazon. 2 O day full of grace, O blessèd time, Our Lord on the earth arriving; Then came to the world that light sublime, Great joy for us all retrieving; For Jesus all mortals did embrace, All darkness and shame removing. 3 For Christ bore our sins, and not His own, When He on the cross was hanging; And then He arose and moved the stone That we, unto Him belonging, Might join with angelic hosts to raise Our voices in endless singing. FIRST READING: Genesis 11:1 9 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone,and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the LORD said, Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD

3 confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth. 503 O Day Full of Grace, v God came to us then at Pentecost, His Spirit new life revealing, That we might no more from Him be lost, All darkness for us dispelling. His flame will the mark of sin efface And bring to us all His healing. 5 When we on that final journey go That Christ is for us preparing, We ll gather in song, our hearts aglow, All joy of the heavens sharing, And walk in the light of God s own place, With angels His name adoring Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License.NET, no SECOND READING: Acts 2:1 21 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors

4 from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine. But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 496 Holy Spirit, Light Divine 1 Holy Spirit, light divine, Shine upon this heart of mine; Chase the shades of night away, Turn the darkness into day. 2 Let me see my Savior s face, Let me all His beauties trace; Show those glorious truths to me Which are only known to Thee.

5 3 Holy Spirit, pow r divine, Cleanse this guilty heart of mine; In Thy mercy pity me, From sin s bondage set me free. Public domain THIRD READING: John 14:23 31 Jesus answered him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, I am going away, and I will come to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. Devotion Written by Rev. Duane Bamsch (written in 2013) For the fifty days since Easter, the Holy Spirit has been hinted at, has been promised, and now He s here. Pentecost is from the Greek word for fiftieth. The Jewish Feast of Weeks.

6 Fifty days after Passover, Moses says in Deuteronomy: Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you. But God our Father has made Pentecost so much more than a corn offering. Jesus won salvation for us by his crucifixion, rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended to heaven. The Spirit, the Helper, the Comforter, sees to the delivery of that salvation to us in the Holy Christian Church. And they both go together. One flows from the other. One is created by the other. Where the Spirit is doing business, He gathers the Christian Church around the gifts of the Spirit the means of grace. No wind. No tongues of fire. Just work. Without Pentecost, we d never celebrate the work of the busiest person of the Trinity the Holy Spirit. He s at work right now taking the Word of God and giving you life in Jesus Name. Creating faith where and when He pleases in those who hear the Gospel. (AC V) In the water of your Baptism the Spirit is at work. In the Body and Blood of Jesus the Spirit is at work keeping you in the Faith. In the Absolution and forgiveness of sins the Spirit is at work delivering the gifts of Jesus crucifixion. He s busy working through the voice of men it s never about Him at all, it s always about delivering Jesus to you. You d never even know He was doing it if we didn t stop on Pentecost and point it out. Then, it s right back to work wherever Jesus spreads the Gospel like a four year old with wildflower seeds, scattering it all over the place, not caring where it lands. Jesus spreads His Gospel to the ends of the earth and the Spirit does the work of creating faith in the Word faith that is all about Jesus. Faith which saves us from our sins.

7 From the mother that teachers her child the faith, to the person who tells his friend that his sin is forgiven in Christ. From the Pastor who preaches the Gospel in his parish to the missionary overseas who speaks the Gospel to people of different tongues all of it is the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word. That s the business of sons and daughters prophesying in Joel! Christians tell the Gospel young, old, ordained, lay, male, female. They proclaim the forgiveness of sins won by Christ on the cross. On Pentecost, the curse of Babel was undone. They got together to build a tower to reach the heavens so that they would be like God. We d never do that! We don t need a tower to try to be like God, do we? Well, pick your sin it s all about you being like God. You worry about your lives because God isn t fixing things the way you want him to. If I were God, I d know better. You covet other things because you know better than God what you need. You take, cut corners, and cheat because God isn t providing enough. You ll help him along. You despise others and hate them hold grudges because you don t honestly believe that Christ dying for us is enough to settle everything between you and the next sinner. Is this overstating the case? Well, would you be mad at the person you are mad at if you truly took to heart that Christ died for you both? Christ forgave him. Why haven t you? It is about being God, isn t it? So, they built a tower at Babel to get to God. But he scrambled their language. If they can t understand each other, maybe they won t get themselves into such trouble. But, they did. You do too daily and muchly. But, the Father s response isn t Hell. No, He sends His Son in your place who always loved the Father with His whole heart and always loved His neighbor so much that He would die for him, and die for you. In order for the message of what the Father did in the sending of His Son would be heard, He sent the Spirit. There are plenty of miracles to celebrate today people speaking other languages, tongues of fire appearing over the disciples. But the greatest miracle of Pentecost was that the Word of God was heard: Are not all these who are speaking

8 Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? All who were there, Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and everyone else who was there in Jerusalem even Romans and Jews, they heard the Apostles speaking in their own language the wonderful works of God. They heard the Word. Peter stood up from among the Twelve from among the Church, and preached the Gospel: Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Peter preached, the Spirit did the work. They were cut to the heart. What could they do? Peter responded: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. Called that s the Spirit s miracle. They believed that s the Spirit s work. Three thousand people were baptized. Baptized received the Holy Spirit. Baptized received the forgiveness of sins. They were saved in the water just like you were saved in the waters of your Baptism. That s what the Spirit does He opens your ears to hear the Gospel. He creates faith through His gifts. Pentecost teaches us the truth about the Holy Spirit. He s not a force. He s not a feeling. He s not a warm fuzzy in your heart when you sing a hymn or song that you love. The Spirit is at work during good hymns and he s also at work in the good hymns which are so German that they are un singable in English. He s at work when you think you feel him in church. He s at work when you are certain you don t. The Holy Spirit has connected Himself to the Word. Where the Word is proclaimed, there the Spirit is at work. In the water, in the Word, in the Body and Blood where Christ delivers faith, that s the work of the Spirit. Celebrate this Pentecost by letting the Spirit do his work. He wants you to repent of your sins and believe the Gospel. Turn from your sins today.

9 Stop doing them. Stop trying to be God. Turn from your own personal tower building. Believe the Gospel. Trust the Lord. Your sins? All of them are forgiven in Jesus name. Your tower building has been answered for. Christ died for you. Christ is risen! Christ has ascended and sent the Spirit for you. Be at peace and forgiven. Amen. PRAY TOGETHER: 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. 922 Go, My Children, With My Blessing 1 Go, My children, with My blessing, Never alone. Waking, sleeping, I am with you; You are My own. In My love s baptismal river I have made you Mine forever. Go, My children, with My blessing You are My own. 4 I the Lord will bless and keep you And give you peace; I the Lord will smile upon you And give you peace: I the Lord will be your Father, Savior, Comforter, and Brother. Go, My children; I will keep you And give you peace.

10 1983 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License.NET, no Benediction: The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Visit! Get to know one another and remind people that they are blessed in the Lord!