Pentecost '24

CALL TO WORSHIP - PENTECOST PROCLAMATION

In the beginning, O God, there was only you, our ending and our beginning.

The Breath of our Life, our Guide and Inspiration, a conflagration of unknowable power,

the Fire that fills our soul consuming us, driving us and renewing us, calling us, commissioning us and empowering us,

leading us ever onward to paths we could never imagine, ways we never sought,

lives filled and lived in the joy of divine transcendence even in the face of evil:

suffering, pain and death.

Come to us, Holy Spirit, In the quiet times of peace.

Come to us, Holy Spirit, In the anguished eternities of grief.

Come to us, Holy Spirit, In welling fountains of joy.

Come to us, Holy Spirit, In cold vistas of disbelief.

Come to us, Holy Spirit, In burning certainties of faith.

Come to us, Holy Spirit, come!

GATHERING SONG “Gather Us In” #532

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Lord, our sin lays as a valley of dry bones before you.

(pause; taking our next breath as a gift from God the Holy Spirit)

Lord God...

You call us to righteousness and justice,

and you give us the Spirit of truth.

Yet we refuse the love you offer in these gifts,

seeking our own kingdoms and security.

Can these bones of ours live?

We can barely name our sin,

forgive us Lord, only you can save us.

(pause for reflection and self-examination)

It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we may repent fully before God.

God gives the Spirit as undeserved gift.

The Advocate reveals the truth of God’s great love in Jesus Christ.

It is for Christ’s sake that our sins are forgiven.

Now, with sins forgiven, may the Spirit guide you into all truth

that you may know the glory of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Confession adapted from Bill Wessner - Confession RCL - http://confessionrcl.blogspot.com/2015/05/cycle-b-pentecost.html

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Mighty God, you breathe life into our bones, and your Spirit brings truth to the world. Send us this Spirit, transform us by your truth, and give us language to proclaim your gospel, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

FIRST LESSON Ezekiel 37:1-14

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD.”

PSALM 104

How manifold are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Yonder is the sea, great and wide, with its swarms too many to number,

living things both small and great.

There go the ships to and fro, and Leviathan, which you made for the sport of it.

All of them look to you to give them their food in due season.

You give it to them; they gather it;

you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.

When you hide your face, they are terrified;

when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the LORD endure forever; O LORD, rejoice in all your works.

You look at the earth and it trembles; you touch the mountains and they smoke.

I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;

I will praise my God while I have my being.

May these words of mine please God.

I will rejoice in the LORD.

Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah!

SECOND LESSON Romans 8:22-27

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;

and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption,

the redemption of our bodies.

For in hope we were saved.

Now hope that is seen is not hope.

For who hopes for what is seen?

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness;

for we do not know how to pray as we ought,

but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit,

because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

GOSPEL: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

[Jesus said,] “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

SERMON “Advocate” Pastor Phil Wold

HYMN OF THE DAY “Spirit of Gentleness” #396

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

THE SIGN OF PEACE IS SHARED

The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.

THE OFFERING AND OFFERING PRAYER

Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

THE LORD'S PRAYER

BLESSING

SENDING SONG “Go, My Children, with My Blessing” #543

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