10:05

Land Acknowledgement

Welcome and Announcements

Getting Ready

Gathering Song/Call to Worship/Prayer: Be Still and Know that I am God

        Be still and know that I am God (3x)

  D                                   A7    D

Be still and know that I am God,

                        G            E7    A

Be still and know that I am God,

  D                                   A     D

Be still and know that I am God.

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21 (Children’s Bible Version)

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to speak these languages.

There were some religious Jews staying in Jerusalem who were from every country in the world. When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were completely amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these men that we hear speaking from Galilee? But each of us hears them in his own language. How is this possible? We are from different places: Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near Cyrene, Rome (both Jews and those who had become Jews), Crete and Arabia. But we hear these men telling in our own languages about the great things God has done!” They were all amazed and confused. They asked each other, “What does this mean?”

But others were making fun of them, saying, “They have had too much wine.”

But Peter stood up with the 11 apostles. In a loud voice he spoke to the crowd: “My fellow Jews, and all of you who are in Jerusalem, listen to me. Pay attention to what I have to say. These men are not drunk, as you think; it is only nine o’clock in the morning! But Joel the prophet wrote about what is happening here today:

‘God says: In the last days
   I will give my Spirit freely to all kinds of people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
   Your old men will dream dreams.
   Your young men will see visions.

At that time I will give my Spirit
   even to my servants, both men and women.
   And they will prophesy.

I will show miracles
   in the sky and on the earth:
   blood, fire and thick smoke.

The sun will become dark.
   The moon will become red as blood.
   And then the great and glorious day of the Lord will come.

Then anyone who asks the Lord for help
   will be saved.’

Sacred Story: The Mystery of Pentecost

Wondering:

Work: Decorating the altar for Pentecost/Changing the Colors in the room

Prayers of the People with the Lord’s Prayer:

All: Beloved Creator, who is in heaven

Remember that the God who created everything loves us like a parent and wants us to know and love Them too. Some say Father. Some say Mother. Some say Sacred Parent beyond gender.

Feel free to say aloud the name you call God.

All: Hallowed be your name

Hallowed means holy. Or set apart. Very special. When we say hallowed be your name, we take a minute to praise God. You may want to thank God for the world our home, for God’s love, for Jesus, or for your family and friends.

Feel free to say words of wonder about God aloud here.

All: Your kin-dom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

We say kin-dom instead of kingdom. A kingdom usually involves people with power controlling and often harming others. God’s dream for the world is something entirely different. Equality. Love. Sharing. Everyone having exactly what they need. Everyone giving what others need. Everyone valued, loved, and loving.

When we say your kin-dom come, we pray for God to heal the world and make things right. Pray for peace, justice, and an end to hunger and sickness. Try to think of people who are in special need of God’s help.

God’s will is love, justice, and welcome. Pray for people to do what God wants them to do. Ask for God to help you understand what your part of the work of love, justice, and welcome is. Pray for God’s goodness to come for all people and all the family of creation.

Feel free to say words aloud asking God to bring - and help us bring - God’s love, justice, and welcome.

All: Give us today our daily bread.

We pray for bread, for nourishment. But we also use the word “bread” to refer to all the things we need to thrive and to help others thrive.

Take a moment to pray for your own needs, as well as the needs of your family, friends, and church.

Feel free to say words aloud asking for God to provide what you need or what others need.

All: Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

This is where we ask forgiveness for broken and harmful things we’ve done. Maybe you hurt someone or took more than you needed of something while someone else had too little or excluded someone or hurt the family of Creation somehow. Those are sometimes called sins of commission - meaning, harmful things we did.

This is also where we ask for forgiveness for things called sins of omission - meaning good things we could have done but did not do. Maybe you could have stood up for someone but stayed silent. Maybe you could have helped someone with a chore or some work but chose not to. Maybe you could have shared something but decided to keep it. This is where we ask God’s forgiveness for the things we did not do.

We say debts rather than sins because we believe that God’s dream is for everyone to have exactly what they need. Debts are things that hold some people back from getting the things they need. We dream of a day where all debts are forgiven. Your debts and others’ debts. So everyone is free to live fully.

Feel free to say words aloud asking for forgiveness or asking for debts to be forgiven.

All: Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

Sometimes it is very hard to love God, others, and the family of creation. Here we ask God’s help when love, justice, and welcome become very hard. Evil is a word we use to talk about things that harm us and others. There are many things that do harm. To bodies. To souls. To families. To people groups. To creation. Here, we ask God to liberate us, and everyone, from things that do harm.

Feel free to say words aloud asking God for protection from times when love is hard or when we, or others, might be harmed.

All: For the kin-dom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.

Here we remember that Love wins. The kin-dom is God’s - meaning God writes the world. The power is God’s - meaning God is able to write good things into the world. The glory is God’s - meaning God is wonderful and the whole family of creation can step back and say: Wow. God is good.

Feel free to say words aloud that express a feeling of “wow” about God.

All: Amen.

Amen is a word that means “Let it be so,” or “This is truth.” We say it at the end of our prayers to close them with hope. Let this prayer for love, for forgiveness, for liberation, for enough for everyone, for a kin-dom of welcome be true. So let’s say it again;

All: Amen.

Sending the Williams Family

One: Eternal One, you have called the Williams family to another place, another community, another task.

Many: We are sad to see them go, but we recognize that, just as they have been your gift to us, so now they go as a gift to another group of your people.

One: We pray for each other now, as our once-parallel roads of pilgrimage diverge.

Many: We thank you for all that we have done and learned and shared together.

One: We pray for Madison, Lawrie, and Curt as they explore and clarify and put into action the call that takes them onward from here.

Many: May they grow in your grace and in the knowledge of your love, so that they may be a blessing to many.

One: We pray for the community to which they go. That they will value them. Support them. Learn from them. Encourage them.

Many: We pray for ourselves as we stay, that you will keep us faithful to the vision we have shared, that you will show us what we should do, how we should be, now that Lawrie, Curt, and Madison are no longer with us.

One: As we part, we reaffirm that it has been your Spirit who brought us together in the first place, your Spirit who has enlivened our fellowship.

Many: It is your Spirit who goes with Curt, Madison, and Lawrie and your Spirit who stays with us. Holding us mystically together, even as we part.

One: It is your Spirit, indeed, who holds together your church around the world and the entire family of Creation.

Many: All are united in you. All are united in love.

One: And so, as we say amen, we release these sacred siblings even as we hold them ever close in our hearts.

Many: Thanks be to God, Amen.

Til We Meet Again:

God be with you till we meet again;

loving counsels guide, uphold you,

With a shepherd’s care enfold you;

God be with you till we meet again.

Till we meet, till we meet,

till we meet at Jesus’ feet.

Till we meet, till we meet,

God be with you till we meet again.

Passing of the Peace        

The Feast:        

Words of Institution:

Sometimes, we have a special cloth on the table to remind us that this is a very special meal. Sometimes, we leave the special cloth folded up so that we can begin the meal by opening it up. And as we unfold it and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, we remember that this table, where we remember Christ, is always getting bigger and bigger and bigger and there is always a way to make room for more.

A long time ago, there was someone very special. They said many wonderful things and did many wonderful things and people became curious about that person. A group of people became friends with Christ. They learned from Christ and lived with Christ.

One night, they shared an important meal.

Christ took the bread. Gave thanks for it. Blessed it. Broke it. And shared it with everyone saying: This bread is me. This bread is for you. This bread is for everyone. Take and eat it and remember my love.

Then Christ took the cup. Gave thanks for it. Blessed it. And shared it with everyone saying: This cup is me. This cup is for you. This cup is for everyone. Take and eat it and remember my love.

And Christ asked us to share this feast every time we gather. All are welcome. Come and receive.

Communion Hymn: God Bless To Us This Bread

        God bless to us this bread

        And give food to those who are hungry

        And hunger for justice to those who are fed

        God bless to us this bread

Benediction/Closing Song: Go Now in Peace

        Go now in peace, go now in peace

        May the love of God surround you

        Everywhere, everywhere you may go.

G               D7               G                 D7

Go now in peace, go now in peace,

G             D7      G                 D7

May the love of God surround you

G         D7    G         D7

everywhere, everywhere,

G    D7   G   D7

you may go.