Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church
We Proclaim Christ Resurrected!
Dan Schaller, Pastor
Worshipping at 1135 Terminal Way, #105, Reno
9 a.m. on Sunday
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May 15, 2016
Pentecost
PERSONAL PREPARATION for receiving Holy Communion:
p. 156 in the front portion of the red hymnal.
THE SERVICE OF THE WORD AND SACRAMENT (p. 26 in the red hymnal)
- WE GATHER TO WORSHIP -
OPENING HYMN: CW #183: “Holy Spirit, Light Divine”
(please stand)
M: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
C: And also with you.
CONFESSION OF SINS
M: God invites us to come into his presence and worship him with humble and penitent hearts. Therefore, let us acknowledge our sinfulness and ask him to forgive us.
C: Holy and merciful Father, I confess that I am by nature sinful, and that I have disobeyed you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have done what is evil and failed to do what is good. For this I deserve your punishment both now and in eternity. But I am truly sorry for my sins, and trusting in my Savior Jesus Christ, I pray: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
M: God, our heavenly Father, has been merciful to us and has given his only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C: Amen.
- WE PRAISE THE LORD -
LORD, HAVE MERCY
M. For all that we need in life and for the wisdom to use all your gifts with gratitude and joy, hear our prayer, O Lord.
C: ♫ Lord, have mercy.
M. For the steadfast assurance that nothing can separate us from your love and for the courage to stand firm against the assaults of Satan and every evil, hear our prayer, O Christ.
C: ♫ Christ, have mercy.
M: For the well-being of your holy Church in all the world and for those who offer here their worship and praise, hear our prayer, O Lord.
C: ♫ Lord, have mercy.
M: Merciful God, maker and preserver of life, uphold us by your power and keep us in your tender care:
C: ♫ Amen.
M.: The works of the Lord are great and glorious; his name is worthy of praise.
C: ♫ (Music on p. 28 of hymnal)
O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name in all the earth.
Almighty God, merciful Father, you crown our life with your love.
You take away our sin; you comfort our spirit; you make us pure and holy in your sight.
You did not spare your only Son, but gave him up for us all.
O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name in all the earth.
O Son of God, eternal Word of the Father, you came to live with us;
you made your Father known; you washed us from our sins in your own blood.
You are the King of glory; you are the Lord!
O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name in all the earth.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
(ALL:) Holy Spirit, God and Lord, be gracious and come with your many gifts. Grant us especially the gift of faith that we may with all boldness and confidence declare Jesus to be our risen Savior and King. We pray in his name, who lives and reigns with you and the Father, one God, forever and ever. ♫ Amen. (please be seated)
THE WORD
FIRST LESSON: Genesis 11:1-9
Now the whole world had one languageand a common speech.2As people moved eastward,[a]they found a plain in Shinar[b]and settled there.
3They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricksand bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone,and tarfor mortar.4Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,so that we may make a namefor ourselves; otherwise we will be scatteredover the face of the whole earth.”
5But theLordcame downto see the city and the tower the people were building.6TheLordsaid, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.7Come, let usgo downand confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8So theLordscattered them from there over all the earth,and they stopped building the city.9That is why it was called Babel[c]—because there theLordconfused the languageof the whole world.From there the Lordscatteredthem over the face of the whole earth.
Footnotes:
a. Genesis 11:2Orfrom the east; orin the east
b. Genesis 11:2That is, Babylonia
c. Genesis 11:9That is, Babylon;Babelsounds like the Hebrew forconfused.
PSALM OF THE DAY: Psalm 51b, p. 87
SECOND LESSON: Acts 2:1-21
This is the familiar story of the first New Testament Pentecost. Pentecost was one of the three great festival weeks that brought worshippers to the temple (or tabernacle before the temple was built) as prescribed for Israel in the laws of Moses. Many would stay over the 50 days from the Passover – as is obvious from the pilgrims that had gathered here from all over the Mediterranean world. Jesus has freed us from the observation of those Mosaic laws that regulated worship, (Colossians 2:15-16), and our spiritual rest continues to be found in the promised Savior, as it was for believers of old. But we have freedom in these days after Jesus Christ’s ascension to choose the specific forms and outward details of our worship, including the “church year” we follow.
Here, at the first New Testament Pentecost, the Father and Son, as promised, pour out the Holy Spirit upon the church. The miracles that accompanied the preaching of the word on Pentecost and throughout the Apostolic age are no longer needed (for we have the word of God now in its entirety, the Holy Bible). But in the days when the Scriptures were being written such miracles were God’s way of validating his chosen messenger, and, most important, their message.
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own languages!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine.[a)"
14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'[b)
a. Acts 2:13 Or, “sweet wine”
b. Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32
VERSE OF THE DAY: CW #564: THERE IS A BALM IN GILEAD
GOSPEL: John 15:26-27
26“When the Advocatecomes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truthwho goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.27And you also must testify,for you have been with me from the beginning.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 4:19 Isaiah 61:1,2
Cross references:
A. Luke 4:14 : Mt 4:12
B. Luke 4:14 : S Mt 9:26
C. Luke 4:15 : S Mt 4:23
D. Luke 4:16 : S Mt 2:23
E. Luke 4:16 : Mt 13:54
F. Luke 4:16 : S 1Ti 4:13
G. Luke 4:18 : S Jn 3:34
H. Luke 4:18 : Mk 16:15
I. Luke 4:19 : Lev 25:10; Isa 61:1, 2; Ps 102:20; 103:6; Isa 42:7; 49:8, 9; 58:6
J. Luke 4:20 : ver 17; S Mt 26:55
K. Luke 4:21 : S Mt 1:22
C: ♫ Praise be to you, O Christ!
HYMN: CW #182: “Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling”
THE MESSAGE FROM GOD’S WORD
TEXT: John 15:26-27
THEME: THE SPRIT TESTIFIES
I. From the Father and the Son to You
II. Through You to the World
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and became fully human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen
THE OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH & THE LORD’S PRAYER
M: Eternal God and Father, we give you thanks for the blessings we share as members of your holy Church, for your gracious Word and sacraments, for opportunities to worship and to grow in faith and knowledge, for occasions to serve and be served, for fellowship with believers here and in throughout the world.
C: Help us to rejoice in these blessings, dear Lord, and to use them faithfully.
M: Jesus Christ, Lord of the Church, you give grace to your people by calling us to be your witnesses in the world. Open our eyes to see the great and noble mission that lies before us. In the hurting eyes of the lonely, in the pained eyes of the sick, and in the searching eyes of the lost, help us to see your face, O Jesus, and to serve others as we would serve you.
C: Awaken us to the opportunities you give to proclaim you message of love.
M: Holy Spirit, giver of faith, through Word and sacrament bestow on us the wisdom and power we need to witness clearly and to act boldly. Help us to speak the truth in love, to give the reason for the hope we have, and to conduct ourselves with gentleness and respect.
C: Set our hearts on fire as we work and witness for Christ.
M: Help us, Lord, as we pray for a family member, an acquaintance, a neighbor, or a friend who does not yet know you in faith, or whose faith is weak or troubled.
Silent Prayer
Special prayers and intercessions may follow:
M: Wherever your Word is proclaimed, O Lord, grant it success. Let your kingdom come to us and others, so that we and many more might join the assembly of saints and angels to sing your praise forever.
C: All praise to your name in earth and heaven, precious Lord. Amen.
THE SACRAMENT
M: The Lord be with you
C: ♫ And also with you.
M: Lift up your hearts.
C: ♫ We lift them up to the Lord.
M: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: ♫ It is right to give him thanks and praise.
M: Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In love he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he empowered his Church to be witnesses of Christ to the ends of the earth. Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and thanks and honor and glory for ever and ever.
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
C: ♫ (Music on p. 34 of hymnal)
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of your glory.
You are my God, and I will exalt you. I will give you thanks, for you have become my salvation.