The Day of Pentecost
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
497 Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord
1 Come, Holy
Ghost, God and Lord,
With all Your graces now outpoured
On each believer’s mind and heart;
Your fervent love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of Your light
In holy faith Your Church unite;
From ev’ry land and ev’ry tongue
This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung:
Alleluia, alleluia!
With all Your graces now outpoured
On each believer’s mind and heart;
Your fervent love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of Your light
In holy faith Your Church unite;
From ev’ry land and ev’ry tongue
This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung:
Alleluia, alleluia!
2 Come, holy
Light, guide divine,
Now cause the Word of life to shine.
Teach us to know our God aright
And call Him Father with delight.
From ev’ry error keep us free;
Let none but Christ our master be
That we in living faith abide,
In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Now cause the Word of life to shine.
Teach us to know our God aright
And call Him Father with delight.
From ev’ry error keep us free;
Let none but Christ our master be
That we in living faith abide,
In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide.
Alleluia, alleluia!
3 Come, holy
Fire, comfort true,
Grant us the will Your work to do
And in Your service to abide;
Let trials turn us not aside.
Lord, by Your pow’r prepare each heart,
And to our weakness strength impart
That bravely here we may contend,
Through life and death to You, our Lord, ascend.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Grant us the will Your work to do
And in Your service to abide;
Let trials turn us not aside.
Lord, by Your pow’r prepare each heart,
And to our weakness strength impart
That bravely here we may contend,
Through life and death to You, our Lord, ascend.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission:
CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000
Opening Versicles
L This is the day
which the Lord has made;
C let us rejoice and be glad in it.
L From the rising
of the sun to its setting,
C the name of the Lord is to be praised.
L Better is one
day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
C I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house
of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
L Make me to know
Your ways, O Lord.
C Teach me Your paths.
L Sanctify us in
Your truth.
C Your Word is truth.
L From the rising
of the sun to its setting,
C the name of the Lord is to be praised.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and
to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Old Testament Canticle LSB 261
C The Lord God is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation.
With joy will you draw water from the wells of
salvation.
And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name,
make known His deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that His name is exalted.”
The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has
become my salvation.
Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitants of Zion, for
great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has
become my salvation.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has
become my salvation.
Readings From Holy Scripture
Reading Genesis 11:1–9
L A reading from Genesis, the eleventh chapter.
1Now the whole earth had one language and the same
words. 2And as people migrated from the east,
they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks,
and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for
mortar. 4Then 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.” 5And the Lord came down
to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6And 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. 7Come, let us go
down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one
another’s speech.” 8So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the
earth, and they left off building the city. 9Therefore
its name was called Babel, because there the Lord
confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Reading Acts 2:1–21
1When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all
together in one place. 2And suddenly there came
from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house
where they were sitting. 3And divided tongues as
of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men
from every nation under heaven. 6And at this
sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one
was hearing them speak in his own language. 7And
they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking
Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of
us in his own native language? 9Parthians and
Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus
and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the
parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we
hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one
another, “What does this mean?” 13But others
mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14But 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. 15For
these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the
day. 16But this is what was uttered through the
prophet Joel:
17“‘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;
18even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
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;
18even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Reading John 14:23–31
23Jesus 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. 24Whoever 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.
25“These things I have spoken to you while I am still
with you. 26But 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. 27Peace
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. 28You 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. 29And
now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you
may believe. 30I will no longer talk much with
you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31but 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.”
L This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
Responsory
L Forever, O
Lord, Your Word is firmly set in the heavens.
C Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
and the place where Your glory dwells.
L Blessed are
those who hear the Word of God and keep it.
C Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
and the place where Your glory dwells.
L Glory be to the
Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
C Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
and the place where Your glory dwells.
TEN COMMANDMENTS
C You shall have no other
gods.
You
shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
Remember
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Honor
your father and your mother.
You
shall not murder.
You
shall not commit adultery.
You
shall not steal.
You
shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You
shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
You
shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox
or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
APOSTLES’ CREED
C I believe in God, the
Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And in
Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the
living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life T everlasting. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
C 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.
Sermon
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Jesus
promised His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit, their Helper.
He said, in connection with this Helper and Comforter, “Peace, I leave with
you.”
Today,
Pentecost, we praise our God for the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Our
Helper and Comforter, by Whose aid we have peace.
The
Holy Spirit brings us help and comfort when by granting us the certainty that
we are loved and saved.
Here
how St. Peter preached it, embolden by the Spirit on Pentecost, Peter
promised “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved.”
That
promise is comfort and help for those who fear death, or disease or the
loneliness of isolation. To those in the darkness of fear and anxiety, there’s
this Spirit given promise “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.”
Consider
the certainty with which Peter says that. Shall be saved. No
“Maybe”s in Peter’s preaching. Don’t settle for “Maybe”s. The Holy Spirit of
God wants you to be certain of your salvation. So He keeps on doing His work,
giving you the means of grace, whereby you can receive your certainty.
The
Holy Spirit works certainty in your heart and mind when you hear the absolution
of your Lord, “I forgive you all your sins.”
The
Holy Spirit works certainty in your heart and mind when you hear the words of
Jesus read here, or read in your home or remembered on your way.
The
Holy Spirit works certainty in your heart and mind when you hear the words of
Jesus connected with the eating and drinking in the Sacrament of His body and
blood.
It
is meet right and salutary that we this day, thank and praise our God for the
person and work of the Holy Spirit. Especially because there is so much
going on to work against the certain faith that God loves us and wants to save
us. Many have just abandoned the Lord and His word. Then they pressure us, “Ah,
you still believe in that old stuff.”
Also,
each Christian will have struggles deep inside until you die and go to heaven.
Some struggles are very disturbing. “Will I be saved?” A tortured soul might
worry. Let’s keep praying for the unhindered work of the Holy Spirit with His
means of grace here in this place and in Christian churches all around the
world, because we need his help and comfort especially when doubts arise.
“Have
I done enough good to be saved?” The guilty conscience puts a crack in the
certainty of faith. “I haven’t been good enough.” says the troubled soul.
Again, let’s pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit here and throughout the
Christian Church worldwide, because we need the work He does with the means of
grace, the word of gospel and the sacraments, that troubled consciences can be
cleansed and made right by the Gospel of our Savior Jesus who died to make us
right.
The
Holy Spirit, the Comforter, helps us and gives us peace, by giving us certainty
of God’s love and forgiveness of our sins.
By
the way, The Holy Spirit’s job is to comfort us. But He doesn’t only comfort.
Sometimes He has to work to make you uncomfortable. When you get the attitude,
saying, “I don’t need all this. Everyone else needs this kind of help. Others
need repentance and forgiveness. I’m alright, because I am right. It’s everyone
else who’s wrong.” Then the Holy Spirit’s work is to use the Holy Commandments
of God to upset you, to make you uncomfortable to tell you things like this:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And that Holy Spirit works to make
that law cut into your heart, until you break and say, “O, Lord have mercy on
me. Forgive me my sins.”
Dear
friends, with the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit, call upon the name of
the Lord. In all situations, when you doubt, call upon the name of the Lord for
certainty. When your conscience is hurting you call upon the name of the
Lord. When you repent and ask for forgiveness, call upon the name of the Lord.
And
we praise god for the person and work of the Holy Spirit who gives us the sure
and certain good news: “Everyone who calls upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved.” Amen.
Prayer
P Let us pray for
the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their
needs.
We pray to you, O God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, for we are
your baptized believers, given ears to
hear and an eagerness to learn all that the you would teach us. Grant us open
hearts to receive all that you have to give us, knowing that you have in store
for us more than we can ask or imagine. Lord, in Your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P O Holy Spirit,
grant renewal in our congregation, district, Synod and the whole Church on
earth, that by your grace and power we would long to keep Your Word, dwell in
Your peace, sing your praises and love our neighbors. In the midst of this
worldwide crisis, turn the hearts of many to look to Jesus for help and
salvation. Lord, in Your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P Father and
fountain of all goodness, look in mercy on the nations of this world and
graciously bless all who have been entrusted with civil responsibilities,
giving them wisdom to serve with faithfulness and honor. Establish justice for
all. Grant people in our nation the wisdom to practice civility, especially
between people who may appear differently outwardly, but whom you see as you
children. Bring peace to cities where there is violence and destruction of
property. Lord, in Your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P O Lord, show
mercy on those afflicted in body or spirit, and especially for those who are
dear to our hearts including Bernice
Davis, who is hospitalized in Sumner, Raymond Harrison, hospitalized in
Waterloo, Kason Judisch that their hearts would neither be troubled nor
afraid, for nothing can separate them from your Lord, in Your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P We pray for
those who come to the holy altar this day, that they would come in faithful
reverence and awe, recognizing how the fullness of blessing given to them in Your very body and blood to
eat and to drink for the forgiveness of their sins and the strengthening of
their faith, Lord, in Your mercy,
C Hear our prayer.
P Through our
Lord, Jesus Christ, all glory, honor and worship is Yours, Almighty Father,
with the Holy Spirit, both now and forevermore.
C Amen.
Collect of the Day
L O God, on this
day You once taught the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the
light of Your Holy Spirit. Grant us in our day by the same Spirit to have a
right understanding in all things and evermore to rejoice in His holy
consolation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns
with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
Collect for the Word
L Blessed Lord,
You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that
we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the
patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the
blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who
lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
Morning Prayer
C I thank You, my heavenly
Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night
from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from
sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your
hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel
be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.
Blessing
L Let us bless
the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
L The almighty
and merciful Lord, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us.
C Amen.
Acknowledgments
Service of Prayer and Preaching from Lutheran Service
Book
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are
from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®),
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia
Publishing House.
