Order of Worship May 23, 2021

 

First Presbyterian Church

May 23, 2021

10:00 AM

Order of Worship

 

CALL TO WORSHIP  (Ps. 104)

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.

 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may God rejoice in all God has made — who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

May my meditation be pleasing, for I rejoice in the Lord.

Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!

 Let us worship the Living God.

 

*Hymn of Praise: “Come Holy Spirit, Our Hearts Inspire”

1. Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire, let us thine influence prove; source of the old prophetic fire, fountain of life and love.

2. Come, Holy Ghost (for moved by thee the prophets wrote and spoke), unlock the truth, thyself the key, unseal the sacred book.

3. Expand thy wings, celestial Dove, brood o'er our nature's night; on our disordered spirits move, and let there now be light.

4. God, through the Spirit we shall know if thou within us shine, and sound, with all thy saints below, the depths of love divine.

      PRAYER OF CONFESSION (In Unison)

Merciful God, You poured your Spirit upon gathered disciples creating bold tongues and ready ears. We confess that we ignore your Spirit among us; we are silent about you when we should speak, and listen to almost any voice but your own. We do not listen for your word of grace which invites us; We do not speak the good news of your love which invites others. Have mercy on us, O God. (silence for individual prayers of confession) Gracious God, Transform our timid lives by the power of your Spirit. Fill us with a flaming desire to be a believing and witnessing people, doing your will for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Scripture announces that this is a true saying and is to be universally accepted: Christ came into the world to save sinners. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Friends, in Christ you are forgiven. Know this and be at peace.

*THE GLORIA PATRI

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

INVITATION: “Dear Lord, I need You, please come into my life today.  Amen”

LESSON: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
15:26 "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. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

4b "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 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. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 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. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

LESSON: Acts 2: 1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, 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, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ ¹³But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷ “In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show portents in the heaven above
   and signs on the earth below,
     blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
     before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹ Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

SERMON:                                “What’s A Holy Spirit?”                                                 Rev. Peter Hofstra

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (The Apostle’s Creed)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there 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.

PASSING OF THE PEACE

THE OFFERING OF OUR TITHES & GIFTS

God has blessed us to be a blessing. With the gifts we have received, we give back to God so that God’s mission in the world may be advanced and God’s glory may abound.

 

*DOXOLOGY

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  Amen.

 

 

 

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION (John 17:6)

Generous God, from your abundance you have freely given; now from our abundance we give you what is yours. Receive now what we offer so that your world of which you have not grown weary, and your glory in which the world abides, may know more of your abundance. In Christ’s name we pray, amen

 JOYS AND CONCERNS

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (Christina Rossetti, 1830-94)

O God the Holy Ghost who art light unto thine elect, Evermore enlighten us. Thou who art fire of love, Evermore enkindle us. Thou who art Lord and giver of life, Evermore live in us. Thou who bestowest sevenfold grace, Evermore replenish us. As the wind is thy symbol, So forward our goings. As the dove, So launch us heavenwards. As water, So purify our spirits. As a cloud, So abate our temptations. As dew, So revive our languor. As fire, So purge out our dross.

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors.  Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory forever.  Amen.

 

*CLOSING HYMN: “Holy Spirt, Truth Divine”

1. Holy Spirit, Truth divine, dawn upon this soul of mine; Word of God and inward light, wake my spirit, clear my sight.

2. Holy Spirit, Love divine, glow within this heart of mine; kindle every high desire; perish self in thy pure fire.

3. Holy Spirit, Power divine, fill and nerve this will of mine; grant that I may strongly live, bravely bear, and nobly strive.

4. Holy Spirit, Right divine, King within my conscience reign; be my Lord, and I shall be firmly bound, forever free.

*BENEDICTION

*THREE FOLD AMEN

Elements of Order of Worship Liturgy written by Jerry Andrews, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in San Diego