05/24/26

As We Gather

The arrival of the Holy Spirit is a day of celebration. This is a day to rejoice in promises kept and anticipate greater things to come. Today’s festival is a bridge for the church. It connects the commemoration of the life of Christ (through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter) to the season centered on our life in Christ, beginning with Pentecost. The festival’s signature red color reminds us of the fiery arrival of the Spirit, the Spirit’s ongoing work as the heartbeat of Christ’s church, and the blood shed by believers past and present as they proclaim the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ.

Children Activity Bags We value children in our worship services. If needed, there is a family room available for families with children. The family room has a diaper changing table, a closed-circuit TV to watch the worship service, toys and books for children. The family room is located across from the kitchen in the long hallway, the first door on the right, just past the bathrooms. There are “King’s Kids” bags with activities for children to help them worship. They are near the usher’s station on a small rack. Please return the bag to the rack after the service.

Holy Communion The Scripture teaches the Lord’s Supper is a precious gift of God in which Christ gives us His true body and blood (in a miraculous way), together with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Because the Bible teaches that this Sacrament may also be spiritually harmful if misused, and that participation in the Lord’s Supper is an act of confession of faith, we ordinarily commune those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings. If you have a question, please speak to Pastor Ralph before the service. For those who prefer a non-alcoholic alternative, there is grape juice at the center of each tray. Those not receiving the Sacrament, including children, are invited to come to the altar, cross their arms over their chest, and receive a special blessing.

The Way of the Spirit “We must constantly handle, preach, bear, and inculcate the Word until the Holy Ghost comes. There is no other way to achieve the desired end. To sit in a corner, to gape heavenward, and wait to see Him come is sheer folly. The Word is the only bridge and path by which the Holy Spirit comes to us.”   What Luther Says # 2052

Pentecost

May 24, 2026

Welcome

Opening Hymn                                 O Holy Spirit, Enter In                   LSB 913

Invocation, Confession and Absolution (Psalm 104:24, 27–28, 30)

P:   In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C:   Amen.

P:   O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom have You made them all;

C:   the earth is full of Your creatures.

P:   These all look to You,

C:   to give them their food in due season.

P:   When You give it to them, they gather it up;

C:   when You open Your hand, they are filled with good things.

P:   When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created,

C:   and You renew the face of the ground.

P:   O Spirit of God,

C:   we confess that we have dishonored Your Holy Word through our lives of disobedience. By what we do and what we fail to do, we have not allowed Your message of truth to rule in us. Forgive us, faithful God. By Your grace, draw us to the cross of Jesus. Through faith in His promises, enable us to receive the restoring mercy that You alone can give. Amen.

(Silence for Meditation)

P:   In Christ Jesus, you and I receive the fullness of who we are called to be through the Spirit who has been given to us. United with Christ through our Baptism, the Spirit who claims us as the Father’s own now delivers to us the message of His mercy. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, commissioned by His Spirit, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C:   Amen.

Hymn of Praise Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest                        LSB 498  vs 1-3

                                                                                                                                           Tune 704

Prayer of the Day 

All:   Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

O T Lesson                     (The Lord’s Spirit rests on the elders of Israel)         Numbers 11:24–30

So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again. ²⁶ However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸ Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” ²⁹ But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” ³⁰ Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp. 

N T lesson                (The Holy Spirit fills the disciples on Pentecost.)           Acts 2:1–21

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia 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 tongues!” ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” 

¹⁴ Then 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. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, 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. ¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. ¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. ²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. ²¹ And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Gospel Lesson (Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to those who believe.)         John 7:37–39

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified..

Message Song                           Hear the Call of the Kingdom

Hear the call of the kingdom, lift your eyes to the King;

Let His song rise within you as a fragrant offering

Of how God, rich in mercy, came in Christ to redeem

All who trust in His unfailing grace.

Hear the call of the kingdom to be children of light

With the mercy of heaven, the humility of Christ;

Walking justly before Him, loving all that is right,

That the life of Christ may shine through us.

                           Chorus       King of heaven, we will answer the call,

We will follow, bringing hope to the world,

Filled with passion, filled with power to proclaim

Salvation through Jesus’ name.

Hear the call of the kingdom to reach out to the lost

With the Father’s compassion in the wonder of the cross,

Bringing peace and forgiveness, and a hope yet to come:

                            Let the nations put their trust in Him.            Chorus

Words and music by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend

Copyright 2006, Thankyou Music  Used by permission CCLI license #11390779

Message                                        Where the Spirit Flows, Life Grows

1. Testifying       of Jesus for life and salvation is the Holy Spirit’s work      .

2. Bringing you to faith and maturing you in the faith is the Spirit’s goal!

3. With the Word hidden in your heart, streams of living water can come forth   .

The Spirit’s testimony becomes your testimony!

Explanation 3^rd article of Apostle’s Creed

P:   I believe in the Holy Spirit.   What does this mean?

C:   The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity, true God with the Father and the Son – therefore not merely the power or energy of God.  (Matthew 28: 19)

P:   What is the special work of the Holy Spirit?

C:   The Holy Spirit sanctifies me (makes me holy) by bringing me to faith in Christ, so that I might have the blessings of redemption and lead a godly life.  (1 Corinthians 6:11)

P:   Why do you need the Holy Spirit to begin and sustain this faith in you?

C:   By nature I am spiritually blind, dead and an enemy of God, as the Scriptures teach; therefore, “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in my Lord Jesus Christ or come to Him.”  (1 Corinthians 2: 14; Ephesians 2: 1; Romans 8: 7)

P:   How does the Scriptures describe this gracious work of the Spirit in you?

C:   The Scriptures teach that by the Gospel the Holy Spirit “enlightened me with His gifts” that is, He gave me the saving knowledge of Jesus, my savior, so that I trust, rejoice, and find comfort in Him.

Offering     

Offertory                                                          Doxology                                                           LSB 805                                             Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word    Ascension Choir (10:30)

Prayers of the Church  

 After each petition:

 P:  Lord, in your mercy,

 C:  hear our prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer

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.

The Lord’s Supper

Preface                                                                          page 194 in the hymnal

P:  The Lord be with you.

C:  ♪ And with thy spirit.

P:  Lift up your hearts.

C:  ♪ We lift them up unto the Lord.

P:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

C:  ♪ It is meet and right so to do.

P:  It is truly good, right, and salutary …. And with the host of heaven we sing:

Sanctus — Holy, Holy, Holy                                          page 195 in the hymnal

C:  ♪ Ho -ly, ho-ly, ho-ly Lord God of Sa – ba – oth. Heaven and earth are full of Thy   

        glory. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He, blessed is He, 

        blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna 

        in the highest.

The Words of Institution (Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper)

Pax Domini—The Peace of the Lord                      page 197 in the hymnal

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always.C:  ♪ Amen.

Agnus Dei – Lamb of God                                                                   page 198 in the hymnal                                      

C:  ♪ O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         have mercy upon us.

         O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         have mercy upon us.

         O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world; 

         grant us Thy peace.  A – men. 

Distribution of Communion   

Distribution Hymn                 Precious Lord, Take My Hand                                       LSB 739

                                                         Be Still                                                    Ascension Choir (10:30)

Nunc Dimittis                                                                                        page 199 in the hymnal        

C: ♪ Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy Word, for mine  

        eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,

        a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel. 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.                                                         

 Post Communion Collect

All:   Spirit of wisdom and truth, we praise You for the gift of faith that receives the blessings that come to us through the Supper of our Savior, Jesus. Keep us steadfast in the way of everlasting life, granting us wisdom to go and grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Father, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction

P:   Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful,

C:   and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

P:   The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and ✠ give you peace.    

C:   Amen.

Sending Hymn                          Lord, Dismiss Us With Your Blessings                           LSB 924 

Announcements 

Dismissal

P:   Go in peace as you serve the Lord.      

C:   Thanks be to God!   

Postlude

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”