FIRST SERVICE
THE DAY OF PENTECOST
Where the Spirit Flows, Life Grows
May 24, 2026
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.
+ PREPARATION +
HYMN Oh Holy Spirit, Enter In LSB 913
O Holy Spirit, enter in, And in our hearts Your work begin,
Your dwelling place now make us.
Sun of the soul, O Light divine, Around and in us brightly shine,
To joy and gladness wake us
That we may be Truly living, To You giving
Prayer unceasing And in love be still increasing.
Give to Your Word impressive pow'r,
That in our hearts from this good hour
As fire it may be glowing, That in true Christian unity
We faithful witnesses may be, Your glory ever showing.
Hear us, cheer us
By Your teaching; Let our preaching And our labor
Praise You, Lord, and serve our neighbor.
O mighty Rock, O Source of Life,
Let Your dear Word, in doubt and strife, In us be strongly burning
That we be faithful unto death And live in love and holy faith,
From You true wisdom learning. Your grace and peace
On us shower; By Your power Christ confessing,
Let us see our Savior's blessing.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Romans 8:16–17
Pastor: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful,
People: and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Pastor: The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
People: and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.”
People: “And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”
Pastor: So we pray to the Spirit, our Helper and advocate, who intercedes on our behalf. Holy Spirit, Lord and giver of life, Your presence among us unifies us as one Body.
People: Yet, too often we neglect, belittle, or attack our brothers and sisters.
Pastor: You have been poured out that we might bear witness to Christ, our Savior.
People: Yet, too often we remain speechless.
Pastor: You were sent that You might produce in us the fruit of righteousness.
People: Yet, too often we display our pessimistic, discontented, selfish nature. We plead to God, our Father, to forgive us for the sake of Christ. Holy Spirit, grant us power to testify to our Savior, Jesus, in what we say and do. Bring to bear in us the fruit of righteousness and hold us united in faith unto life everlasting.
Pastor: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” and “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” Upon this your confession, I announce the grace of God to all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
HYMN OF PRAISE Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling LSB 650
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling In the holiest realms of light;
Holy Spirit, ever brooding O'er a world of gloom and night;
Holy Spirit, ever raising Those of earth to thrones on high;
Living, life-imparting Spirit, You we praise and magnify.
Holy Spirit, ever living As the Church's very life;
Holy Spirit, ever striving Through us in a ceaseless strife;
Holy Spirit, ever forming In the Church the mind of Christ;
You we praise with endless worship For your gifts and fruits unpriced.
Holy Spirit, ever working Through the Church's ministry;
Quick'ning, strength'ning, and absolving, Setting captive sinners free;
Holy Spirit, ever binding Age to age and soul to soul
In communion never ending, You we worship and extol.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. 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.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Numbers 11:24–30 (Moses and the Israelites anticipate the day when the Lord pours out His Spirit on all His people.)
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
SECOND READING Acts 2:1–21 (Promises come to pass and the Spirit ignites the church.)
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But 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. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But 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; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
HOLY GOSPEL John 7:37–39 (The festival-going Christ points to the life that flows from the Spirit.)
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as[a] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
HYMN Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord LSB 497
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!
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!
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!
SERMON
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried. And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And he will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and apostolic Church, I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
GREETING/ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Gathered from many tribes and nations, but made to drink of one Spirit, we pray for the whole Christian Church on earth, and for all people according to their needs:
Spirit of power and life,
People: ignite our hearts with holy fire. Compel us to speak of Your mighty deeds and display Your heart for the nations.
Pastor: Spirit of power and truth,
People: drive Your church to where unchanging truth can be found, that we might drink deeply of Scripture’s message.
Pastor: Spirit of power and peace,
People: extinguish the hidden hatreds that turn us against one another, and kindle brotherly concern within all people.
Pastor: Spirit of power and justice,
People: shape our legal system with fairness, and look with compassion on everyone impacted by crime.
Pastor: Spirit of power and consolation,
People: comfort those who feel lost or alone, and bring tender mercies to the grieving.
Pastor: Spirit of power and encouragement,
People: grant patience and faith to all who wait for direction, reconciliation, or healing.
Pastor: Spirit of power and wisdom,
People: guide parents, teachers, and those in earthly authority to speak kindly and act responsibly.
Pastor: Spirit of power and gentleness,
People: pursue the hearts that are far from You, and bring home Your lost lambs.
Pastor: Spirit of power and holiness,
People: set Your church apart for service, and raise up new servants who teach, preach, and lead Your people.
Pastor: Faithful God, as Your people awaited the day of the Spirit’s outpouring, by the same Spirit, hold us in faith as we await the day of Christ’s return, for He lives and reigns with You and the Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.