Worship Helps for the Festival of Pentecost
Pentecost
Melanie Schuette
Worship Theme: Many problems seem unsolvable, but in
Christ, our God is the God of the impossible. The day of Pentecost gave clear
evidence of the power of the Spirit of Jesus to change things dramatically.
Just as dead bones became living, breathing beings in Ezekiel's vision, so
people dead in sin become spiritually alive through the message the Holy Spirit
has orchestrated and communicated through believers.
Old Testament: Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of
the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2
He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor
of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of
man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone
know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and
say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what
the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you
will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh
come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will
come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" 7 So I
prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a
rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I
looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there
was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the
breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that
they may live.'" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and
breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-- a vast
army. 11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the
whole house of Israel . They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'
12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I
will bring you back to the land of Israel
1. What was the condition of the bones and what in your
life do they represent?
2. What made these dead bones live? What does that mean
for you?
Epistle: Acts 2:1 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.'
3. What was so amazing about these men boldly speaking in
tongues?
4. What was Peter’s explanation of this event?
Gospel: John 14:25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the
Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach
you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world
gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
5. Whom was the Father going to send in connection with
the name of Jesus?
6. On what would the Holy Spirit focus, when he came on
Pentecost and afterward?
Answers:
1. The bones were very dry. There was no life at all in
them. The people of God felt hopeless. There seemed no chance to be released
from captivity to return to their homeland. Sin leaves us dry too (Ephesians
2:1‒4). It makes us unable to do anything to return to God and the blessings he
intended for us. It makes us feel trapped and hopeless.
2. The Holy Spirit does the impossible by bringing what
was dead to life, by God’s Word. He would restore Israel
and bring it to its feet to return home. He also creates a new heart and renews
a steadfast spirit within us (Psalm 51). What seems impossible becomes real.
God promises!
3. The men speaking were common men, Galileans, who would
not have had schooling to speak so many other languages fluently. They were men
who had hidden, for fear of people connecting them with Christ. Now they were
boldly telling that message of the crucified and risen Savior in languages that
foreigners could clearly understand.
4. Peter said the fire, wind and tongues fulfilled God’s
prophecy to send his Spirit in a special way. This outpouring began at
Pentecost and continues wherever the gospel is preached. The purpose was to get
the news out so that all could call on the name of the Lord and be saved.
5. The Father and Son would send God the Holy Spirit.
6. The truths Jesus was sharing with the disciples seemed
so confusing at the time. They had so much to learn; so much that differed from
what they had imagined. The Holy Spirit would come, Jesus said, to “teach you
all things” and “remind you of everything I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit
was not coming to draw attention to him but to turn our eyes and hearts to
Jesus. Like a spotlight operator, he focuses the gospel light on Jesus so we
can clearly see what he has done, understand what he has taught and grow firm
in faith.
Putting your faith
into action
The pouring out of the Holy Spirit continues to take place
wherever the Word and sacraments are being used. Evidence of the pouring out of
the Holy Spirit is seen in people like us gathering for worship. Evidence of
the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is seen in every worship service as we sing
our hymns, give our offerings, confess our sins and our faith, and join in
prayers. Evidence of the Holy Spirit is also seen when we go back out into the
world and love our neighbors as ourselves. There is only one explanation for
these type of responses—the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon each one of us.
We reject and condemn the
error of the Enthusiasts. They imagine
that God without means, without the hearing of God’s Word, and also without the
use of the holy Sacraments, draws people to Himself and enlightens, and saves
them. (Enthusiasts expect the heavenly
illumination of the Spirit without the preaching of God’s Word.)
On the other hand, it is
correctly said that in conversion God—through the drawing of the Holy
Spirit—makes willing people out of stubborn and unwilling ones. And after conversion, in the daily exercise
of repentance, the regenerate will of a person is not idle, but cooperates in
all the works of the Holy Spirit, which He performs through us.
When the Holy Spirit has
worked and accomplished this, and a person’s will has been changed and renewed
by His divine power and working alone, then the new will of that person is an
instrument and organ of God the Holy Spirit.
So that person not only accepts grace, but he also cooperates with the
Holy Spirit in the works that follow.
There are only two causes for
a person’s conversion: (1) the Holy Spirit and (2) God’s Word, as the instrument
of the Holy Spirit, by which He works conversion. A person must hear this Word. However, it is not by that person’s powers,
but only through the grace and working of the Holy Spirit that he trusts the
Word and receives it. – Formula of Concord ,
Epitome, Article II, Free Will, paragraphs 13, 17-19
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,
And make our hearts your place of rest;
Come with your grace and heav'nly aid,
And fill the hearts which you have made.
To you, the Counselor, we cry,
To you, the gift of God most high;
The fount of life, the fire of love,
The soul's anointing from above.
Your light to ev'ry thought impart,
And shed your love in ev'ry heart;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.
Drive far away our wily foe,
And your abiding peace bestow;
If you are our protecting guide,
No evil can with us abide.
Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And you, from both, as Three in One
That we your name may ever bless
And in our lives the truth confess.
Praise we the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, with them One,
And may the Son on us bestow
The gifts that from the Spirit flow!
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