Day of Pentecost | Sunday 24 May 2026
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening:
Almighty God, on this day,
through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation:
Pour out this gift anew,
that by the preaching of the Gospel
your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.
“In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.”
(Acts 2:17)
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In Christ there is no east or west | LEVAS 62
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NT Reading: Acts 2:1-21 (NLT)
The Holy Spirit Comes
2:1 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
+ At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
+ They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
+ But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
Peter Preaches to the Crowd
2:14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
2:17 ‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
+ In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
+ And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
+ The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
+ But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’
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Psalms: Psalm 104:24-35 | Paul Burton
104:24 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
+ Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small.
+ See the ships sailing along,
and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.
104:27 They all depend on you
to give them food as they need it.
+ When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them,
and they are richly satisfied.
+ But if you turn away from them, they panic.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn again to dust.
+ When you give them your breath, life is created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
104:31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
+ The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.
104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
+ May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
+ Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;
let the wicked disappear forever.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
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NT Reading: 1 Cor 12:4-13 (NLT)
12:4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
12:7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
One Body with Many Parts
12:12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
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One Spirit, One Church | Sunday 7pm Choir | Catholic & Christian Choral Music
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Gospel Reading: John 14:8-17 (NLT)
14:8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
+ Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
+ “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
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New Apostolic Church Southern Africa | Music – “The Comforter has come”
1 O spread the tidings ’round wherever man is found,
wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
let ev’ry Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!
Refrain:
The Comforter has come! The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n!
O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!
2 O the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
to ev’ry captive soul a full deliv’rance brings;
and through the vacant cells the song of triumph rings:
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
3 O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mine
To wond’ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine—
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come! [Refrain]
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Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, we humbly plead for all sorts and conditions of men; that you would be pleased to make your ways known to them, your saving health to all nations.
+ More especially we pray for your holy Church universal, that it may be so guided and governed by your good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
+ Finally, we commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate, [especially in the Middle East]; that it may please you to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people.
+ Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May the Spirit kindle in us the fire of God’s love.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peanut Gallery 