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Day of Pentecost • Year B
May 19, 2024
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Historical Collect
O God, you taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit. Grant us, by the same Spirit, to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gregorian Sacramentary, 6th Century)
Thematic Collect
God of life, on this day you poured forth upon your Church your Spirit through whom we are one body, the body of Christ. Unite us at your table that we may be poured forth into the world, bearing witness to your grace and mercy; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
The Common Thread
Who can make dead, dry bones come back to life? Who can make those bones live a better life? God can do so by putting his Spirit in those bones. His Spirit has brought life from the beginning and will do so in our ending. The darkness of death awakens in his light. We cannot hide from his Spirit. He seeks us out, finds us, and gives us new life by pouring out his Spirit upon us and within us, convicting us of sin, righteousness, and judgment, then guiding us to the truth of his gospel. God has spoken it; he will do it.
First Reading • Ezekiel 37:1-14
The Spirit of God uses the word of God to bring life. He uses his Church to do so. Even as Ezekiel was commanded to speak to dead, dry bones (a rather foolish-looking mission) so that they might live, we are called to go into all parts of the world with the word of God. It may seem like a foolish task to go into some places, to share the gospel with particularly lost, spiritually dead folks, but this is precisely our call. One does not have to imagine the dismay of Ananias when told to go to Saul of Tarsus. We are told how foolish he thought the enterprise (Acts 9:13-14). Yet, the Lord said, Go,” and go Ananias did, just as Ezekiel obeyed. The result was that a man who had been so dead in his spirit that he murdered countless souls because they called upon the name of Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has filled us, too, and we must go and proclaim Christ to dead, dry bones everywhere.
Psalm • Psalm 139:1-12, 13-16
It is too much to fully conceive of, that someone knows us so well that they know us even better than we know ourselves. The Spirit of God knows us this intimately. Every thought and dream we have is known to the Spirit before we have that thought, that dream. He knows us when we take pains to be near to God, and he knows us when we try to avoid God. We cannot escape the Spirit. He is all around us and even fills us. We are wholly his and fully known.
Second Reading • Acts 2:1-21
We read this as if actual flames danced over the heads of the disciples. That may be so, or perhaps this is simply the way Luke described a supernatural event. Focusing on signs is our inclination. But if the focus of our faith is just that — faith — then we will simply believe that the Spirit is still working in the lives of those who gather together for worship and fellowship. Jesus promised to pour out his Spirit upon all believers, and that means something glorious is about to happen. The focus should not be on what it looks like but on its content, that the word of God is proclaimed. This is how the Spirit glorifies the Son and lights up the Church.
Gospel • John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
The Holy Spirit is seen here as being sent by the Son from the Father. As the Nicene Creed states, the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son.” Therefore, the Spirit is able to help us through the same difficulties Jesus faced (Heb 4:15). He also supports Christ's Church in accomplishing their mission (Matt 28:19-20) by convicting the world about sin and righteousness and judgment. Moreover, the Spirit guides the once and future disciples in all truth, helping them comprehend his word. All of this has the primary aim of glorifying Jesus Christ.
Small Insert with Psalm Text: If you prefer the smaller insert but want the psalm included, use this version as the one found to the right does not contain the psalm due to the length of the readings.
Resources
Links to Worship Resources for this Service
