Call to Worship

         "Cuando llegó el día de Pentecostés, estaban todos juntos en el mismo lugar..."

         "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place... And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability." (Acts 2:1-4)

         Brothers and sisters, we are gathered in the Spirit to worship "El Senor," the Lord. We are privileged to have as our guests Pastor Luis Miguel Ogando and his wife (and co-worker) Maria, from the Iglesia de los Hermanos, the Church of the Brethren, in San Juan, Dominican Republic. He will be bringing the message later in our service.

         I challenge you this morning to be open to God’s Holy Spirit, since Luis will be speaking to us in Spanish, with translation by our own brother Israel Rosas. Be aware that he is used to preaching longer sermons than we may be used to hearing. I pray that we will listen with our hearts and not our watches, ready to hear the good news of Jesus Christ in a different tongue. EL vive! He lives!

         Please turn to #25 in your hymnal, and let us sing together this song as a prayer - opening our hearts and minds to the One who stands among us. If you are able, would you stand also...  (#25)

         ... "Ustedes son la luz del mundo..." "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

A Time for Confession

         Gracious God, we are a people who are all-too-often held captive by our culture. We thank you for the ways in which you have moved in these United States. This past week we again celebrated the great freedom we have in this place, recognizing the cost it required. Our greater freedom, however, is in you. Through the death of your Son, Jesus - our Christ - you have set us free.

         Forgive us when don’t live in your freedom, allowing sin to weave it’s subtle way into our lives.
                  By your grace, set us free once again.

         Forgive us when we think that we have nothing to learn from others, especially those from another land who speak a different language.
                  By your grace, set us free once again.

         Forgive our captivity to the clock, our short attention spans. Spiritually, we all struggle "with an attention deficit disorder."
                  By your grace, set us free once again.

         Furthermore, forgive us for taking the "amazing" out of your Grace. In our material abundance, our information saturation, our entertainment overload, very little amazes us anymore. We have come close to losing our sense of awe and wonder.
                  By your grace, set us free once again.
                                  And sing through us your song. Amen.