June 8, 2025, Pentecost
Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Victor C. Gavino
Liturgist: Robert Beeksma
10:15 - 11:30 AM at the Sanctuary
Favourite hymns and songs
Prelude:
Welcome and Announcements
Land Acknowledgement
We want to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples: Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations.
Call to Worship - Responsive
Come, Holy Spirit, fill this place with the fire of your presence!
We gather to worship, united by your breath of life.
As on the day of Pentecost, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, young and old, renewing the face of the earth.
Ignite our hearts to proclaim your mighty deeds!
Lead us as children of God, crying “Abba, Father,” by your Spirit’s power.
Come, Spirit of God, and make us one in your love!
Let us worship the Lord, who sends the Spirit to renew, unite, and empower us!
Amen! Come, Holy Spirit, come!
Praise Songs: "As we gather; The steadfast love of the Lord (chorus only); Days of Elijah"
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession - Unison
Gracious God,
You sent Your Spirit to unite us and empower us to speak Your truth, yet we confess we often remain silent, divided by fear or pride.
We have doubted Your presence, seeking signs when Your promise abides within us.
We have resisted Your Spirit’s leading, clinging to our own ways instead of embracing our identity as Your children.
Forgive us for quenching the fire of Your Spirit, for ignoring Your call to boldness, and for failing to trust the peace You offer.
Cleanse us, renew us, and fill us anew with Your Holy Spirit, that we may live as Your faithful witnesses.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Assurance of God's Grace and Pardon
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Passing of the Peace
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Question 1: What is the chief end of man?
Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.
Question 2: What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy God?
The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.
Prayer for understanding
Scripture readings:
Acts 2:1-21 (Lexham English Bible)
And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out.
Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one was hearing them speaking in his own language. And they were astounded and astonished, saying, “Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how do we hear, each one of us, in our own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those residing in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages the great deeds of God!” And all were amazed and greatly perplexed, saying to one another, “What can this mean?” But others jeered and said, “They are full of sweet new wine!”
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them, “Judean men, and all those who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words! For these men are not drunk, as you assume, because it is the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
‘And it will be in the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
And even on my male slaves and on my female slaves I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
And I will cause wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
The sun will be changed to darkness and the moon to blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
And it will be that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Romans 8:12-27 (Lexham English Bible)
So then, brothers, we are obligated not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself confirms to our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer together with him so that we may also be glorified together with him.
For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us. For the eagerly expecting creation awaits eagerly the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation has been subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its servility to decay, into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers agony together until now. Not only this, but we ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves while we await eagerly our adoption, the redemption of our body. For in hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we await it eagerly with patient endurance.
And likewise also, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as one ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unexpressed groanings. And the one who searches our hearts knows what the mindset of the Spirit is, because he intercedes on behalf of the saints according to the will of God.
Sermon: “Synchronicity and the Holy Spirit”
Song: "King of kings'
Offertory
Doxology and Prayer of Thanksgiving
Prayers of the People
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
Songs: "O Church Arise; The Solid Rock (chorus only)"
Charge and Benediction
Threefold Amen
Postlude