05/26/2026
Sunday May 24, 2026,
CURWENSVILLE & WINBURNE Presbyterian Churches
PENTECOST Sunday, Color RED
We wait for your Spirit, O God. Stretch our imaginations that we may see your presence in every person as we welcome each one to worship this day.
WELCOME!
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CALL TO WORSHIP:
(Based on Acts 2:1-4)
All together in one place; they heard the rush of a violent wind; it filled the entire house. Divided tongues,
as of fire, appeared and rested on each of them;
they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
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1ST HYMN:
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
Holy Spirit power of God, come and fill us with your strength. May your Spirit touch each of us.
Gather us with our different gifts into one community.
You send your Spirit into our midst filling us with the promise of new life. Give us eye to see your work.
May the winds of the Spirit blow away our fears,
and fill us with power. Open our hearts that we may welcome everyone. Amen.
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CALL TO CONFESSION:
God’s Spirit is alive and at work among us, gathering us for worship, calling us to return to God through prayer, praise and confession. Let’s pray together.
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PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
Spirit of the Living God, we hesitate and doubt.
You call us to act boldly, but fear keeps us quiet and circling. We confess our lack of courage,
splintered by uncertainty and second-guessing.
Forgive us for all the times we shrink from your call. Embolden us to dream beyond what we know and imagine the world as beloved community.
Let your Spirit fill us, prodding us beyond inertia. Grant that we might be Christ’s body, not in fits and starts but with steady conviction. Guided by your Holy Spirit, help us be active participants in ushering in your peaceable kin-dom. Amen.
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~Moment of Silent Prayer Meditation to contemplate these words and how they apply to us personally and as a community of faith. ~
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ASSURANCE OF PARDON:
(Acts 2:21)
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Friends, believe the Good News,
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and freed. Amen.
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SCRIPTURES:
à1 Corinthians 12:3b-13: [PAUL TEACHES THE CORINTHIANS ABOUT THE DIVERSE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT.
3bNo one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord;6and there are varieties of activities,
but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits,
to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
à Gospel John 7:37-39:
37On the last day of the festival, the great day,
while Jesus was standing there, he cried out,
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” 39Now he said this about the Spirit,
which believers in him were to receive;
for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
àThe word of God >< for the People of God >< Thanks be to Godß
Prepare our hearts and minds for the hearing of your Word, Holy God. Open us to your truth. Today’s Good News Message approved by God is not of my own but brought to you from various Daily Devotionals, selected pulpit resources, and dependable internet.
resources.
àPRAYER: Open our hearts and minds by the power of your Spirit, Holy God, that we might hear and receive the message you intend for us today. Amen.
àA Harnessed Power
Power can be used in at least two ways:
it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed.
The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Honda in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have lasting effect, staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways.
At Pentecost, he exploded on the scene;
His presence was like "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God's power. But He also works through the church--the institution God began to tap the Holy Spirit's power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.
Things Like That Don’t Happen Anymore, Right?
Now, picture it: The disciples are gathered for worship, as was their custom. They’ve brought with them some bread and some wine, and perhaps some olives or a few pieces of broiled fish.
They arrive at the specified location,
greet one another with the kiss of peace,
and then begin their simple and intimate worship service. One of them reads from the Hebrew Scriptures, another offers a meditation and all of them share in the communal meal.
But all of a sudden, a violent rush of wind burst into
the room and flames descend upon the heads of the disciples! They try to communicate what is happening, only to discover that they are all speaking different languages!
The commotion in the house where the disciples are gathered is so loud that it quickly draws the attention of the people outside.
As a crowd gathers and sees what is happening, many are amazed. “What does this mean?” some wonder. Others approach the scene with a healthy dose of skepticism: “They are filled with new wine,” they scoffed. In other words, “They’re drunk.”
Just then, Peter jumps up and says something to the effect of, “Hey, we’re not drunk. It’s only 9 o’clock in the morning. What has happened to us isn’t because we’re full of wine, it’s because we’re full of the Spirit!” Peter continues, repeating the prophet Joel’s foretelling of the outpouring of the Spirit upon all flesh.
In the two millennia that have passed since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on that first Day of Pentecost, Christians have associated this day with the beginning of Christianity as its own distinct religion – the experience of God doing a profoundly new thing. Through the centuries,
this day has become a celebration of that new thing – a celebration of something that happened a long, long time ago. After all, we’ve come here today to read ancient scripture about an ancient event,
and aside from a few of the liturgical trappings,
our worship surely doesn’t feel all that different.
But when Pentecost becomes just another nice,
neat conclusion to a story that began thousands of years ago; or just another nice,
neat liturgical celebration of something that happened a long, long time ago, it loses its ability to speak to us in the here-and-now. It loses its power.
Imagine a Sunday, not all that different from today. The weather is getting warmer, the flowers are blooming and final plans are being made for summer vacations. The faithful gather here at the church for the annual observance of Pentecost – dressed in the bright Red. The service bulletins are proofed,
folded and distributed with a caring smile;
and the red paraments have been set out on the altar for the morning’s services.
The music begins to play, the people begin to sing, and the candles have been pre lite when,
all of a sudden, a violent rush of wind bursts into the sanctuary and flames descend upon the heads of everyone who has gathered for worship!
And just as the faithful attempt to put the experience into words, they realize that everyone is speaking a different language! Of course, we can be assured of two things: If that happens here today,
all of us will make the six o’ clock news with TV camera everywhere, and somebody is going to be having a lengthy chat with the session.
Things like that just don’t happen anymore, right? But what is still happening is that,
just as they were 2,000 + years ago,
people are still crying out for salvation.
Everywhere we look,
people are imprisoned – physically, mentally and emotionally – behind walls of depression and loneliness and addiction, shackled with burdens that keep them from living into their identity as beloved children of God.
The cry for salvation is not a simple problem with a simple solution; it is a deep,
guttural groaning for deliverance.
It is a cry that the quick and easy formula of
“Say these six words and the rest of your life will turn out OK” can’t hush the conversation.
It is a cry that a date on a calendar or a memorial of what happened a long time ago can’t soothe.
And it is a cry that Christians who are content to let somebody else do the hard and dirty work can’t pacify. No, this cry can only be answered with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit – a Pentecost right here in our midst!
Right now, this very moment!
Tongues of flame hover above our heads and unstop our tongues. But that’s impossible, right?
Rushing winds and howling storms and spontaneously learning to speak different languages – the whole bit – that just doesn’t happen
anymore, right?
Well maybe it doesn’t happen anymore.
But that’s not the question Pentecost dares us to ask. The question Pentecost dares us to ask is,
Could it happen?
Could a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit happen?
Well, chances are that if we sit and wait for the Holy Spirit to send fire and wind and all of the trappings we’ve come to associate with the first Pentecost,
we are going to be disappointed.
But if we allow ourselves to imagine what a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit might look like,
we may be surprised at what we find.
Maybe a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit causes
us to approach a long-severed relationship with a loved one with new hope and fresh patience.
Perhaps a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit nudges us to commit to a ministry – either here at the church or in the communities we live and serve.
Or it could be that a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit draws us into a deeper, stronger,
more life-giving relationship with God.
The Day of Pentecost calls us to keep watch – to imagine what a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit might look like in our own lives. Of course,
if we sit and wait for the same old thing to happen, we’ll always get what we ask for.
But if we allow ourselves to imagine something new,
something fresh, something holy,
then anything is possible. God promises,
not that the Holy Spirit was poured out a long,
long time ago; not that the Holy Spirit might be poured out a little bit, here and there,
on a chosen few; but that the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all flesh and that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved!
Can you imagine that? Dare we visualize that?
So let us not lose heart if we don’t have dramatic and miraculous events in our lives.
Listen to how quietly Jesus gave the Spirit to his immediate friends in one of his post-resurrection appearances: “Jesus said to them again,
‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me,
so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.”
May we all feel his holy breath on us today.
Come Holy Spirit. Yes! Come Holy Spirit. Yes!
Come Holy Spirit. Yes! Amen.
APOSTLES CREED:
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only
Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell,
the third day He arose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic church , the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Preparation for PRAYER: Starting each new month, we endeavor to start a new prayer list. 4 weeks on and removed, and, if needed the names will be placed back on the
prayer list for another 4 weeks or until it is requested to be removed. Nursing home
and homebound folks will remain weekly. As in person worship continues in our church
buildings, we are still the church standing the need for prayer.
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[W] Bertie McMillen, Eleanor Lutz. [C] Sympathy to Family & Friends of Joann Franchock (Janet Bietz Sister), Denny Baronak, Audrianna Rauch, Megan Rauch Holes, Janet McGarry, Joe Roberts, Bonnie Shawley, Brielle Hoover, Mary Yarger, Renee Lindenberg, Gary Kephart, Mark Lunger, Time Hoyt, Scott Moore, Melanie Thomas, Ed Litz, Tonda Beard, Todd Mordgan, Dave Breakey, Vivian Bucha, Lynne Gaul, Bonnie Sabol, Randy Spencer, Margie Yescavage, Geroge Waring, Myra and Luie Calhoun, Kathy Addleman, Arya Buhler, Tom & Gerri Erb, Jeanne Eshelman, Betty Cochrane, Carolyn Irwin, Mine’ Edwards and Caroline Bonsall. àFrom our Presbytery: Missionaries around the world. Kathy Colebank, Ernie Walls, Sue Docherty, John Dean, K. Joy Kaufmann, Virginia and Lee Rainey, Carl Campbell, Michael Lewis, All students preparing for their finals, Congregations searching for a pastor, Those who have experienced loss and all who are suffering all sorts of life issues. à Birthday Greetings for: à😊 😊 😊
MAY 2026: Phil Shaw (17), Jean Errigo (21), Randy Spencer (25), Darlene Rauch (27), Reba Shoulders (29). John Crance (30). à😊 😊 😊 JUNE 2026: Ed Kyler, Sr. (9), Linda Harazinski (10), Michelle Miller (17), John Errigo Jr. (18), Pricilla Barrett (18), Duane Test (19), Sharon Errigo (20), Wensil Fleck (22), Erling Anderson (23), Eileen Shearer (26), Lloyd Addleman (27), Gloria Simcox (30).
Lord, listen to your children praying, Lord, send your Spirit in this place,
Lord, listen to your children praying, send us love, send us power, send us grace!
àPrayers of the people and the Lord’s Prayerß
God of the gathering wind, as we celebrate Pentecost and feel summer’s first warm breath,
plant in us the quiet courage of seeds beneath soil — small but determined, destined to rise.
Align our seasons with your divine rhythms.
Let us unfurl in righteousness like morning glories opening to dawn light, like wheat fields bending golden under your gaze. Spirit of Peace,
in these days when violence seems to engulf us – when weapons thunder across borders,
when classrooms become places of terror,
when families walk endless miles seeking shelter –
deliver us from the darkness we have allowed to flourish. Guide the long journey of human history toward your promised justice. Grant us the strength to stand against hatred’s divisions, to speak your love that knows no boundaries, to transform systems that perpetuate suffering, to be steadfast in our pursuit of peace. Wind of wisdom,
Breath of understanding, You who once drew scattered people together at Pentecost — kindle in us a hospitality that mirrors Christ’s open arms.
Unseal our hearts to truly see the journeys others walk. Fill us with that love which defies boundaries, which heals what seems beyond repair.
Let us become your unified voice rising from many throats, your single body formed of countless limbs, offering gratitude for the redemption you have promised and continue to unfold among us.
Merciful One, attend to these whispered hopes we offer. Together now, as Christ’s living presence,
we turn to the ancient words that Jesus gave us praying…
à LORD’S PRAYER:
“Our Father,” who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from
evil: For Thine is the Kingdom and the power,
and the Glory, forever. Amen.
As we worship together in person. The work of the church continues, and your tithes and
offerings can be left at the door or can be sent to the church treasurers or the Financial
Treasurer of your respective churches.
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àCALL FOR THE OFFERING:
God gives so many gifts to so many people. Grateful for God’s abundant love, let us also bring our gifts to God.
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àPRAYER OF DEDICATION:
You give with open hands, Most Generous God, sharing gifts as seed to sow. We gather these offerings, asking only that they might take root and flourish — to tend your Kin-dom, to nurture your beloved community. Let our acts be not merely ritual but a commitment: a shaping of the world in your image, one generous gesture at a time. Amen.
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àBENEDICTION:
May the spark of God ignite you.
May the love of Christ renew you. May the Holy Spirit fill you on this Pentecost Sunday and the days to come. Amen.
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The Spirit lives in each of you. We bless each other when we use our God given talents as we exchange signs of Christ’s peace with everyone we meet in these days ahead.
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Christianity Outside the Church
D.L. Moody once called on a leading citizen in Chicago to persuade him to accept Christ. They were seated in the man’s parlor. It was winter and coal was burning in the fireplace. The man objected that he could be just as good a Christian outside the church as in it. Moody said nothing, but stepped to the fireplace, took the tongs, picked a blazing coal from the fire and set it off by itself.
In silence the two watched it smolder and go out. “I see,”
said the man. The Interpreter’s Bible
