sunday may 24, 2026 Pentecost

Fruitland United Methodist Church
May 24, 2026

*(Please stand if you are comfortably able.)

Prelude: “Surely, the Presence of the Lord is in This Place,” by Larry Wolfe

Welcoming the Light of Christ and inviting the neighborhood to worship.
Welcome and Announcements Liturgist

Call to Worship Liturgist
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all.
Your send forth your Spirit, and they are created.
And you renew the face of the earth.
Today, we come seeking renewal.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill your church!
May the glory of the Lord endure forever.
We will rejoice in the Lord. Allelulia!

*Opening Hymn: “De Colores” Fiesta Jubilosa #2
“De Colores” is a Mexican folksong. It has also become a joyful greeting and theme symbolizing a life lived in God’s grace. It represents the vibrant, diverse joy of Christ’s love and the beauty of a Christian community. It is often sung during Walk to Emmaus.

*Opening Prayer: God of Pentecost, today we remember that
mighty wind which opened doors, broke through fear, and filled
the church with life. Just as you renewed the disciples, and just as you
touched the heart of John Wesley at Aldersgate, come upon us again today.
Warm our hearts once more. Make us a living church, a
courageous church, a grace-filled church.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
*Sharing the Peace of Christ

Psalm Reading: Psalm 104: 24-35 Read responsively. UMH 827

Time With Young Christians: Pastor Jorge
(Please write prayer concerns and celebrations on yellow notepads, to be collected.)

Community Expressions
      Hymn: “Holy, Holy, Holy” TFWS 2007
      Thanksgiving and Celebration. Prayers for healing and wholeness.
      Prayers for our community and the world.
“...and now, we pray in the way that Jesus taught us to pray:”
The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven . . .”

Hymn: “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” UMH 334

Scripture: Numbers 11: 24-30 Pew Bible 225

Invitation to Generosity Pastor Jorge
      Offertory: “Gather Us In,” by Marty Haugen
*Doxology: Praise God, from whom all blessings flow . . . UMH 95

Scripture: Acts 2: 1-21 Pew Bible 1692

Hymn: “Spirit of the Living God, Fall Afresh on Me” UMH 393

Sermon: “IF ONLY ALL THE LORD’S PEOPLE . . .” Rev. Jorge Rodriguez
         Pentecost Sunday                              Numbers 11:24–30 · Acts 2:1–21

There are moments in life when we feel we simply cannot carry anymore.
Moments when faith becomes routine. Moments when the heart grows cold.
Moments when we keep walking, but inside, we are tired.

That happened to Moses. And centuries later, it also happened to John Wesley.
Wesley was a pastor. He preached. He knew the Scriptures. He had even
traveled to America as a missionary. But something inside him still felt empty.
Wesley, himself, admitted that he had religion, but not yet peace.

And then came that evening, May 24, 1738, on Aldersgate Street in London.
Wesley attended a small meeting. Nothing spectacular. No bright lights. No
huge crowd. No emotional display. Someone was simply reading Martin
Luther’s preface to the Letter to the Romans. And while he listened, something
happenedwithin him.

Wesley wrote: “I felt my heart strangely warmed.”

Strangely warmed.

It was not merely emotion. It was the Holy Spirit renewing him from within. It
was God restoring hope to his soul. It was God reminding him that grace was
also for him.

And after Aldersgate, Wesley was never the same again. The Spirit re-
launched him. It took him out of the church buildings and sent him into the
streets. He began preaching among the poor, the workers, the forgotten, and
the marginalized.

Because when the Spirit touches a life, we cannot remain the same.
That is what happened at Pentecost. The disciples were locked away in fear,
and the Spirit pushed them into the world. Wesley was spiritually exhausted,
and the Spirit rekindled the fire within him. Moses was weary, and the Spirit
was shared with others to sustain the community.

Pentecost is always about that: people being renewed so they can love again,
serve again, and believe again.

And perhaps today there are people here who need their own Aldersgate
moment.

Not necessarily a dramatic experience, but a moment when the Spirit
touches the heart again. A moment when God reminds us: “You are not alone. I
still have purpose for your life.”

Because the Holy Spirit does not only comfort us. The Spirit also sends us. Re-
launches us. Restores our passion for the Gospel. Restores our ability to 
dream.

Restores our courage to serve.

That is why Peter declares: “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.”

All flesh.

Upon the weary. Upon the young. Upon the elderly. Upon those who doubt.
Upon those who feel their spiritual fire has gone out.

And perhaps today the prayer of Moses is still alive: “If only all the Lord’s
people were prophets!”

And Pentecost answers: “Yes. The Spirit is still being poured out.”
May the Spirit warm our hearts again. May the Spirit renew the church
again.
​
And may we, like Wesley, leave this place re-launched into the world with
more love, more compassion, and more hope.
Amen.

Prayer of Confession: Holy Spirit, forgive us when we live
closed in by fear. Forgive us when we fail to listen for your
voice, when we extinguish the fire of hope, and when we stop
believing that you still renew lives today.
Come upon us again. Fill us with your presence. Make us
instruments of peace and truth. Amen.
​
Words of Grace: The Spirit of the Lord is upon us. In Christ, we
are forgiven, renewed, and sent forth. Thanks be to God. Amen.

*Closing Hymn: “Holy, Holy” TFWS 2039

*Benediction: Go in peace. And remember: The Holy Spirit did not come
only to be admired. The Spirit came to renew lives. May the fire of
Pentecost burn once again in our hearts. In the name of the Father, the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

*Song of Blessing: “Everything we do is for the glory of God, amen,
amen!” Verse 2: “Todo se hace para Gloria de Dios, amen, amen!”

Please be seated.

Postlude: “Every Time I Feel the Spirit,” an African-American spiritual.