Service Sunday May 24, 2026
HIGHLAND HILLS UNITED CHURCH
Minden, Ontario
All are Welcome!
Worship Leader: Rev. Max Ward
Music Director: Melissa Stephens
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Message: “The Spirit of Pentecost”
Listen to an audio recording of the Message below or read it at the bottom of this page.
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Sermon 2026 05 24
“The Spirit of Pentecost”
Acts 2: 1 - 21
Gracious God, be with us today in this place, in the Scriptures and in our words.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts praise your Holy name. Amen.
Pentecost Sunday and Communion Sunday.
Let’s start with Pentecost.
After the wind of the Spirit came along, people didn’t know what to think.
Everyone was talking yet everyone could understand each other even though they were from different lands.
The gift of the Spirit, an awesome and precious gift.
A diverse group of people yet all able to understand each other.
A diverse group of people yet all from the one source.
So many different people from so many different cultures and backgrounds, and yet each could understand what was being said in this foreign land.
Speaking inclusively in ways that all can understand is a challenge today, even among those with a common language.
There are as many different possible interpretations of words and ideas as there are world views and philosophies.
In some communities, we may not have a language barrier as such to overcome, and yet we still do not always understand and accept differing interpretations of the Bible.
The functions of the Holy Spirit include increased understanding if we are open to such teachings.
And then there is communion.
That time when we remember how Jesus ate with his friends.
A time when Jesus summed up the meaning of his ministry; to love one another.
He prepared food and drink for his disciples and for us at the table.
The food and drink that would remind us of what was important in life…
Sitting down together to talk and eat.
Sitting together as a family.
This morning, we are once again a family, all of us.
We are a church family.
We come together to talk and eat around the table.
Soon we will remember together what it is like to be a church family.
Soon we will remember the words Jesus said as he ate with his friends.
Even after the service, we will be gathering together to socialize and eat as a family.
Yet there is trouble in our world.
Wars continue to harm the innocent.
Not to mention the troubles the wider world struggles with on a daily basis.
This world that God loves so much needs our love and support too.
The Spirit blows throughout this world urging people to help however they can.
We may be from different lands.
We may speak different languages.
But with the help of the Spirit, we all understand each other.
We understand what communion is all about.
We understand what family is all about.
May the Spirit be a breath of Life in us.
May we help to bring life to this world God loves.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
