Crandall United Methodist Church

Worship Guide

April 26, 2026

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Creating Disciples of Jesus

who Transform the World

ENTRANCE WITH PRAISE

Greeting:

Minister: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

People:  And also with you!

Special Music: Charles

Centering Words:

We wait for your Spirit, O God. Stretch our imaginations that we may see your presence in every person.

*Call to Worship:

Jim:        Listen! Do you hear a sound like the howling of a fierce wind? 

People:   Come, Holy Spirit!

Jim:         Look! Can you see flames of fire?

People:   Come, Holy Spirit!

Jim:        Wait! Can you feel the power?

People:   Come, Holy Spirit!

Leader:    Let us pray. 

ALL: Holy Spirit, power of God, come and fill us with your strength. May your Spirit touch each of us. Gather us with your different gifts into one community. Give us eyes 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.

Hymn: “This is My Father’s World”

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears

all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought

of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,

the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;

in the rustling grass I hear Him pass;

he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget

that though the wrong seems oft so strong,

 God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world: why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King; let the heavens Ring!

God reigns; let the earth be glad!

 PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

Words of Assurance

We are all baptized into one body.
The Spirit blesses us all.

Amen.

*Old Testament Reading: Numbers 11:24-30

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

²⁶ Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ²⁸ And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” ²⁹ But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” ³⁰ And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Leader:    This is the Word of God for the people of God

People:   Thanks be to God.

WORD AND RESPONSE

Time with Young Friends: “Jesus Loves Me”

Children’s Message: “What Does He Look Like”

Hymn: “Loving Spirit”

Loving Spirit, loving Spirit, you have chosen me to be--

you have drawn me to your wonder,

you have set your sign on me.

Like a mother, you enfold me, hold my life within your own,

feed me with your very body, form me of your flesh and bone.

Like a father, you protect me, teach me the discerning eye,

hoist me up upon your shoulder, let me see the world from high.

Friend and lover, in your closeness

I am known and held and blessed;

in your promised is my comfort, in your presence I may rest.

Loving Spirit, loving Spirit, you have chosen me to be—

you have drawn me to your wonder,

you have set your sign on me.

Sermon:  “Spirit Unbound” - Acts 2:1-21

¹ When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² 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. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷     ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams.

¹⁸     Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit;

and they shall prophesy.

¹⁹     And I will show portents in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

²⁰     The sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.

²¹     Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

RESPONSE TO THE WORD 

Prayers of the People: Joys and Concerns

   Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer

 THE SACRAMENTS OF

HOLY COMMUNION

Invitation, Prayer of Confession and Pardon:

 Christ our Lord invites to his table

       all who love him,

who earnestly repent of their sin

and seek to live in peace with one another.

Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Merciful God,

we confess that we have not loved you with our whole hearts.

We have failed to be an obedient church.

We have not done your will,

we have broken your law,

we have rebelled against your love,

we have not loved our neighbors,

and we have not heard the

cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray.

Free us for joyful obedience,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Hear the good news:

Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;

that proves God's love toward us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Glory to God. Amen

The Great Thanksgiving   

    The Lord be with you

And also with you. 

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing,

always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of

heaven and earth.

You formed us in your image and

breathed into us the breath of life.

When we turned away, and our love failed,

your love remained steadfast.

You delivered us from captivity,

made covenant to be our sovereign God,

and spoke to us through your prophets.

And so, with your people on earth

and all the company of heaven

we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,

God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.

Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people.

He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners.

By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. 

When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always, in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Take, eat; this my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Drink from this all of you;

this is my blood of the new covenant,

poured out for you and for many

for the forgiveness of sins.

Do this, as often as you drink it

in remembrance of me."

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith 

Christ has died;

Christ is risen;

Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever.   Amen

And now with the confidence of children of God, let us pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.

Amen

Sharing of the Cup and Loaf

Moment of Prayer and Meditation

Prayer of Thanks  

Eternal God, we give you thanks

for this holy mystery

in which you have given yourself to us. 

Grant that we may go into the world

in the strength of your Spirit,

to give ourselves to others,

in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen

SENDING FORTH

Hymn:  “They’ll Know We Are Christians By our Love”

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,

we are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,

and we pray that all unity may one day be restored:

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love;

yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,

we will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,

and together we'll spread the news that God is in our land:

and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love;

yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side,

we will work with each other, we will work side by side,

and we'll guard human dignity and save human pride;

and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love;

yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love

All praise to the Father, from whom all things come,

and all praise to Christ Jesus, God's only Son,

and all praise to the Spirit, who makes us one:

and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love;

yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love

Benediction

Hymn: “As We Go”

As we go, may your Spirit go before us.

As we go, may we follow where you lead.

May we live what we have learned,

share the message we have heard,

and be a light unto the world as we go.