May 31,2020 Pentecost, Youth Sunday, "Let Jesus Have Your Heart"

May 31, 2020 Youth Sunday Acts 2.1-21 “Let Jesus Have Your Heart” Pastor Jacqueline Hines and Bethel Youth.

This is the ninth week of quarantine and it is Fifth Sunday which is our Youth Sunday.  We are also celebrating this day as Pentecost. “Pente” is the Greek root of the word fifty. This being the fiftieth day after Easter’s Resurrection Sunday.

Pentecost is a commemoration of the day that children of God gathered and the Holy Spirit entered the room like a windstorm and wildfire. They were held so tightly by the consuming, fiery love of God that they did not know what hit them. It was then that many began giving their hearts to Jesus.

Two thousand years later we are keeping that fire burning. We need the fires of Pentecost in order to fight fire with fire as firefighters do when a forest fire breaks out. Firefighters run ahead of a fire and intentionally start a new fire that clears enough land so when the destructive flames arrive, there is nothing but empty space and the destructive fire goes out.

We need the fires of Pentecost to set our hearts afire with the power of God’s love so there will be less need for fierce firearms or firebugs, sprinkling communities with sparks of hatred. We need a Pentecost fire to erase hot red-lined districts and to keep volcanic cancer alleys cool.

Pentecost reminds us to build fires 

 that melt cold hearts with the kindest words, the gentlest deeds of mercy that nurture the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Those fruit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The young people you see in a moment will share what they will remember most about this time of sheltering in place, where they see God, and what acts of kindness they have been able to accomplish during this trial by fire.  God has provided them with their own Pentecost fire. They have caught the Spirit and we want to listen to them.

We will start with a reading from Acts 2 verses 1-4 

 2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 

 ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Youth presentations. 

Click on the video or copy and paste this link in your browser to view the youth presentation: 
Part 1 - https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=df1e58021d&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1668045962514709393&th=172616f718b6bb91&view=att&disp=safe
Part 2 - Lucas Starner - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckj_qC_WYYQ

Thank God for our youth and their families and youth workers supporting them.

My pastoral advice to every young person about everything is this: 1.   Look for God everywhere 2. Pray about everything 3.Love everyone.

Let us pray: God, we thank you for blessing us with young people who keep the fire going. Bless them to give you their hearts every day. Bless us to be good examples that they can pass on to their families and all those who come their way.

We pray as you taught the disciples.  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 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.  

Benediction - May the fire of God’s love burn in your hearts and lives forever. Amen.

If you would like to make your contribution to the ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is 

Or you can send to    952 Bethel Church Road, Spring City, Pa. 19475. Join us next week as we look at Matthew 28 and the topic “Go – Be Disciples” God bless you!