Pentecost Sunday Joplin Missouri — On May 24, 2026, Immanuel Lutheran Church gathered to celebrate the Day of Pentecost — the 50th day after Easter and the birthday of the Christian Church. The sanctuary was dressed in red, the congregation joined their voices in hymn and liturgy, and Pastor Christopher Ramstad brought a Pentecost message centered on a question that still echoes through the centuries: What does this mean?
Pentecost Sunday in Joplin, Missouri: Michael’s Secret Stuff
Immanuel Lutheran Church — 2616 S Connecticut Ave, Joplin, MO 64804 — held both the 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM services on Sunday, May 24, 2026, for the Day of Pentecost. The congregation gathered in red, the traditional liturgical color of fire and the Spirit, and worshiped with the historic liturgy of Lutheran Service Book.
DCE Jason Glaskey led the children’s talk, opening by folding a bulletin into a paper fan so every child could feel wind on their face — a small, sensory echo of the mighty rushing wind that filled the house in Jerusalem. He connected that moment to the previous week’s talk, when a balloon had floated to the ceiling to illustrate Jesus ascending into heaven: Jesus went up so He could come down in a whole new way. Then he held up an unlit baptism candle — the same kind Immanuel gives to every family at a Baptism, lit from the paschal candle, with the words: “Receive this burning light to show that you have received Christ who is the Light of the world.” Wind and fire together. The same Spirit that rushed into Jerusalem on the first Pentecost comes to each baptized person, personally, by name. “The promise has arrived,” he told the children. “The wind blew. The fire came. And it came for you.”
“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.'”
Acts 2:38–39 (ESV)
Scripture Readings for the Day of Pentecost
Three Scripture texts shaped worship on Pentecost Sunday, each bearing witness to the promised Holy Spirit.
First Reading: Numbers 11:24–30 — Moses gathers seventy elders at the tent of meeting, and the Lord places His Spirit upon them. Even Eldad and Medad, who remained in the camp, received the Spirit and prophesied. When Joshua urges Moses to stop them, Moses replies: “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” That longing — for a Spirit poured out on all of God’s people — finds its answer on Pentecost.
Epistle: Acts 2:1–21 — On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples were gathered in one place when suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind filled the house. Tongues of fire appeared and rested on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Jews from every nation heard them declaring the mighty works of God in their own languages — and the reaction was a mix of amazement, confusion, and mockery. Peter stands and explains it all with the prophet Joel: In the last days, God declares, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Holy Gospel: John 7:37–39 — On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” John tells us plainly: this Jesus said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive.
Theological Reflection: The Holy Spirit — Promised, Free, Powerful, Purposeful, Daily
Pastor Ramstad opened with the crowd’s confused question from Acts 2: What does this mean? The disciples are speaking in foreign languages. The streets of Jerusalem are filling with astonishment. Some are moved. Some mock. Everyone is asking the same thing.
To answer it, he reached back to Space Jam and Michael Jordan’s legendary “secret stuff.” The Looney Tunes face a monster-sized opponent. At halftime, Bugs Bunny produces a mysterious bottle labeled “Michael’s Secret Stuff” — watch the scene here. The team drinks it, surges back onto the court, and fights their way to the final buzzer. The question hanging over the whole movie: What’s in the bottle?
On Pentecost Sunday, the same question hangs over Jerusalem. What’s going on? What is this Spirit? Pastor Ramstad walked through five marks of the Holy Spirit drawn from Scripture:
- Promised — The Holy Spirit is no surprise. The prophet Joel foretold it centuries before. Jesus promised it before the Ascension. Moses longed for it at the tent of meeting. God’s Spirit arrives exactly on schedule.
- Free — The Spirit cannot be bought. Simon the magician tried in Acts 8 and was rebuked sharply. The Holy Spirit is a gift of grace given in Holy Baptism, freely and without merit.
- Powerful — Jesus promised dunamis — explosive power. That power shows up in the grand moments of ministry and in the quiet daily fruits of the Spirit evident in our lives and callings.
- Purposeful — The Spirit’s work is never self-focused. It always points to Jesus. What poured into Jerusalem on Pentecost was the story of Christ crucified, risen, and reigning for the forgiveness of sins.
- Daily — As Luther wrote, the Holy Spirit “must continue to work in us through the Word daily.” The Spirit is your baptismal life: daily forgiveness, daily renewal, daily faith upheld by God’s promise.
And the reveal at the end of Space Jam? Michael’s secret stuff was just water. Plain water. “It was in you all along,” Jordan tells his teammates.
Jesus says the same in John 7: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” The living water He promises is the Spirit — poured out in Holy Baptism, placed in each believer, flowing out to the world. The Holy Spirit’s “secret stuff” is no secret at all. It’s water, Word, and promise. And it’s been placed in you.
About Immanuel Lutheran Church in Joplin, Missouri
Immanuel Lutheran Church is a confessional Lutheran congregation in Joplin, Missouri, affiliated with the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). We gather each Sunday at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM for traditional liturgical worship using Lutheran Service Book, with Sunday School and Bible classes at 9:20 AM. Watch our live stream each Sunday or browse past services in our Services and Sermons archive.
We are home to Martin Luther School, a Lutheran PreK–8 school serving Joplin and the surrounding area — learn more at martinlutherjoplin.com. Our ministries include children and family programming, a Lutheran comfort dog team, and an active youth group. See what’s coming up on our events calendar or get in touch — we’d love to welcome you.
Reach us at 2616 S Connecticut Ave, Joplin, MO 64804 or online at immanueljoplin.com. Browse all of our recorded worship services in our Services and Sermons archive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pentecost and why does the church celebrate it?
Pentecost (from the Greek word for “fiftieth”) falls fifty days after Easter. It marks the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples in Jerusalem — fulfilling Jesus’s promise before His ascension and launching the Christian Church into the world. At Immanuel Lutheran we celebrate it as a major festival: the congregation wears red, we sing ancient hymns of the Spirit like “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” (LSB 497), and we hear the Acts 2 account of wind, fire, and the promised Helper arriving exactly on schedule.
What do the wind and fire mean in the Pentecost story?
The rushing wind (the Greek word pneuma means both “wind” and “spirit”) and the tongues of fire are not decorations — they are divine acts announcing the Spirit’s arrival. Wind represents the Spirit’s power and presence, filling the room as He fills believers. Fire represents purification and illumination — the same image that appeared to Moses at the burning bush, to Israel in the wilderness pillar of fire, and now resting on each disciple personally. Together they announce: the promised Helper has come, and He has come to stay.
How is the Holy Spirit connected to Baptism?
Peter’s first Pentecost sermon makes the connection explicit: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The same Spirit who came like wind and fire in Jerusalem comes to each baptized person by name. At Immanuel, we mark this with a baptism candle, lit from the Easter candle, given to every family at Baptism. The pastor says: “Receive this burning light to show that you have received Christ who is the Light of the world.” Pentecost and Baptism are two moments of the same gift.
What is confessional Lutheran worship like at Immanuel?
Immanuel Lutheran uses the historic liturgy of Lutheran Service Book (LSB), the official hymnal of the LCMS. Our Divine Service includes confession and absolution, Scripture readings from the three-year lectionary, the Creeds, sermon, and the Lord’s Supper. Services are at 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM each Sunday, with Sunday School and adult Bible class at 9:20 AM. Visitors are always welcome — you can watch online before visiting in person if you’d like to see what to expect.
Where can I watch past Immanuel worship services?
All recorded worship services — including both the 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Sunday broadcasts — are available in our Services and Sermons archive. You can browse by series, date, or speaker. The live stream goes up each Sunday morning at immanueljoplin.com/watch-worship-online.
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