I will pour out my Spirit
I always look forward to Pentecost for at least two reasons. One is that it hasn't been commercially co-opted as Christmas, Easter, and even All Saints (Halloween) have been. The more significant reason is the sensory appeal of Pentecost, its focus on the visual and auditory. As much as we dared, we loaded the altar table with red, yellow, and orange candles of various heights and sizes. During the children's time, I read the account from Acts 2 and the kids made whooshing noises at every mention of "wind" or "sound," waved red construction-paper flames whenever "fire" or "flame" were spoken of, and did both every time the "Holy Spirit" occurred. A great day.
Note the bread and cup on the table. This church observes Communion on the third Sunday of the month. I don't know how much of a tradition that is in this congregation (long-standing? recent?), but it was that way when I came here, and a look at the calendar convinced me to continue it. Keeps us from running into Fourth of July weekend, Labor Day weekend, and All Saints Sunday. Though, admittedly, All Saints is a very appropriate day for Communion (as is every Sunday, a fact embraced by 85% or more of the world's Christians), it is such a full day that I have with regret elected not to include Communion. Instead, I emphasize the eternal wedding banquet in company with all the saints on other occasions when we come to the Table of the Lord. Life is full of trade-offs.