April 5 | Palm Sunday

Above: Palm Sunday Procession © 2018 P. Solomon Raj | Eyekons

 

 

 

Gathering

 

Greeting

 

 

 

Call to Worship

 

Call to Worship

On any other Palm Sunday we would look forward to beginning worship with a processional of children holding palm branches, laying them at the foot of the cross.  Though we can’t be together in one space, we can still cry, “Hosanna, Lord, save us!”  Today we have more reason than ever to ask God to come.

As we gather, meditate on the words of Psalm 118.
Hear the loud processional.
See Jesus riding humbly through the gate.
Anticipate the fickleness of the crowd.
Pray on your own behalf and on behalf of the world, “Hosanna, Lord, save us!”

 

Psalm 118:1-2; 19-29

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ Lord, save us!  (Hosanna!)
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

 

 

 

Sing: All Glory, Laud and Honor

 

 

 

 

Sing: Crown Him

 

 

 

 

 

 

Word

 

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴ This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Message: Lament and Benedictus

 

 

 

 

Listen: Benedictus – The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace

Benedictus qui venit in nominee Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer

Take time to pray for the needs of those gathered and the needs of the world. ​

Pay special attention to the invitation to lament. What are you grieving today that you need to bring to God?
Remember, lament is worship too, just like praise and thanksgiving.

 Do not hide from his mercy; rather, bring your whole selves before God.

Consider these words from the Psalmist:

⁹ Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
¹⁰ My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.

¹⁴ But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
– Psalm 31:9-10, 14-15

 

And listen or sing along to this song based on Matthew 28:11 – Come To Me | Youtube

 

 

You weighed down; you are worried.
Child I see you; child I know you.
Bring your burdens; bring your labor.

Come to me.
Come to me, come to me,
Come to me if you are weary.

I will give you, I will give you my rest.
I am gentle; I am humble.
Let me teach you, let me show you.
Trade your burden; mine is easy.
Come to me.

​

— Pray —

 

As you close in prayer, remember the way Psalm 118 opens:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
His love endures forever.

 

 

 

 

Blessing

 

May God go before you to guide you.
May God go behind you to protect you.
May God go beneath you to support you, and beside you to befriend you.
Do not be afraid.
May the blessing of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
settle in among you and remain with you always.
Do not be afraid, But go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

Amen.

 

 

Sing: Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Other Resources

Prayer Hand Activity: Laments and Blessings

 

 

Songs

Draw Near (Psalm 69) — Wendell Kimbrough

Save Me, O God (Psalm 69) — Marty Haugen

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (O WALY WALY)