We held virtual worship on Sunday, March 28, 2021 at 10:00am You may watch a recording on Facebook clicking here, or you may watch below.
CALL TO WORSHIP
The story of faith is a story of courage.
It took courage for John the Baptist to prepare the way.
It took courage for Mary to say, “Here I am. Use me.”
It took courage for the disciples to drop their nets and follow Jesus.
It took courage for the paralyzed man’s friends to lower him through the roof.
It took courage for Peter to walk on water.
It took courage for Zacchaeus to give half of his possessions to the poor.
It took courage for Jesus to enter Jerusalem on a donkey.
Faith has never been easy. It is a journey of courage.
Again and again, God, show us the way.
CALL TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of palm branches and hallelujahs:
We confess—we love a good Palm Sunday celebration.
We love the sound of a joyful parade.
We love shouting, “hallelujah!”
We love that Palm Sunday means Easter is just around the corner.
We love good news.
However, if we slow down and pay attention,
We know that Palm Sunday was not a walk in the park for you.
There was risk. There was fear. There was the threat of violence.
You were leading a peaceful protest against an unjust empire,
And the whole world knew it.
Forgive us for glossing over the courage this day took.
Remind us that the story of faith is a story of courage,
And even we can do hard things.
With hope we pray. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
Family of faith,
Even when we gloss over the truth,
Even when our courage fails us,
Even when we doubt that we can do hard things,
God believes in us. God loves us. God forgives us.
Hear and believe this truth:
We are known.
We are loved.
We are forgiven.
Again and again and again. Amen.
YOUNG PEOPLE’S MESSAGE
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
If we could buy our way closer to you, we’d sell everything we have.
If we could work our way to you, we’d never take a day off.
If we could walk our way to you, we’d keep our tennis shoes on tight.
But I know—we know—we cannot buy, or work, or walk our way closer to you.
We must listen our way closer to you.
So holy God, as you have so often done again and again,
Open our ears.
Clear out the self-talk that keeps us from you.
Dust out the negativity and distractions.
Remove any doubt hindering our way. Amen.
GOSPEL Mark 11:1-11
When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’”
They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it.
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!
Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
REFLECTION UnTied Barb & Mitchell
MUSIC Were You There? Kathryn and Melanie
PRAYER FOR THE WEEK Dr. Howard Thurman
I wonder what was at work in the mind of Jesus of Nazareth as he jogged along on the back of that faithful donkey. Perhaps his mind was far away to the scenes of his childhood, feeling the sawdust between his toes in his father’s shop. He may have been remembering the high holy days in the synagogue with his whole body quickened by the echo of the ram’s horn. Or perhaps he was thinking of his mother, how deeply he loved her and how he wished that there had not been laid upon him this Great Necessity that sent him out on to the open road to proclaim the Truth, leaving her side forever. It may be that he lived all over again that high moment on the Sabbath when he was handed the scroll and he unrolled it to the great passage from Isaiah, ‘The spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach good news to the poor.’ I wonder what was moving through the mind of the Master as he jogged along on the back of that faithful donkey.
SHARING PRAYERS & LORD’S PRAYER
ANNOUNCEMENTS
LENT BENEDICTION Cheryl Lowrie
And now we lay down the palm branches.
And with them we lay down our belief
that there is another way for you to be God.
As the last echo of the final alleluia fades,
so does our hope that this journey can end
in any other way.
The week stretches ahead glory-less and pain-full
Whether we walk with all faith or none
we look towards the cross,
knowing it is both the most human
and most divine of all journeys
travel the road with courage, with love,
and with the uneasy peace that is the gift of faith
into this holiest of weeks. Amen.
RESPONSE Go to Dark Gethsemane
Go to dark Gethsemane, ye that feel the tempter’s power;
your Redeemer’s conflict see, watch with him one bitter hour.
Turn not from his griefs away; learn of Jesus Christ to pray.
POSTLUDE Hosanna, Loud Hosanna Kathryn and June
