April 9, 2006 - Palm/Passion Sunday
Communion & Food Bank
The journey of Holy Week invites us to enter into the passion of Jesus Christ – to explore deeply the meaning of Jesus’ suffering and death. We enter this time, confident that God’s faithful promises will reign victorious on Easter. What meaning do we find in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for ourselves and for our world? Why are these stories of Holy Week important to us?
If you would like to stay seated for any or all of the “standing” parts of the service, please feel free to do so.
Prelude “Triumphal March” by T. Dubois
A time of silent preparation—Lighting the Christ Candle
Call to Worship (Responsive)
One: The winds of God blow strong and compelling through the stagnant atmosphere of our neglect.
All: We feel the insistent warmth of God’s presence and seek to awaken from our lethargy.
One: God invites us to join the parade of the faithful, to demonstrate for justice, truth, and righteousness.
All: We are drawn to the pageantry of Palm Sunday and to the One who comes in life-changing peace.
One: Whatever our state of mind or condition of life, we are welcomed to this time of self-searching and worship.
All: Blessed is the one who comes in God’s name. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!
One: Amen.
All: Amen.
Living God, you give us this day, full of hope and promise. As our ancestors waved palms in praise of Jesus, we bring our praises, too, that in joy you may take our lives and transform us as your ministers alive in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hymn #124 “He Came Riding on a Donkey”
Conversation Time
The Sunday School & Youth leave for their classes.
Prayer of Transformation & Assurance of Pardon
It was a long week, a long march from the high gate of Jerusalem to a forsaken place and a cross. Even longer from the praise of “Hosanna!” to the blasphemy of “Crucify!” A long march for humankind: from the high point of crowning God’s chosen one, to the depths of having him executed. A long, long walk through the fickleness and whims of humanity. God lives with us still. Forgive us, God…(Silent Reflection)
Assurance of Pardon (One)
Biblical Notes
The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem
Other lessons for your personal consideration from today’s lections are: From the Psalms – Psalm 31:9-16; From the Hebrew Scriptures – Isaiah 50:4-9a; From the Epistles - Philippians 2:5-11; From the Christian Scriptures - Mark 14:1- 15:47
(Cam Lockerbie – Trumpet)
The Lord’s Supper (Read from The Message)
One: This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Hymn #127 “Ride On! Ride On in Majesty” (tune 20)
We Respond In Giving And Gratitude
Offertory “The Palms” by Faure
For the gift of creation, the gift of your love,
and the gift of the Spirit by which we live,
we thank you and give you the fruit of our hands.
May your grace be proclaimed by the gifts that we give.
Companionship at the Table on the Journey
Hymn #402 “We Are One”
Our Palm Sunday Communion Litany
We thank you God, for in the beginning, you set the world on its course; you led your people into freedom, and gave them a way to walk in peace and justice. And so we say with all who have travelled this road before.
Holy, holy, holy God, Power of life and love!
Heaven and earth are full of your glory!
Hosanna through the ages!
Blessed is the One who comes to bring your justice to the earth!
When we were lost, you came in Jesus, our companion and guide, who shows us your way and invites us to follow. Before his last journey, to the cross and death, Jesus gathered his friends for supper, he took bread, and after giving thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to those who sat with him, saying:
“Take, eat.”
“Do this in remembrance of me”.
In the same way he took the cup, saying:
“This cup is the new covenant”.
“Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.”
Remembering your boundless love for us in Jesus Christ, we offer you our praise, as we proclaim the mystery of faith: We remember Jesus Christ, who is, who was, and who yet comes. We pray to you, God of Love, send your Spirit on these gifts, food for the journey. Bless our way together, until we and all your creation arrive at the home you have prepared. Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory is yours, God most holy, now and forever. In you, with Jesus, we meet the one Jesus knew as ABBA and following his lead we pray…Our father…
Sharing of the Bread and the Cup
Prayer after Communion (unison)
We thank you God for your presence here at this table and for your companionship on all our journeys. Sanctify the commitments we have made. Bless us on our way through Lent, to the cross, and beyond. We pray in the name and in the Spirit of Jesus of Nazareth. Amen
Commissioning (Responsive)
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
All: Hosanna! We will open our hearts to his faithfulness.
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
All: Hosanna! We will stand beside those who are crucified today.
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
All: Hosanna! We will work with those who bear his name.
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
All: Hosanna! We will thank God for Jesus Christ.
Choral Amen
#298 “When You Walk From Here”
When you walk from here, when you walk from here.
Walk with justice, walk with mercy, and with God’s humble care.
Postlude “Hosanna to the King” by Ellson
The Life And Work Of The Congregation
Celebrations This Week
Birthdays: Jaci Fox, Tanya Hoffarth, Albina Jackson, Claude Skogen, Howard Widmer
Flowers are placed in the Sanctuary this morning
in loving memory of
mother, Doris Havell
by
Janice & Jim Neigum
Stewardship Thought For Today
We are all stewards all the time!
Take one small step
to start celebrating that today!
by James Taylor with edits and personal commentary by James Farrell
It's more than just a formula. It's a whole belief system. When all else fails,
resort to violence. Heads of state have used that rationale for centuries. So have insurgents,
guerillas, terrorists, and assassins. To resolve a border dispute, invade the
neighboring country. To control valuable resources, conquer the owners. To
avenge an insult, fight a duel. To change a government, assassinate its leader.
Or blow up a pub. Or blow up yourself, along with innocent victims who happened
to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Theologian Walter Wink calls this the "myth of redemptive violence." It's the
false belief that the "good guys"—think of Sir Galahad, The Lone Ranger, Batman
and Robin, or NATO—can roar in, wipe out the "bad guys," and set everything
right.
In his 1998 book, The Powers that Be, Wink wrote: "The myth of redemptive
violence … speaks for God; it does not listen for God to speak. It invokes the
sovereignty of God as its own; it does not entertain the possibility of radical
judgment by God. It misappropriates the language, symbols, and scriptures of
Christianity. It does not seek God in order to change; it embraces God in order
to prevent change….
"Its metaphor is not the journey but the fortress. Its symbol is not the cross
but the crosshairs of a gun. Its offer is not forgiveness but victory. Its good
news is not the unconditional love of enemies but their final elimination… It is
blasphemous. It is idolatrous. And it is immensely popular.
The week before Easter is commonly called Passion Week in the Christian
churches. This Sunday, many will re-enact Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Only a few, I suspect, will identify the Palm Sunday parade as the beginning of
what the religious and military authorities considered an act of redemptive
violence. They executed the man who rode into town on a donkey as a means of
restoring peace.
It was a cruel and vicious act—in itself anything but redemptive. It
deliberately made the victim's suffering public, to deter others from following
his example. But those who authorized it believed that the end justified the
means. Violence could lead to peace.
Did it really happen that way?
Yes, because it is still happening that way. On TV and in real life. In Iraq, in
Afghanistan, in Northern Ireland, at the World Trade Center…
But who cares?
The truth of the story doesn't depend on who did what, but that in the end love
is stronger than hate, that life is stronger than death, and that the power of
evil can never conquer the potential for good.
That's why such a disgraceful miscarriage of justice is still called, "Good
Friday."
The disciples all said they would stand by Jesus…initially, they all fled…but
from that broken band of followers has emerged the Christian faith…from the
ashes, people can Rise & soar.
We will gather here at 7 PM on Friday to consider and reflect upon the Symbols
that make that Passion Story in Jesus' life, relevant in our lives. We do it
every year. The more we can understand love rising from cruelty, the less likely we are
to embrace the "myth of redemptive violence." Amen.
James Taylor has said, "I find myself turning off a lot more TV
programs recently. They're too predictable. Situations get worse and worse;
relationships break down; conflict increases. Until finally, in a sudden
explosion of violence—physical or verbal—everything gets "set right" again.