An Order of Worship for the Lord’s Day
April 5, 2020
Palm & Passion Sunday
Prelude
“For the Beauty of the Earth” – performed by Michael Collings
Call to Worship – Psalm 118:1, 19-24
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever!
Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
Opening Prayer
Loving Father, as we journey with your Son in this week of remembrance and hope, help us to understand you and your love for the world more clearly. Transform us by your Spirit and with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and prepare us for service in your kingdom, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Opening Song
“All Glory, Laud, and Honor”
Prayer of Confession
Jesus, our Lord, we shout Hosannas to praise you. With eager hands, we place our cloaks and palms on the path before you. Yet the mouths that seek to praise you so often deny or defy you, and the hands that seek to serve you so often become fists. Please hear us as we confess this and all our sins, trusting in your forgiveness. (Silent confession)
Assurance of Pardon
Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! For Christ came into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world through him should be saved. Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Amen!
Children’s Message
Scripture Reading
Matthew 21:1-11 - read by Whitney Murajda
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 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. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Sermon – The Prayer of Jesus: Doxology
Hymn of Response
“Who Is Like the Lord Our God” - Wendell Kimbrough
Affirmation of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are God and you are good. On this Palm Sunday, we rejoice in Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and into our lives. And yet we consider the difficult way that he walked to the cross for our redemption. We hear the false charges against him, we see the crowds and disciples abandoning him, we feel the weight of our sin and the cost of his sacrifice, and we are humbled. We ask that you deepen our faith this week. Strengthen the measure of our gratitude and Christian obedience. Move us, who have so much, to share with others who have so little. Uphold us when we summon our courage to speak out for those in need and those long denied dignity and freedom. Guard and guide us through this season of crisis and through all our days until at last we might come into your presence and sit at your table in glory.
We offer you now our cries of joy and lament, trusting that you hear us as we pray for:
Our family, friends, and church family from whom we are separated this morning…
Our neighbors in need in Jackson County and Western North Carolina…
Those currently infected by the coronavirus, and those who care for them…
Healthcare staff providing medical care, scientific experts working for a vaccine and a cure, and all who are working double-time so that we may live…
Children out of school, employees out of work, and all who find their lives upended by the coronavirus…
Public officials making difficult decisions about closings and quarantines, and those who feel burdened by those decisions…
Christians throughout the globe who endeavor to bring healing, justice, and peace…
We lift up these prayers, trusting that you hear us. And we pray now as Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
(To share individual prayer requests, visit this online form: https://bit.ly/2TTLAF3)
Tithes and Offerings
With gratitude for the gospel, we share our time, talents, and resources with the Lord.
(You may give financially by visiting www.sylvapres.org/giving, or by dropping a check off at the church or sending one to FPC at P.O. Box 2152, Sylva, NC 28779. Thank you!)
Offertory
“La Filadora” - performed by Michael Collings
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Closing Song
“Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed?”
Benediction
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.