WORD, MEDITATION & PRAYER:
Call to Worship: We gather separate, isolated, but together, as church, worshiping our Lord. Let us focus our minds, our hearts, and our attention on Him.
Opening Prayer:
Humble and riding on a donkey, we greet you;
Acclaimed by crowds and caroled by children, we greet you;
Moving from the peace of the countryside to the corridors of power, we salute you, our Lord and Savior.
Hosanna! Blessed is He one who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.
Zachariah 9:9: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king come to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Meditation 1:
Thy Will
They had traveled a distance, from the hillside outside Gadara, with the memory of the miracle feeding of the crowd still fresh in their minds, now they stood outside Bethany. The journey had been eventful and amazing. The evening with that tax-collector in Jericho, restoring sight to that blind boy, and then up the rugged road toward Jerusalem. Even the disciples wondered who was this man they had followed for years, now? This carpenter, this miracle-worker.
They had gotten word of the illness of Jesus’ friend, but that was nearly a week ago, now, here they were, Bethany, and Lazarus had died while they were still in Jericho. These friends and followers wondered, what now? A life restored? Another miracle?
John 11:38-44 — Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Meditation 2:
The crowd that had been with him when he raised Lazarus from the tomb, had gone on ahead and spread the news throughout Jerusalem, about this Prophet, this worker of miracles, this king of Israel, and that he was coming to the city. So, they gathered in large crowds, lining the streets, and greeting him with great cheers, throwing their coats on the cobblestones of the street, for His donkey to tread upon.
The Pharisees watched with fear for he seemed a threat to their authority and their learning. The Romans also watched with fear, for they saw in the division between those led by Jesus and those that were strictly following the Mosaic law, a real threat to maintaining peace. The Sanhedrin was called into special session and there was much arguing as to what must be done with this, this Carpenter from Galilee, from Capernaum, of all places! Several cried out calling his message blasphemy, tearing at the very words spoken by the Prophets. Others urged calmness, and debate. “Let us see what he says. Let us see how he defends himself. Let us see how schooled he is in the Torah. And so, it went, back-and-forth. Finally, those leaders of the Pharisees, found common ground with the leadership of the Sadducees, those proud and domineering priests who conducted the affairs of the temple. Even though there was division among the Jews, the most vocal won out, and they began to gather those in agreement. That group was surprised to find support and encouragement from certain segments of the Roman leadership.
The grumbling and the stirring up continued through the week, so that on Thursday, the Carpenter had been arrested, stood trial and was convicted of… something or other. When the time came for Herod to address the crowd, as was his practice, the fate of Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ, the king of Israel, the king of kings was sealed.
(Summary excerpt from A Life of Barabbas)
John 19:1-8: Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid…
Prayer of Confession:
O Lord, who on this day entered the rebellious city that later rejected you: we confess that our wills are as rebellious as Jerusalem’s, that our faith is often more show than substance, that our hearts are in need of cleansing. Have mercy on us, son of David, Savior of our lives.
Help us to lay at your feet all that we have and all that we are, trusting you to forgive what is sinful, to heal what is broken, to welcome our praises, and to receive us as your own. Triumphant Lord, We rejoice in your entry into the world and into our lives!
Joining with the crowds, we sing your praises and exalt your reign, but even so, our hearts are far from true worship, our minds are distant from true understanding.
We are disappointed with your humility, we are uninspired by your selflessness.
Our sin leads us to give you death even though you give us life. Our treachery guides us to war even though you call us to peace.
Help us to reflect in our lives the glory of your Son and to live faithfully here and now. Have mercy on us, Savior of all, find us in these forsaken places. Forgive what we have done and who we have been. Bring us home again and impart within us a new song of joy and celebration. Amen.
—Prayer written by John Paarlberg, retired minister of Word and sacrament
Lyrics to speak or sing as Praise:
Eagles Wings
You who would dwell in the shelter of the Lord, Who abides in his shadow for life,
Say to the Lord, “My Refuge, My rock in whom I trust”.
And he will raise you up on eagles wings, bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand.
You need not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
Around the thousands fall around you, near you, it shall not harm.
And he will raise you up on eagles wings, bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand.
Closing Prayer:
Merciful God, as we enter Holy week, turn our hearts again to Jerusalem, and to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Stir up within us the gift of faith that we may not only praise him with our lips, but may follow him in the way of the cross. Amen.
Go in Peace, Serve the Lord.
