><X•

Good Morning and Welcome to Worship! Worship is often the first place that new people come into contact with this growing community of faith. And so, if you are joining us for the first time, I say to you what is said every Sunday: You are welcome here. Here is a place where all are welcome. For such is the love of God for God’s Very Good Creation.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below; praise God above, ye Heav'nly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Loving God, you reveal the truth about your way the world ought to be, and our role in transforming it. Show us again the image of Jesus that we are to emulate and teach us to carry the visage of Jesus, so that self-emptying may be our pathway, through Jesus the Christ, whose life and teachings revealed your way of love for all of creation. Amen.

Let us pray for the church, for earth and all its creatures, and for all people in need, with the shared words

God of new life, hear our prayer.

That Christians hear and share the word of God as true disciples,

God of new life, hear our prayer.

That all ends of the earth receive the words of the way of love.

God of new life, hear our prayer.

Thatallleaders,ofchurch, andofstate, preferhumbleservicetoemptypower.

God of new life, hear our prayer.

That all people live with gratitude for the gifts of nourishment, friendship, family, trust, patience, and hope with the courage and wisdom to change whatever fails to be life-giving.

God of new life, hear our prayer.

That we might live with gratitude for our ancestors whose love and witness have nourished our own, that all who mourn today will be comforted.

God of new life, hear our prayer.

God our loving creator, you show us the way to freedom through the loving way of Jesus, in whose name we pray, Amen.

Loving God, let your Word break open our hearts this day through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we may enter into the coming Holy Week with the mind and attitude of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 ¹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! ² Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” ¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. ²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. ²¹ I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. ²² The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. ²³ This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴ This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. ²⁵ Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! ²⁶ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. ²⁷ The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. ²⁸ You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. ²⁹ O give thanks to God, for God is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem ¹ When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” ⁴ This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: ⁵ “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷ they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” ¹⁰ When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” ¹¹ The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

As this Holy Week unfolds, spend some time each day pondering the mind of Christ. What is the shape of God’s compassion? Describe the image of such great love. Finally, what does it feel like, physically, to be so utterly cared for?

Let our hosannas to the one who brings liberation take form in our tithes and offerings.

God of all good gifts, we thank you for showing us how to care for each other. May these gifts lead to great feasting for those who have no banquets set before them. May these gifts build shelters and places of prayer for those who are unhoused. May these gifts proclaim your desire that all your creation live in peace. Give us grateful hearts, O God, in the name of the one who came to draw all people to himself, Jesus the Christ.

Go in peace, assured of God’s presence with you, with the mind of Jesus as your path and guide, and the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit. Look not to rewards and celebrity for your good deeds. Do unto others what will nurture God’s desire for them.