Posted by: Trinity ChristChurch Lutheran Parish | March 31, 2012

Palm / Passion Sunday, April 1, 2012 Service Order

THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION,

Palm/Passion Sunday

April 1, 2012

The Service – Simplified Spoken Form

This Service is a revision of the “Simplified form of the communion service” Released by the LCA Commission on Worship in 1989.

PROCESSION WITH PALMS

Congregation starts outside the Church

M: Friends in Christ:
For the five weeks of Lent
we have been preparing for the celebration of our Lord’s suffering and death.
Today, together with the whole church,
we begin this Holy Week by welcoming our Messiah.
We read in the gospel of John:

He came to what was his own,
and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who received him,
who believed in his name,
he gave power to become children of God.

(John 1:11,12 NRSV)

So, like the people of long ago,
let us welcome Jesus
and walk with him to the cross

M: If we have been united with him in a death like his,

C: we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

(Rom 6:5)

M: The Lord be with you :

C: And also with you.

M: Let us pray.

Lord, as we honour Christ the King by carrying these + branches today,
increase our faith and listen to our prayers,
so that we may honour you every day, by living always in him.
For he lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
C: Amen.

Mark 11:1-11

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem CEV

M: The Holy Gospel is written in Chapter eleven of the Gospel according to St Mark beginning at verse one.

C: Glory to you O Lord.

M: Jesus and his disciples reached Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. When they were getting close to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ²He told them, “Go into the next village. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here. ³If anyone asks why you are doing that, say, ‘The Lord^a needs it and will soon bring it back.’ ”

⁴The disciples left and found the donkey tied near a door that faced the street. While they were untying it, ⁵some of the people standing there asked, “Why are you untying the donkey?” ⁶They told them what Jesus had said, and the people let them take it.

⁷The disciples led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back, and Jesus got on. ⁸Many people spread clothes on the road, while others went to cut branches from the fields.^b

⁹In front of Jesus and behind him, people went along shouting,

Hooray! God bless the one
who comes in the name of the Lord!

¹⁰God bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David

Hooray for God in heaven above!”

¹¹After Jesus had gone to Jerusalem, he went into the temple and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went back to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

This is the Word of the Lord

C: Praise to You O Christ.

Psalm 118:1,2, 19-29

R: The Psalm is Psalm 118.

¹Tell the LORD how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful.

C: ²Let Israel shout, “God is always merciful!”

R:.¹⁹Open the gates of justice! I will enter and tell the LORD how thankful I am.

C: ²⁰Here is the gate of the LORD! Everyone who does right may enter this gate.

R: ²¹I praise the LORD for answering my prayers and saving me.

C: ²²The stone that the builders tossed aside has now become the most important stone.

R: ²³The LORD has done this, and it is amazing to us.

C: ²⁴This day belongs to the LORD! Let’s celebrate and be glad today.

R: ²⁵We’ll ask the LORD to save us! We’ll sincerely ask the LORD to let us win.

C: ²⁶God bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD! We praise you from here in the house of the LORD.

R: ²⁷The LORD is our God, and he has given us light! Start the celebration! March with palm branches all the way to the altar.

C: ²⁸The LORD is my God! I will praise him and tell him how thankful I am.

R: ²⁹Tell the LORD how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful.

C: Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The branches are distributed.

M: Let us go forward in peace

Daughter of Zion

LH 733 CAL293

Tochier Zion, Irene dich
Heinrich Ranke 1797—1876 Tr. Hermann Braeckner and others

1. Daughter of Zion, 0 rejoice!
Shout aloud, Jerusalem!
See, your King now comes to you;
yes, he comes, the Prince of peace.

Daughter of Zion, 0 rejoice!
Shout aloud, Jerusalem!

2. Hail, hosanna, David’s Son,

come and bless your people now.

Your eternal kingdom come;

praise be sung to you on high.
Hail, hosanna, David’s Son,
come and bless your people now.

3. Hail, hosanna, David’s Son,

welcome, Jesus, gentle King.

Firmly stands your throne of peace,

you the Father’s only Son.
Hail, hosanna, David’s Son,
welcome, Jesus, gentle King.

LITURGY OF THE PASSION

Opening sentence

M: The hour has come

C: for the Son of Man to be glorified.

(John 12:23)

PREPARATION

M: In the name of the Father and of the Son † and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

M: Friends in Christ:

Let us confess our sins to God our Father and ask him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us.

C: We confess that we are born in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.

We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done

and by what we have failed to do.

We have not loved you with our whole heart,

and we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.

We deserve your eternal punishment.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.

Forgive us, renew us, and lead us,

so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways,

to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

M: As a called and ordained servant of the word, I announce the grace of God to all of you. On behalf of my Lord Jesus Christ, and by his command, I forgive the sins of all of you who repent and believe,

in the name of the Father and of the Son † and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you.

C: Amen.

Liturgy of the word

GREETING

M: The Lord be with you.

C: And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

M: Let us pray for humility.

C: Loving Father of all, your only Son came as a servant and was obedient all the way to his death on the cross.
Make us humble like Christ, and bring us to be with him in his glory.
For he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Isaiah 50:4-9a CEV

The obedience of the Lord’s servant

R: The first Reading for the Sunday of the Passion is written in Chapter 50 of Isaiah, beginning at Verse 4

⁴The LORD God gives me the right words to encourage the weary. Each morning he awakens me eager to learn his teaching; ⁵he made me willing to listen and not rebel or run away. ⁶I let them beat my back and pull out my beard. I didn’t turn aside when they insulted me and spit in my face. ⁷But the LORD God keeps me from being disgraced. So I refuse to give up, because I know God will never let me down. ⁸My protector is nearby; no one can stand here to accuse me of wrong. ⁹The LORD God will help me and prove I am innocent.

This is the Word of the Lord

C: Thanks be to God

Psalm 31:9-16

R: The Psalm is Psalm 31.

⁹Have pity, LORD! I am hurting and almost blind. My whole body aches.

C: ¹⁰I have known only sorrow all my life long, and I suffer year after year. I am weak from sin, and my bones are limp.

R: ¹¹My enemies insult me. Neighbours are even worse, and I disgust my friends. People meet me on the street, and they turn and run.

C: ¹²I am completely forgotten like someone dead. I am merely a broken dish.

R:¹³I hear the crowds whisper, “Everyone is afraid!” They are plotting and scheming to murder me.

C: ¹⁴But I trust you, LORD, and I claim you as my God.

R: ¹⁵My life is in your hands. Save me from enemies who hunt me down.

C: ¹⁶Smile on me, your servant. Have pity and rescue me.

Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit;

As it was in the beginning is now, and will be for ever. Amen

SECOND READING

Philippians 2:5-11 CEV

Christ – obedient servant and exalted Lord

R: The Second Reading is written in Chapter 2 of Philippians, beginning at Verse 5

⁵ think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: ⁶Christ was truly God.

But he did not try to remain equal with God. ⁷He gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us. ⁸Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross. ⁹Then God gave Christ the highest place and honoured his name above all others.

¹⁰So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. ¹¹And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, “Jesus Christ is Lord!”

This is the Word of the Lord

C: Thanks be to God

Were you there?

C: ♫Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when he rose from out the tomb?

GOSPEL

Mark 15:1-47 CEV

Jesus’ suffering and death

M: The Holy Gospel is written in Chapter 15 of the Gospel according to St Mark, beginning at verse 1.

C: Glory to You O Lord

Early the next morning the chief priests, the nation’s leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses met together with the whole Jewish council. They tied up Jesus and led him off to Pilate.

²He asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Those are your words,” Jesus answered.

³The chief priests brought many charges against Jesus. ⁴Then Pilate questioned him again, “Don’t you have anything to say? Don’t you hear what crimes they say you have done?” ⁵But Jesus did not answer, and Pilate was amazed.

⁶During Passover, Pilate always freed one prisoner chosen by the people. ⁷And at that time there was a prisoner named Barabbas. He and some others had been arrested for murder during a riot. ⁸The crowd now came and asked Pilate to set a prisoner free, just as he usually did.

⁹Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” ¹⁰Pilate knew that the chief priests had brought Jesus to him because they were jealous. ¹¹But the chief priests told the crowd to ask Pilate to free Barabbas.

¹²Then Pilate asked the crowd, “What do you want me to do with this man you say is the king of the Jews?”

¹³They yelled, “Nail him to a cross!”

¹⁴Pilate asked, “But what crime has he done?” “Nail him to a cross!” they yelled even louder.

¹⁵Pilate wanted to please the crowd. So he set Barabbas free. Then he ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him to a cross.

¹⁶The soldiers led Jesus inside the courtyard of the fortress and called together the rest of the troops. ¹⁷They put a purple robe on him, and on his head they placed a crown that they had made out of thorn branches.

¹⁸They made fun of Jesus and shouted, “Hey, you king of the Jews!” ¹⁹Then they beat him on the head with a stick. They spit on him and knelt down and pretended to worship him.

²⁰When the soldiers had finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the purple robe. They put his own clothes back on him and led him off to be nailed to a cross. ²¹Simon from Cyrene happened to be coming in from a farm, and they forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.

²²The soldiers took Jesus to Golgotha, which means “Place of a Skull.” ²³There they gave him some wine mixed with a drug to ease the pain, but he refused to drink it.

²⁴They nailed Jesus to a cross and gambled to see who would get his clothes. ²⁵It was about nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed him to the cross. ²⁶On it was a sign that told why he was nailed there. It read, “This is the King of the Jews.” ^27-28The soldiers also nailed two criminals on crosses, one to the right of Jesus and the other to his left.

²⁹People who passed by said terrible things about Jesus. They shook their heads and shouted, “Ha! So you’re the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days. ³⁰Save yourself and come down from the cross!”

³¹The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses also made fun of Jesus.

They said to each other, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. ³²If he is the Messiah, the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross! Then we will see and believe.” The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus.

³³About noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until around three o’clock. ³⁴Then about that time Jesus shouted, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means,

“My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”

³⁵Some of the people standing there heard Jesus and said, “He is calling for Elijah.” ³⁶One of them ran and grabbed a sponge. After he had soaked it in wine, he put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus. He said, “Let’s wait and see if Elijah will come and take him down!” ³⁷Jesus shouted and then died.

³⁸At once the curtain in the temple tore in two from top to bottom.

³⁹A Roman army officer was standing in front of Jesus. When the officer saw how Jesus died, he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”

^40-41Some women were looking on from a distance. They had come with Jesus to Jerusalem. But even before this they had been his followers and had helped him while he was in Galilee. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joseph were two of these women. Salome was also one of them.

⁴²It was now the evening before the Sabbath, and the Jewish people were getting ready for that sacred day. ⁴³A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. Joseph was a highly respected member of the Jewish council, and he was also waiting for God’s kingdom to come. ⁴⁴Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, and he called in the army officer to find out if Jesus had been dead very long. ⁴⁵After the officer told him, Pilate let Joseph have Jesus’ body.

⁴⁶Joseph bought a linen cloth and took the body down from the cross. He had it wrapped in the cloth, and he put it in a tomb that had been cut into solid rock. Then he rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb.

⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph were watching and saw where the body was placed.

This is the Gospel of the Lord

C:Praise to you, O Christ

M: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for suffering and dying for us.
Remember us and save us.

C: Amen.

APOSTLE’S CREED

C: 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 Spirit, 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 sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty,

from thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen

*or: Christian; ‘catholic’ here means ‘universal’

Jesus Christ, our blessed Saviour

LHS 281 CAL 293

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Based on Jesus Christus, nostra salus

Johann Hus (c.1370-1415)

Tr. ‘The Lutheran Hymnal’ (St. Louis), 1942

Revised, Hymnal Compilers

1. Jesus Christ, our blessed Saviour,

Turned away God’s wrath for ever;

He, by bitter grief and woe,

Rescued us from the evil foe.

2. As His pledge of love undying

He, this precious food supplying,

Gives His body with the bread,

With the wine gives the blood He shed.

3. Praise the Father, throned in heaven,

Who to us such food has given,

Who has offered up His Son

For our sin and our guilt to atone.

4. If your heart this faith possesses,

And your mouth this truth confesses,

You a welcome guest will be,

And the Lord shall be host to You.

SERMON

Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray v. 1,2,5

LHS 840 CAL 293

Henry E. Jacobs 1844-1932, alt.

1. Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray

that we may feast on you today;

beneath these forms of bread and wine

enrich us with your grace divine.

2. Give us, who share this wondrous food,

your body broken and your blood,

the grateful peace of sin forgiven,

the certain joy of heirs of heaven.

5. Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray:

O keep us steadfast till that day,

that each may be your welcomed guest

when you will spread your heavenly feast.

OFFERING PRAYER

C: Thank you, loving Father, that your Son was obedient all the way to the cross,
and suffered and died for us.
Make us humble and self-giving,
serving others as he served us.
Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

M: Jesus willingly submitted to suffer in our place. Let us pray to God our Father, and place in his hands the suffering of the world.

We pray for the church, that we may bear our cross and follow Jesus.

This is our prayer: