Welcome to our online Palm Sunday worship service. There’s a video of our service and sermon on our church Facebook page.
PALM SUNDAY/SUNDAY OF THE PASSION April 5, 2020
A PALM SUNDAY BEGINNING
Pastor: As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey, and as the children and people waved palms, shouting Hosanna, save us, we pray, so we shout:
People: Hosanna!
Pastor: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
People: Hosanna in the highest!
Pastor: With all God’s children we raise our voices, singing, Hosanna! Loud Hosanna!
OPENING HYMN 443 Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
Hosanna, loud hosanna
The little children sang;
Through pillared court and temple
The lovely anthem rang.
To Jesus, who had blessed them,
Close folded to his breast,
The children sang their praises,
The simplest and the best.
From Olivet they followed
Mid an exultant crowd,
The victory palm branch waving,
And chanting clear and loud.
The Lord of earth and heaven
Rode on in lowly state,
Nor scorned that little children
Should on his bidding wait.
"Hosanna in the highest!"
That ancient song we sing,
For Christ is our Redeemer,
The Lord of heaven, our King.
O may we ever praise him
With heart and life and voice,
And in his blissful presence
Eternally rejoice.
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: O Lord, we come into Your presence, crying out to You,
People: “Hosanna! Lord, save us.”
People: Almighty God, we confess to You that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed. We have not loved You with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Jesus, our Savior, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, that we may delight in Your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your holy name, for we are your children, and we cry out to You, “Hosanna! Lord, save us.” Amen.
Pastor: The Lord has heard your cry for mercy, and has given His only Son to suffer and die for you, and to rise in glory. Therefore I, a called and ordained servant of Christ, forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Pastor: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
People: Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!
PALM SUNDAY PRAYER
Pastor: Let us pray. Most merciful God, as the people greeted Your Son with palms in hand and with shouts of Hosanna as He rode into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey, so grant that we may greet Him with steadfast hearts and faithfully follow Him in the way of the cross which leads to life everlasting; for He lives and reigns, with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Zechariah 9:9 (The prophet foretells the Messiah’s humble ride into Jerusalem.)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
HOLY GOSPEL John 12:12–19 (Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey, as the people praise Him with palms and songs.)
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!”
His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the whole world has gone after him.
Pastor: This is the Gospel of our Lord, who saves us. People: Praise to You, O Christ!
SERMON Hosanna Eyes, Hosanna Hearts!
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you, from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom we cry… Hosanna!
Our sermon series for our midweek Lenten services has been, Eyes on Jesus. Now we transition our Eyes on Jesus theme to Holy Week. Today, we see Jesus with Hosanna Eyes, and praise Him with Hosanna hearts.
Hosanna is one of those words that’s just fun to say and sing. But more than that, it’s a powerful word to live by.
Every time we sing or say or shout this wonderful word, it’s like we’re transported back to that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem; it’s as if we’re there, shouting Hosanna as Jesus is riding by on a lowly donkey, as Zechariah had foretold, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout out loud, O daughter of Jerusalem! See your king coming to you; righteous and having salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
As Jesus rode by the people were waving palms, greeting him like a conquering king, shouting, Hosanna in the highest! They were on the top of the world, and Jesus was at the top of his popularity with them.
But that would change in a few days, as He would be deserted to die alone on a cross, forsaken by the people, and by His Father. For a short time, Jesus was forsaken by God, that we might never be forsaken.
It was there on the cross, that the true meaning of Hosanna came to light. Hosanna! Meaning, save us, we pray. Please, save us.
The people shouted for Jesus to save them, and that’s just what he did, but not in the way they expected.
He didn’t raise an army, or use His miraculous power to throw off Roman tyranny; He died so that He could rise and destroy a far greater, more formidable power, a power that was terrorizing the world long before Rome had, and long after the Roman Empire would cease to exist, the tyranny of sin and the devil, and the inescapable grip of death.
When we cry Hosanna, we’re asking Jesus to save us from the greatest and most deadly of powers, powers that would not just destroy the body, and make earthly life difficult, but powers that would imprison the soul, and make eternal life impossible.
What a powerful thing Jesus did for the world in defeating the world’s greatest enemies, the formidable powers of evil, by His death and resurrection.
What a powerful prayer in just one word: Hosanna! Please Lord, save us. Help us in our troubles, deliver us from the powers that would crush our spirits, steal our souls, and ruin our lives.
Hosanna is the prayer of our lives and the cry of our hearts.
Lord, give us Hosanna eyes to see the world with; give us Hosanna hearts to live our lives by.
If we’ve ever needed Hosanna eyes and hearts, it’s today, in the midst of this global crisis.
When our hearts cry Hosanna, it reminds us that Christ is greater than any crisis, and the Gospel more powerful than any virus.
We have so much power to live by when we live Hosanna lives, when Hosanna isn’t just a fun word we say once and awhile, but is the daily cry of our hearts.
This deadly virus can harm the body, but not the soul that rests in Christ.
How humbled we are, that a tiny little virus can best us, bringing our whole world its knees.
It reminds us of how weak and vulnerable we really are.
Being weak and vulnerable isn’t the problem, though. That can be overcome.
The problem is when we think we’re stronger than we really are. That’s when we become truly vulnerable, spiritually vulnerable.
When we try to do things on our own, things that can done only by God, we’re setting ourselves up for a fall.
Many times in my life I’ve foolishly believed that I was stronger than I was, more capable than I was, wiser than I was, better than I was.
But life has taught me otherwise.
This virus would teach us all how vulnerable we all really are, and how much help we really need.
How humbling and sobering to know that a tiny, hidden virus can show us all up.
Times like this give us all a sad dose of reality. There are so many things in life greater than we are. There’s not a day that we don’t need our hearts to say, Hosanna, Lord save us, we pray!
When we realize how weak we really are, how much we need a keeper and Savior, that’s when we become stronger than we ever imagined we could be, because then, the power of Christ can enter in.
When we repent and look to Gospel, when see our life through Hosanna Eyes, Lord save us eyes, and face our challenges with Hosanna hearts, Lord save us hearts, then we find the strength we need to face and overcome every trouble this fallen world can throw at us.
No deadly virus is too great to shake our confidence in Christ! How amazing, the power the Gospel has for us all!
God wants us to have His power to live by, and to face down our challenges with, so He invites us to cry Hosanna, not just today, Palm Sunday, but every day, to live with Hosanna hearts, Lord save us hearts!
The Gospel is the help we always need, and that God freely gives; it’s the grace He invites us to embrace, the forgiveness that fully restores us, and the power by which can live our lives to His glory.
As we deal with this virus, God would empower us to show the world the glory of His healing, comforting love.
We may be sheltering in place, but there are ways for us to share God’s grace.
James 5:16 promises us that our prayers for the world are powerful and effective.
Pray that God would give you wisdom to know how you can make a difference in your world, your sphere of influence at this trying time. Just your prayers alone make a difference, but there’s more God would have you do.
Use the tools at your disposal, to share a message of comfort and hope in Christ with someone in your life. Make good use of whatever means you have to communicate God’s saving power and love.
Be the voice and hands of Jesus to the people whose lives somehow intersect and connect with yours. Show them that Jesus is mighty to save.
Show them Christ over corona… virus… not beer, although Christ is greater than beer too!
Our world is frightened right now. People need what Christ can give: power for the heart to have no fear, peace for the mind to be calm, mercy for the soul to be forgiven, and salvation for the spirit to rejoice. As our text says, rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.
May Hosanna always be the cry of our hearts; may we always see the world through Hosanna eyes, that the world would know the amazing love of Christ, and make His amazing love known.
Finally, may we all know and rest in His wonderful peace, which passes understanding, and guards our hearts in minds in Christ Jesus, to whom we cry, Hosanna, Lord, save us! Amen.
And now we proclaim God’s grace with the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
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 Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was 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 Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Lord, give us Hosanna eyes and hearts, that we may live in Your grace, and proclaim Your mercy to the world. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: Hosanna! Hear our prayer.
Pastor: Lord, we cry Hosanna, help us. Help our country and our world at this difficult time. Give us Your divine protection, that according to Your good and gracious will, we would be kept from all harm and danger. Give healing to those who have contracted the virus; give to those who have lost loved ones to the virus, the comfort of the Gospel and hope in the glorious resurrection and blessed reunion, that wait for Your faithful children; give strength to those who provide help and care to others medically and in any way; give wisdom to our leaders, and knowledge to those who search for treatments and vaccines. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: Hosanna! Hear our prayer.
Pastor: Dear Lord who save us, as we shelter in place, give us all patience and obedience, keep everyone from harm or abuse of any kind, and help us to use our time and days wisely, prayerfully, and in ways that reflect and communicate your powerful, saving grace for the world. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: Hosanna! Hear our prayer.
Pastor: Lord, we cry hosanna on behalf of all who hurt or suffer in any way, in body, soul, mind, or relationship, including those whom we silently name in our hearts… Give them healing, help and hope, according to Your good and gracious will.
Pastor: Hosanna, O Lord! Remember us in Your Kingdom, and teach us to pray.
All: 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
BENEDICTION
Pastor: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
People: Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!
Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.
People: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN 441 vs. 1-2, 5 “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty”
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry;
O Savior meek, pursue Thy road
With palms and scattered garments strowed.
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die:
O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin
O'er captive death and conquered sin.
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die;
Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain,
Then take, O God, Thy pow'r and reign.
Join us for online worship later this Holy Week as we celebrate Maundy Thursday, and as we remember our Lord’s crucifixion on Good Friday, and then as we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Be well, be safe, and God bless!