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Worship

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Where On Earth Are You? -- Job 23:1-9, 16-17, Hebrews 4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 1999
Call To WorshipLeader: Where are you when we need you, God?
You Upstart! -- Job 38:1-7 (34-41), Hebrews 5:1-10, Mark 10:35-45 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 -- Job 42:1-6, 10-17, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 10:46-52 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - B -- 1999
First Lesson: Job 42:1-6, 10-17 Theme: Seeing For Ourselves
Secure -- Ruth 1:1-18, Hebrews 9:11-14, Mark 12:28-34 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
Strategy -- Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
A Sad Heart -- 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25, Mark 13:1-8 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
Calling Your Name? -- 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20), 2 Corinthians 4:5-12, Mark 2:23--3:6 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship Leader: Who is calling your name?
Listen To Their Voice -- 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15) -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
On The Heart -- 1 Samuel 15:34--16:13, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13) 14-17, Mark 4:26-34 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
The Lion's Paw -- 1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49, 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Mark 4:35-41 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship Leader: Who is your Goliath?
Lion Friendship -- 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27, 2 Corinthians 8:7-15, Mark 5:21-43 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship Leader: By what qualities do we measure a friendship as strong as lions?
Kin -- 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
I Will Be Your God -- Jeremiah 31:31-34, Romans 3:19-28, John 8:31-36 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Reformation Sunday - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
At The Root -- Joel 2:21-27, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Matthew 6:25-33 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
I Will Not Leave You -- 2 Kings 2:1-12 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1999
Call To WorshipLeader: Join me in this conversation about change: You must stay here.
Trinity Sunday -- Isaiah 6:1-8, Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 1999
First Lesson: Isaiah 6:1-8Theme: Whoa!Call To Worship
In These Days -- Luke 2:1-20 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 1999
Call To WorshipLeader: In those days, things were different from these days:
Called By A New Name -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:22-40 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - B -- 1999
Call To Worship Leader: God calls us out of our silence.
Firstborn -- Jeremiah 31:7-14, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 1:1-18 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 1999
Call To Worship
Clothed For Salvation -- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1998
Second Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11Theme: Clothed For Salvation
In A Few Things -- Matthew 25:14-30 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1998
Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30Theme: In A Few ThingsCall To Worship
Prayer 1 -- Haskell M. Miller -- 1998
Dear Creator And Sustainer:
Prayer 2 -- Haskell M. Miller -- 1998
Dear Wise And Purposeful One:
Prayer 3 -- Haskell M. Miller -- 1998
Dear Mysterious Presence:
Prayer 4 -- Haskell M. Miller -- 1998
Dear Caring God:

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Drama

Sermon

SermonStudio

The Power Of A Song -- Gary L. Carver -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2003
Paul Duke tells the story of a white man who during the racial turmoil of the 1960s visited the area
In Fact -- 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Easter Day - C -- 2003
On first reading of Paul's message to the Corinthians, two parts stand out: The first is a phrase, "
Alpha Dog -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
Today we begin the first of six Sundays of revelation, that is, The Revelation to John.1 Many shy aw
Dog Song -- Revelation 5:11-14 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
What is it about the inner song that sings us? Is it a connecting with the singing of angels?
Planted Paws -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
Leader Dog Treasure, Dee's second dog guide, developed a unique method of winter guiding when the te
Vocabulary Building -- Revelation 21:1-6 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
Just like that, everything changes.
Red Light, Green Light -- Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
Only in a farming community would it happen ...
The Tantalizing "Come" -- Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2003
More than anything else, Edward wanted God to forgive Keith.
The Multitasking Church -- 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 -- Robert S. Crilley -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 2003
For the next six Sundays we will be looking at passages from the concluding chapters of the First Le
Not Just Any Body, Christ's Body -- 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a -- Robert S. Crilley -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - C -- 2003
Let me offer you a hypothetical situation.
Losing That Loving Feeling -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Robert S. Crilley -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2003
The thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians is not only the most memorable passage that the Apostle
Sharing What We Have Been Shown -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Robert S. Crilley -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - C -- 2003
This passage is not exactly gossip, although it comes pretty close.
The Son Also Rises -- 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 -- Robert S. Crilley -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - C -- 2003
When it comes to the resurrection, one of the things that all of the Gospel writers agree upon is th
Revised And Amended By The Author Of Life -- 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50 -- Robert S. Crilley -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - C -- 2003
The celebrated theologian and novelist Frederick Buechner once remarked that preaching is like doing
A Labor Not In Vain -- 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 -- Robert S. Crilley -- Epiphany 8 | Ordinary Time 8 - C -- 2003
According to the book of Acts, when Saul set out toward Damascus with his satchel of arrest warrants
In A Land Of Faithfulness -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Good Friday - C -- 2003
Good Friday is about faithfulness that happens because of forgiveness.
Lessons From A Dog Guide -- Robert S. Crilley -- 2003
Introduction
Incarnation With A Wagging Tail -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2003
Once there was a dog guide named Leader Dog Dolley.
High-tension Wire -- Philippians 3:17--4:1 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Second Sunday in Lent - C -- 2003
A two-lane state highway bisects the little town of Hemingford in western Nebraska.
Moment By Moment -- 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Third Sunday in Lent - C -- 2003
The Christmas-Easter-only people do have a point.
Salvation's From And For -- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2003
Despite the zest to adapt when things go amiss with the human body or the mind, a self-alienation an
Season Of Beginnings -- Philippians 3:4b-14 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2003
Tangerine peelings and coffee grounds, Peanut shells and faded daffodils,
In Tandem -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2003
Have you ever ridden a bicycle built for two?
Free To Choose -- Robert S. Crilley, Dallas A. Brauninger, Gary L. Carver -- 2003
Foreword
Search For Serendipity -- Robert S. Crilley, Dallas A. Brauninger, Gary L. Carver -- 2003
Foreword

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Corpus Christi -- Exodus 24:3-8, Hebrews 9:11-15, Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Exodus 24:3-8
The Resurrection Of Our Lord (Easter Day) -- Acts 10:34-43, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Easter Day - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Acts 10:34-43 (C, RC, E)
Second Sunday Of Easter -- Acts 4:32-35, 1 John 1:1--2:2, John 20:19-31 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS Lesson 1: Acts 4:32-35 (C, RC)
Third Sunday Of Easter -- Acts 3:12-19, 1 John 3:1-7, Luke 24:36b-48 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Acts 3:12-19 (C); Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 (RC)
Fourth Sunday Of Easter -- Acts 4:5-12, 1 John 3:16-24, John 10:11-18 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Acts 4:5-12 (C); Acts 4:8-12 (RC)
Fifth Sunday Of Easter -- Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21, John 15:1-8 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Acts 8:26-40 (C, E)
Sixth Sunday Of Easter -- Acts 10:44-48, 1 John 5:1-6, John 15:9-17 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Seventh Sunday Of Easter -- Acts 1:15-17, 21-26, 1 John 5:9-13, John 17:6-19 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Second Sunday After The Epiphany -- 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20), 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, John 1:43-51 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Third Sunday After The Epiphany -- Jonah 3:1-5, 10, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 (C, RC)
Fourth Sunday After The Epiphany -- Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 (C, RC, E)
Fifth Sunday After The Epiphany -- Isaiah 40:21-31, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, Mark 1:29-39 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Isaiah 40:21-31 (C)
Sixth Sunday After The Epiphany -- 2 Kings 5:1-14, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Mark 1:40-45 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: 2 Kings 5:1-14 (C); 2 Kings 5:1-15 (E)
Seventh Sunday After The Epiphany -- Isaiah 43:18-25, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22, Mark 2:1-12 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Eighth Sunday After The Epiphany -- Hosea 2:14-20, 2 Corinthians 3:1-6, Mark 2:13-22 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Epiphany 8 | Ordinary Time 8 - B -- 1999
Lesson 1: Hosea 2:14-20 (C); Hosea 2:16-17, 21-22 (RC); Hosea 2:14-23 (E)
The Epiphany Of Our Lord -- Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Isaiah 60:1-6 (C, RC); Isaiah 60:1-6, 9 (E)
Good Friday -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Good Friday - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Isaiah 52:13„53:12 (C, RC, E)
First Sunday In Lent -- Genesis 9:8-17, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:9-15 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Genesis 9:8-17 (C, E); Genesis 9:8-15 (RC)
Second Sunday In Lent -- Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, Romans 4:13-25, Mark 8:31-38 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 (C)
Third Sunday In Lent -- Exodus 20:1-17, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, John 2:13-22 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Exodus 20:1-17 (C, RC, E)
Fourth Sunday In Lent -- Numbers 21:4-9, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:14-21 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Numbers 21:4-9 (C)
Fifth Sunday In Lent -- Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 5:5-10, John 12:20-33 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Jeremiah 31:31-34 (C, RC, E)
Maundy Thursday/Holy Thursday -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
The Nativity Of Our Lord -- Isaiah 9:2-7, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-20 -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Sunday Of The Passion -- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Mark 14:1--15:47, Mark 15:1-39 (40-47) -- E. Carver Mcgriff -- Passion Sunday - B -- 1999
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONSLesson 1: Isaiah 50:4-9a (C); Isaiah 50:4-7 (RC)

Pages

Stories

SermonStudio

Mystery -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
A certain magician worked on a cruise ship between New York City and Bermuda.
Narcissism -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
According to Ovid's version of an old Greek legend, a nymph named Liriope was ravaged by a river-god
Ostracize -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
In ancient Greece, a method was developed to handle a dangerous or unpopular citizen considered to b
Park -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
Common words have an uncommon history. Take the word park, for example.
Patience -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
"Where is God's home?" asked the church school teacher of the children seated in front of her.
Pause -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
When Leonardo da Vinci was painting the scene of Jesus' last supper, on a dining room wall in a cert
Pillars of Hercules -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
Pillars of Hercules was the name ancient Greeks gave to two rocks on either side of the Strait of Gi
Poor -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," said Jesus.
Possibilities -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
"You are a promise, you are a possibility," sang the children in our Vacation Church School last sum
Prepare -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
Long ago and far away there lived a court jester named Giacomo.
Problem -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
"I'm the head of my house," announced one recently-married husband to another.
Procrastinate -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
When I was a boy, I met Connie Mack at old Shibe Park.
Pure -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
When the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson was in old age, he asked his son, who was to be the exec
Rainbow -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
When people have been brought through the seriousness of a great illness and then reflect on their l
Reckon -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
"Man of La Mancha" is the musical adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes' novel, Don Quixote, written bet
Repent -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
A member of the Episcopal Church approached her priest and said, "Father, my dog died this morning a
Resurrection -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
In 1908, near La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France, a human body was discovered in a cave.
Seeds -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
A group of ministers and a salesmen's organization were holding conventions in the same hotel.
Shadow -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
In the lands of the East, a person's shadow has greater significance than in our scientifically orie
Shalom -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
Shalom is a beautiful and melodic Hebrew word which comes from the root "slm" signifying wholeness,
Star Trek -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
"Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" is the third motion picture to grow out of the television seri
Stars and Sorrows -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
"The Lord ... heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Stars and Stables -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
In 1899, a boy named Jeno was born in Budapest, Hungary.
Stars -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
In a small monastery there was a little monk who was extremely shy.
Thanksgiving Letters -- Edward Chinn -- 1987
During the Depression of the 1930's, Dr. William L.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Lent 5
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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Christopher Keating
Mary Austin
George Reed
For March 29, 2026:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sandra Herrmann
The work of salvation is embodied in the crucifixion and death of Jesus. That, all Christians are agreed upon. But how does that work? Jesus is obedient to God, undergoing torture and a horrible death, naked and in public view. Unless someone will come forward and claim the body after the crucifixion is over, it will be disposed of like garbage, literally: it will be thrown in the garbage pit outside of Jerusalem and slaked with lime to hold down the smell of the decaying flesh and hurry the process of tissue breakdown.
Perhaps we lose the punch of the imagery of "servant" in the Bible when we in our day view on cable television a movie like Remains of the Day. Watching the ever meticulous and loyal Anthony Hopkins prepare a table for dinner in a British palatial estate enables us to see what the ideal servant should do, how he should dress and act and talk, and how he should close his ears to whatever conversation takes place between host and guest.
R. Craig Maccreary
I suspect that most preachers will not be looking for ways to dive headlong into lifting up the passion as the centerpiece of their homiletical offering for this Sunday. No doubt there are good reasons to avoid wandering off the usual beaten path of the Palm Sunday parade: the palms, on order for a year, beckon to be taken home and folded into family Bibles as bookmarks; the children wait to have the promise fulfilled that they will be able to act up a bit in the parade of palms with a passion that is not usually permitted; and the choir has practiced for months.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
When Jesus died, the centurion who crucified him said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" Let us worship God's Son in all our activities today.


Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, forgive us when we fail to recognise you in other people.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, forgive us when we let ourselves down.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, forgive us for all those occasions when we crucify you afresh.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

Bryan Meadows
David O. Bales
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Upwards Motion" by Bryan Meadows
"Is It Truth?" by David Bales


What's Up This Week
Judy Sepsey
David O. Bales


Contents
"In the Arms of Love" by Judy Sepsey
"Mother of Judas" by David O. Bales


* * * * * * * *


Introducing Judy Sepsey

SermonStudio

David O. Bales
The novel The Ugly American is based upon facts of how Americans related to people in Southeast Asia. The insensitivity and arrogance of American government officials was generally depressing. One chapter of the novel, however, is particularly inspiring. An American woman, Emma Atkins, has come with her engineer husband to the fictional nation of Sarkhan. Emma is a curious, good-hearted person and she soon notices that in their small village all the older people are permanently bent over.
Lee Griess
Different churches celebrate Palm Sunday in different ways. At one church in Chicago, there is a tradition for worshipers to gather outside the church. Palm branches are distributed, and when the time comes, another group of worshipers emerge from the front doors playing instruments and together they march around the block, singing the songs of Palm Sunday. One year as the procession made its way around the block of the church building, a young man living in an apartment across the street, threw open the window and in his pajamas shouted, "What's all this noise?
Mark Ellingsen
God simply does not seem to do the sort of things we would expect our God to do. He does not always give us what we want. Most of us do not have everything we had hoped and dreamed for in life. He does not always answer our prayers. After all, we have all lost loved ones.
Robert J. Elder
Preachers often wonder what to do with Palm Sunday. Frequently the day is given to a celebration of Jesus' triumphal procession into Jerusalem.

Sometimes, though, worship provides a different offering, given the alternate title of Passion Sunday, leaving behind the pomp and celebration of Palm Sunday for a hard look at the events of the coming week, the last supper, the betrayal, the crucifixion, the burial in the tomb. It is because we know about the passion that is coming that preachers always wonder what to do with the happy celebration of Palm Sunday.
Albert G. Butzer, III
One of the harsh realities of the life of faith is feeling abandoned by God. Sooner or later most of us will experience what college chaplain Will Willimon once called "vacant places of the heart when God seems far away, remote."1 We often hear people say, "I come to church to celebrate the presence of God in my life," which is true for many people much of the time. But if we listen carefully we will hear others say:

I come to church to try to find what's missing in my life.
I come hoping that Someone will shed some light on my darkness.
Bill Mosley
Things are hardly ever the way they appear and certainly not on Calvary's hill. The Passion story from Luke makes the turning tables graphically clear. The king is crucified. The court of law is not legal. Justice is not done. Even the Roman governor can find no crime in this man. The evidence is compromised. Everything points the other way. So why does Jesus have to die?
Dallas A. Brauninger
First Lesson: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Theme: Like Flint

Call To Worship

He, who could tenderly sustain the weary with a word, was about to be clobbered. He knew it. He did not run. He faced it. He turned his own other cheek.

Collect

We stand together with you, O Parent of Jesus, through the unholy events of this holy week. We stand with you as you wait with your own face set like flint as you hear him cry out to you on the cross.

Prayer Of Confession
Beverly S. Bailey
Hymns
At The Name Of Jesus (PH148, UM168, CBH342)
All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name (PH142, 143, CBH106, NCH304)
He Is Lord (UM177)
Blessed Be The Tie That Binds (CBH421)
Go To Dark Gethsemane (PH97, CBH240)        
He Never Said A Mumblin' Word (PH85)
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna (UM27, PH89, NCH213)
Mantos y Palmas/Filled With Excitement (UM279, NCH214)
All Glory, Laud, And Honor (PH90, NCH216)

Anthems
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna, Kenyon, Agape, handbells

CSSPlus

Good morning, boys and girls. Everyone here this morning has taken an elevator ride before, right? (Let them answer.) Have you ever gotten on an elevator that was going down, (point down) and you wanted to go up, (point up) so you went down (point down) to go up (point up)? That's what we are going to do this morning. Only our elevator is an imaginary one.
Good morning! Today I brought a sign with me. Can someone tell me what it says? (Have one of the older children read it.) Now why do you think I brought this with me this morning? (Let them answer.) I brought this with me because it is very similar to the sign they put on Jesus' cross. (Here you can recap the Passion Sunday reading.)
Good morning! I brought two pictures to show you today. Here
is a picture of Jesus having a dinner with his friends (show the
picture), and here is one of Jesus suffering on the cross (show
the picture). Now, if you were Jesus, which of these two things
would you rather be doing? (Let them answer.) Yes, of course. If
any of us were given that choice, we would rather be doing
anything other than suffering on a cross. In fact, I doubt that
there is anything that would convince one of us to allow

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