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Of Thimbles And Thread -- Ecclesiastes 3:7a -- Lawrence H. Craig, Anthology -- 1994
____________ was a seamstress. Such talent was hers as a hobby.
Welcome To The Banquet -- Isaiah 25:6-9, Revelation 7:9-17 -- Barbara G. Schmitz, Anthology -- 1994
On the night before Jesus died, he gathered with his friends in an upper room.
Let The Children Come To Me -- Psalm 42 -- Mary Venema Swierenga, Anthology -- 1994
____________ graced this earth for three months and four days.
Hallowed Ground -- B. David Hostetter, Anthology -- 1994
This is hallowed groundCreated from nothingBut the thought of God
The Things Which Remain When All Is Lost -- 2 Samuel 12:16-23 -- Thomas A. Pilgrim, Anthology -- 1994
There is a story in the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel which I want to share with you.
Mystery Of Death -- Psalm 121, Psalm 23 -- John A. Terry, Anthology -- 1994
Opening
To The Father's House -- 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-10, John 14:1-6 -- James Mckarns, Anthology -- 1994
The first scripture reading we heard today was written by Paul and sent, in the form of a letter, to
In His Redeemer's Arms -- Mark 10:13-16 -- Charles R. Turbin, Anthology -- 1994
____________ and ____________, friends and loved ones of ____________, dear friends in Christ, grace
There Is No Condemnation -- Jeremiah 29:11-12 -- Deborah D. Steed, Anthology -- 1994
On behalf of the ____________ family, I want to thank you for being here today to remember _________
The March Of Death -- Merlin L. Conrad, Anthology -- 1994
When I was in seminary there was a picture hanging in our library that I will never forget.
The Spirit's Tether -- John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 1993
Young Amos was a servant boy who, as an orphan, had attached himself to the Galilee travelers.
Walking Through A Storm -- Mark 4:35-41 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1993
Simon was in control of the boat. He was the oldest, and besides it was his boat.
Living By Faith And Trust -- Mark 5:21-43 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 1993
Jairus' little daughter was the sweetest child in the whole village. Everyone said so.
Walking The familiar -- Mark 6:1-6 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 1993
There was still a slick of morning moisture covering the path into the town as Eli and Samuel walked
A Solitary Witness -- Mark 6:7-13 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 1993
The raw skin on Marcus' ankle was still bleeding as he began work in Herod's palace.
The Compassionate Highway -- Mark 6:30-34 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 1993
The Compassionate HighwayHer name was Mary. Quite a common name.
Living Water -- John 7:37-39a -- Leonard H. Budd -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 1993
To call it a "wilderness" is not strong enough, not descriptive enough.
God's Descending Spirit -- John 20:19-23 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 1993
Even in the room's darkness Rachel's face was seen streaked with tears.
It's A Small World After All -- Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 -- Leonard H. Budd -- 1993
Lately Jude had spent more and more time with his head resting back against the wall, eyes closed, r
The M And M Factor -- Mark 2:23--3:6 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - B -- 1993
Caleb was probably the laziest boy in the whole village.
Have You Confronted Christ? -- Mark 3:20-35 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 1993
Simon bar Jacob - Simon, son of Jacob - had just finished the pruning of his olive trees, ending wit
Pathway To God's Kingdom -- Mark 4:26-34 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 1993
Jacob knew nothing of the geography that stretched beyond his farmland to the Great Sea.
Sarah And The WECON Council -- John 6:1-5 -- Robert L. Salzgeber -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 1993
"A large crowd followed (Jesus), because they had seen his miracles of healing the sick." Notice the
The Banquet Bowl -- Mark 8:38-43, 45, 47-48 -- Robert L. Salzgeber -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 1993
Jesus is suggesting the utter disproportionate nature of God's grace in the Mark text when he says,
Learning The Basics -- Mark 10:2-16 -- Robert L. Salzgeber -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 1993
The Pharisees came up "to trap Jesus" and they asked him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wif

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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

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
Good morning! Who knows what today is? (get responses) Yes! It's Palm Sunday, which is the last Sunday in Lent. That means that next Sunday is Easter! We've been waiting a long time to celebrate Easter. We're getting close, but we aren't quite ready to celebrate it yet. We still have to tell the story of Jesus' death before we can tell the story of his resurrection.

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