Good morning, church!
Today we observe the Sixth Sunday of Lent, also known as the Fourth Sunday of the Quarantine. (Good Lord, I hope we don’t have to get into double digits here…)
It is Palm Sunday, also called the Sunday of the Passion. In ordinary times we have full church services today as we prepare for Holy Week. These are not ordinary times, I don’t need to remind you of that. You will find worship resources here in this email and attached. The PDF includes lyrics of the songs. Please join us for the Facebook Live service at 10:00 a.m. You don’t need to be a Facebook user in order to get access. Just go on our website, click the icon for Facebook (F) and join us. It is as simple as that.
A few important things for today:
- In conjunction with stricter social distancing rules and in order to keep everyone healthy, we are no longer gathering in small groups in the Sanctuary for the Facebook Live services. Instead, we are using technology to bring in people from various locations. For this Sunday we pre-recorded several music pieces. You will hear Paul Baloche’s rendition of the Hosanna, sung by Mia Woods.; the traditional Palm Sunday hymn “All glory, laud and honor,” sung by Roy Schmidt and Mia Woods; and “the Palms,” sung by Roy Schmidt. These pre-recorded pieces will be broadcast at various times in the Facebook Live stream.
- Expect a few delays and glitches. We have worked on this all week long and feel pretty comfortable with it now. We want to thank Brian Brenfleck and his family for guiding us through the technology and solving (keep your fingers crossed!) the various challenges that come with the territory whenever you try new technology. Our Worship Team for this week consists of Kirsten Olson and Roy Schmidt, Brian Brenfleck, Jennifer Bodolus, Martha Heinze, Mia Woods, and the Wagner family. All but Martha and Jenn will be zoomed in from their homes.
- After the service (10 a.m.), you may drive to church and pick up palms, distributed safely by Martha Heinze in the church parking lot. (From 11:00 until 11:45 a.m.) Please enter from Church Street (the upper parking lot) and exit via Montgomery Ave (lower parking lot). There will also be a place where you can drop your offering, the famous miniature church, set up for drive-through donations!
- As we continue church through these unprecedented times, with our staff working no less than before, please remember to send in your offerings. Many people are using their envelopes to mail-in donations, which is wonderful. The mail gets checked every day. You can also use the on-line donation link on our home page. And remember: we will get through this, no doubt.
- We will have one extra service this coming week, on Good Friday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m., again via Facebook Live and with emailed worship resources. More about this tomorrow.
Many blessings to you today. Virtual hugs from your pastor!
Andreas Wagner
Palm Sunday Virtual Service
Greeting: Mia
Opening Prayer:
Martha: Dear heavenly father, This year is unlike other years, But like every year we bring palm branches to your church. We remember Jesus’ walk to Jerusalem, His entrance to the Holy City, His week of suffering and dying, And the fickle responses of the people, Unsteady and brittle, like leaves in the wind.
Roy: Dear Jesus, This year is unlike other years, And so we come to you with our worries and concerns: For friends and family, for neighbors and those on the frontlines, For people in urban centers like New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, For the poor in the slums of the world’s mega cities, For the elderly and vulnerable: Have mercy on us, all of us!
Mia: Dear Spirit of God, This is not an ordinary year, So please give us wisdom and give us strength, Give us compassion and give us your healing power, Give us the heart and humility to learn From our mistakes and shortfalls. Help us grow from this disaster As a human family. Come, Holy Spirit, and bless us with your healing power! Amen
Music: Hosanna by Paul Baloche, sung by Mia
Reading: Philippians 2: 5-11, read by Roy
5In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Gospel: Matthew 21: 1-11, read by Mia
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” ”Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Hymn: ELW 344 All Glory, Laud, and Honor
Message: Pastor Wagner
Music: The Palms by Faure, led by Roy Schmidt
Blessing of the Palms The palms are set in a vase on a table in the front of the church.
Jenn and Martha: These palm branches remind us of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. We bless these palms for all who are going to struggle in the coming weeks. We bless these branches for all who are going to offer help to others. We bless these branches for all who are getting bored and for all who are overwhelmed. May these branches be a sign of hope in times of uncertainty, May these branches be a sign of Christ in times when the church is scattered. May these branches remind us of the opportunities And blessings that we also experience Now and in days to come. Amen. (invitation to pick up palm branches between 11 and 11:30 a.m.)
Prayers:
Martha: Dear Lord, in this time of crisis and quarantine, we pray especially for those in our community who live isolated in Nursing Homes, apart from their family and loved ones and separated even from their neighbors in the dining room. Bless them during these trying times!
Jenn: Dear Lord, in this time that is unlike other times we have experienced, help us to be patient and careful. Bless especially those who serve the sick, who administer medication, who work in hospitals and Emergency Rooms. Keep them safe and help them to keep us safe. Bless them during these trying times!
Martha: Dear Lord, we pray for the poor of the world who are much more vulnerable to this disease, who often share small living spaces, drink unclean water and have little access to healthcare. We are saddened that we haven’t found ways to make the world more just for all. Be with them and bless them during these trying times!
Jenn: Dear Lord, we pray for our leaders on the national and local level. Help them make the right decisions for public health. We pray for all educators who are trying very hard to provide a good education for children and for people in college. Be with them and bless them during these trying times!
Closing from the Wagner residence
Person One: God says: Be still and know that I am God.
Person Two: Be still and know that I am.
Person Three: Be still and know.
Person Four: Be still.
Person Five: Be.
Lord’s Prayer
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 them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Benediction May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand. Amen