Hybrid Church, Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022, Rev. Karen Hollis

Hybrid Church, Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022

Rev. Karen Hollis

Musician: Steve Smith

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here!

Preparing Ourselves for Worship

How ever you are coming to this worship service, may you experience the presence of God in the celebration of this day. As we learn how to worship again in a new way, you’re invited to bring intentionality to your personal practice of worship. Perhaps draw on your inner tools for bringing yourself into God’s presence or (if you’re at home) choose a space and bring in objects (candle, Bible, elements from nature) that help make the environment worshipful for you.

Greeting
One:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, 

          and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:     And also with you

Call to Worship  -  enfleshed

Hosanna!

Praise the prophet, Jesus, who rides not a warhorse, but a colt of peace. Praise to our teacher who comes our way with the gospel of solidarity.

Hosanna!

Save us from the ways of destruction, Living Christ!

Save our spirits from being sunk by war, loss, and darkness!

Hosanna!

Praise the Holy who comes in the name of Righteous Peace!

Praise the Holy who comes in the name of Radical Love!

Opening Prayer  - enfleshed

Living Christ, you see no person as collateral damage, but as Wholly Beloved. We yearn to be saved from systems of evil that steal our birthright for flourishing. Weep with us for what we have lost through violence, our own mistakes, and the inevitable grief of life. With green branches and shouts of praise, we welcome your ways of peace and liberation. Amen.

Hymn: Ride on in Majesty v. 1,2,4 (organ)  -  VU #127

1 Ride on! Ride on in majesty!

Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry;

O Saviour meek, pursues thy road

with palms and scattered garments strowed.

2 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.

4 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 power, and reign.

Prayer of Confession  -   Gathering UCC, adapted

Let us bring our whole selves before God most loving . . . 

Great Spirit, Lover of life, Creator of beauty and wonder, even as we wave our palms, we know what lies ahead: we know that we may fail to be present with you through this week, we may leave out the truth that we know you, we may look away from the cross. We may lose heart with ourselves and blame others as the way gets harder. When we buckle under the weight of our brokenness, 

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy.                             

Silent Confession

Assurance of Grace

If there is one thing we gain from this week, let it be knowledge in length to which God will go to love us and claim us as God’s own. God loves you beyond measure and pours out God’s healing grace to you . . . in abundance! Thanks be to God!    

Passing of the Peace            

The Peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding binds us together in this worship space. Let us share this peace with one another:

Left: The peace of Christ be with you! 

Right/Zoom:   and also with you!

Reader:

By the gift of your Spirit, calm and quiet our souls that we may hear your Word today and be lifted up to walk with you. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen

First Reading: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 (NRSV)

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

his steadfast love endures forever!

       Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever."

Open to me the gates of righteousness, 

that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.

       This is the gate of the LORD;

       the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me 

and have become my salvation.

       The stone that the builders rejected 

       has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

       This is the day that the LORD has made; 

       let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! 

O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!

       Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. 

       We bless you from the house of the LORD.

The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.

       You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; 

       you are my God, I will extol you.

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, 

       for his steadfast love endures forever.

Gospel Reading

Reader:  As is your custom, please stand or sit for the reading of the gospel.   

Reader: God be with you.      

All:         And also with you

Reader: The Good News of Jesus Christ according to Luke

All:         Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 19:28-40 (NRSV) 

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.'" So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They said, "The Lord needs it." Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.

       Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

       All:        Praise be to Jesus Christ       

Reflection       

Silent Reflection

Affirmation of Faith: Apostle’s Creed  - VU #918

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

            creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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 to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

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

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

Prayers of the People  -  Paddy Waymark

One:  Timeless God,

All:    Hear Our Prayers

Lord’s Prayer (sung)  - VU #959

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours

now and for ever. Amen.

Invitation for Offering

On this Palm Sunday, we hear this universal cry for deliverance. We come with curiosity about how we can be part of each other’s stories of salvation. Let us acknowledge our gifts in hopes that we might offer ordinary acts of redemption to each other.

Offering Prayer

Let us pray, Redeeming God, the logic of empire wants us to believe that we are each other’s enemies and that we need to shore up what is ours. Reveal to us the wisdom of your ways, that we might offer one another compassion and resources. Bless our offerings to the salvation found in solidarity.

We Celebrate Communion 

Invitation to Communion:    Iona Abbey Worship Book, adapted                                    

The table of bread and wine is now to be made ready. Come to this table, you who have much faith and you who would like to have more; you who have been here often and you who haven’t been for a long time. Come. This is the table of grace and radical love; it is Christ who invites us to meet him here. 

 

Invitation to Thanksgiving  -  enfleshed, adapted

One:  God be with you.                       

All:   And also with you.

One:  Lift up you hearts.                      

All:    We lift them to God.

One:  Let us give thanks to God Most High.

All:    It is right to give God thanks and praise.

With gratitude, O God, we remember that it is through you we are made truly alive. Every creature and creation – the tiny ones, the scaley ones, the human ones, the leafy ones – all that is has been shaped by you. There is nothing on this earth that has not been touched by your Sacred hand. In your love for us, you claim us – individually and as a whole – as your beloveds. You will for us life abundant and you invite us into co-working with you towards a world where harmony among all life is restored.

In the life of Jesus, Love enfleshed, we are shown that the invitation to join in your work of transforming and healing and restoring is always open. No matter our past. No matter our regrets. No matter the wrong done to us or the wrong we have done to others, you keep calling us back to you.

This relentless invitation of yours that entices with freedom and joy and forgiveness is such a threat to empire that it still attempts to crucify every incarnation of your love today. And so, we are reminded of the example given to us in the person of Jesus.

On the night of his arrest, he gathered around table with his companions. He took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to his disciples and said,

“This is my body which is given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.”

He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying,

“This cup that is poured out is the new covenant.”

And so in remembrance of the One who never gave up on love, we pray that the Spirit would make us one in our commitment to the liberation of all your creatures and creations. Pour out your Spirit on this bread and this cup, that through these ordinary gifts, we might taste a glimpse of your Kindom. May they be for us a reminder of what we are capable of becoming and what we are capable of accomplishing together. Amen.

One:  We break this bread,

All:    Communion in Christ’s body once broken.

One:  The gifts of God for the people of God, given for the life of this

          world. Feed on Christ in your heart through faith with thanksgiving.

All:    Thanks be to God!

One:  Those in the sanctuary are invited to also receive a wafer by

          following these instructions.

Those on the socially distanced side of the sanctuary, please remain seated to be served in the pew. Those on the non-socially distanced side, please keep to your right as you process up behind the communion table to receive and continue around, back to your seat.

Organ Music: -  J.S. Bach

Prayer after Communion

God, we give you thanks for this meal that nourishes us, body and soul. May it sustain us as we confront evil that keeps us from living the lives you intended for us and for all your creatures and creations. Until every life can be lived abundantly, be our guide, be our hope, be our comforter. Amen.

Hymn: Hosanna, Loud Hosanna - (Steve) VU #123

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen

Blessing  -  Iona Community

If you are with another person, you’re invited to bless each other, taking every other line.

One:  The Creator’s blessing be yours on your road, on your journey, guiding you, cherishing you.

Right/Zoom:

          The Son’s blessing be yours, wine and water, bread and stories,

          feeding you, challenging you.

Left:  The Spirit’s blessing be yours, wind and fire, joy and wisdom, comforting you, disturbing you.

All:    The Angel’s blessing be yours, on your house, on your living,   guarding you, encouraging you. Let us walk together, a community on a journey, sustained in God’s blessing. Amen!

One:  Let us go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.

All:    Thanks be to God! Alleluia!

Thank You