GREETING (Adapted from Mark 11:9b-10)
Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!
HYMN 285 “To Mock Your Reign, O Dearest Lord”
PSALM 22
PRAYER
(Consider some of the following concerns for prayers of thanksgiving, intercession, and petition. Follow with your personal prayer list.)
The agony of Jesus on the cross Salvation for our friends and family
The agony of those who watch Jesus die for them Salvation for strangers and enemies
The agony of those who betray Jesus Those who dared to arrest Christ
The ignorance of those who crucify Jesus Those who dared to judge Christ
The enormity of the sacrifice made for us We betrayed him, but he is faithful
The enormity of God’s love for us We judged him, but he offers grace
The eternal life won for us on the cross Our witness of Christ’s salvation
The sin of believers Our witness of Christ’s love
The sin of non-believers _____________________________
The forgiveness of our sin _____________________________
Our forgiveness of others _____________________________
THE LORD'S PRAYER
SCRIPTURE LESSON
(Choose a passage of scripture to read. It can be a chapter, a paragraph, or a particular story. Daily lectionaries are available online or in print that assign a lesson each day from the gospels, epistles, Old Testament and psalms on a three-year cycle. Or you can create a plan to read a book of the Bible, or the whole Bible. Then follow the steps below.)
Read a passage of scripture. Read it out loud, very slowly and carefully as if for the first time. Continue reading until a word, phrase or sentence captures your attention. Stop there to repeat the word, phrase or sentence over and over, listening to it deeply in your heart.
Reflect on why the passage got your attention. Consider the area of your life to which this may apply. Is God saying something to you in this passage? Take time to listen carefully to whatever God may be saying to you.
Respond to God in prayer (or with journaling, music, art or whatever you choose) about what you have heard. Ask questions. Open yourself to God’s will for you.
Rest in God’s company. Be still and quiet. Move beyond thinking, practicing interior silence. Let yourself be open to God’s presence. Savor this moment with God.
PRAYER
God, if I had been one of Jesus’ disciples, watching his arrest,
would I have wielded my sword to defend him?
would I have stood silent as they led him away?
Would I have denied knowing him, as Peter did?
God, if I had been one of Israel’s chief priests, scribes or elders,
would I have called for Jesus to be arrested?
Would I have agreed to put Jesus on trial?
Would I have dared to judge your own Son?
If I had been in the crowd allowed by Pilate to decide Jesus’ fate,
would I have chosen Barabas’ life over Jesus’?
Would I have shouted the words, “Crucify him!”?
Would I have later been horrified to have said that?
If I had been a Roman soldier following the orders of my superiors,
would I have wielded the cords that tore his flesh?
Would I have driven the nails into his hands?
Would I have mocked him and laughed at his pain?
If I had been visiting Jerusalem, like the man Simon from Cyrene,
would I have been glad to shoulder Jesus’ burden?
Would I have wanted to give some little relief?
Or would I have resented being so mistreated?
If I had been Joseph of Arimathea, owner of a cemetery plot,
Would I have risked myself to honor a dead man,
and maybe lose the hard-won respect of council?
Or would I have provided this small kindness?
I was not there, God, but I recognize myself in those who were.
O how I want to be Simon or Joseph helping Jesus.
I do not want to be one causing so much suffering.
But really, God, would I have stood beside him?
And forgive me, God, for the suffering I cause Jesus yet today.
Tear me away from the sins that add to his pain.
Instead, lead me to those things that help him.
Today, God, let me find some way to serve him. Amen.
SILENCE AND COMMITMENT
(Pause to reflect and listen. Work to push out of your mind any distracting or irrelevant thoughts. Concentrate your thoughts on the words of the hymns and choruses you have sung, the prayers you have spoken and the scriptures you have read. Be aware of what you are feeling. Listen for anything that God might be saying to you in this time you have spent together. As God responds to your prayer-time, seek guidance for how you can best respond to God’s will. Then commit to serving God’s will for you.)
HYMN 287 “O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done”
CLOSING PRAYER
God of good news, plant your gospel deep within us.
Let it sprout and grow penetrating roots and strong branches.
Let its fruit feed the hungry crowds and heal the sin-sick souls.
God of love, for such an exquisite pearl of good news
we would sell all we have, but you freely give this gift to us.
Now send us to employ this gospel to plow and seed your fields. Amen.
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
