Daily Prayer for Tuesday, March 23, 2021

“O Savior meek, pursue Thy road with palms and scattered garments strowed.”                                                                Henry Hart Milman, 1827

Preparation for worship
Sit in a relaxed position. Take a slow, deep breath (or 2 or 3 or as many as needed) until you feel your body, mind, and soul begin to relax and rest in the Spirit.  Take time to reflect as you move through this time of worship…

Opening Sentences                                                                  Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you.

Prayer      Pastor Joe Welty, Broadway-First Baptist Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

O Lord, you rode on.
You rode over the cloaks and under the branches,
You rode through the shouts and past the praises,
Receiving the praise that you deserved, 
but not confusing our praise in your presence for your purpose in coming.
O Lord, you rode on.
You rode towards the controversy and the cost,
You rode towards the curses and the cross,
Receiving the stripes you didn’t deserve, to give us a reward that we couldn’t earn.
O Lord, you rode on.
You rode through the tomb and the grave,
You rode through our time and space,
Ascending to a throne that will never decay,
A priesthood that will never pass away,
A life of love that will always remain,
And hearing us even now as we pray.
O Lord, you rode on.
We remember the journey you have taken
as we commit ourselves to walking in the same way. 
Give us the strength, hope, and joy we need
as we follow.
In your name we pray,
Amen.

Hymn of the Day                            
Shout to the Lord, played by Jennifer Jeon, arr. by You Shin Kim.  Listen and pray.  

Reading of the Day                                                           Matthew 21:1-11
21:1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
    humble, and mounted on a donkey,
        and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
    Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Prayers for self and others
Please pray today for those who are being affected by Covid-19 and by its side effects in our world, and of course for all those who have been affected by the devastating winter storms.   Please continue to pray for Marcy Szeliga and for Mark Sabala, both working as nurses with Covid patients.  Pray for those closest to you today— for your friends and family, your co-workers and church members.  Use this time to lift your joys, concerns, and hopes to God.

Benediction
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace of Christ,
of Christ the light of the world to you.
Deep peace of Christ to you.