Service of the Lord's Day: Palm Sunday

You can hear the service, and offer your own prayer concerns and celebrations, by going to the John Knox Facebook page at 10:30 a.m.  You don't have to have a Facebook account to do this-- when the screen says "sign in or create an account,"  look for the smaller option below it that says "not now," and you will be taken to the page.  Scroll down to the livestream of worship!

Call to Worship*                    from Zechariah 9    
L:  Rejoice, rejoice, you sons of Zion!
    Shout for joy, you daughters of Jerusalem!
    Look and see,
    your king is coming to you.
P:  He comes triumphant and victorious,
    yet humble and riding on a donkey.
L:  The Lord will now save his people
    as a shepherd saves his flock from danger.
P:  Like precious stones in a crown,
    we will shine in God’s own land.


Psalm 122: 1-9
1 I was glad when they said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2 Our feet are standing
    within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem—built as a city
    that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go up,
    the tribes of the Lord,
    as was decreed for Israel,
    to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5  For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
    the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
    and security within your towers.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your good.

Gospel Reading:  Mark 11: 1-11
1 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
    “Hosanna!
         Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10     Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
         Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Meditation

Offering of Music:  Ride On, King Jesus
Enjoy the all-out glorious singing of the traditional African-American spiritual, sung by the Howard University Community Choir
 
During this time, or after our prayers, you may make an offering to John Knox by going to our homepage and scrolling to the bottom where you will see a link to online giving.  When you give this way, consider giving a little extra to defray the cost of this service.  If you prefer, you may mail you offerings to the church directly.  Even though we are far apart, the church's expenses remain the same.  We give out of pure gratitude for what God has done.

Prayers of the People* and the Lord’s Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
…over the broken glass of our world,
the rumors meant to hurt,
the prejudice meant to wound,
the weapons meant to kill,
ride on …
trampling our attempts at disaster into dust.
ride on,
ride on in majesty.

…over the distance
which separates us from you,
and it is such a distance,
measurable in half truths,
    in unkept promises,
    in second-best obedience,
ride on …
until you touch and heal us,
who feel for no one but ourselves.
ride on,
ride on in majesty.

…through the back streets
and the sin bins
and the sniggered-at corners of the city,
where human life festers
and love runs cold,
ride on…
bringing hope and dignity
where most send scorn and silence.
ride on,
ride on in majesty.

for you, O Christ, do care
and must show us how.
On our own,
our ambitions rival your summons
and thus threaten good faith
and neglect God’s people.

In your company and at your side,
we might yet help to bandage and heal
the wounds of the world.
ride on,
ride on in majesty,
and take us with you.
Amen.   

And now with confidence as the children of God, let us pray as Jesus taught his disciples:  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 debts as we forgive our debtors.  Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever.  Amen.

Benediction:  The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, and bring you peace.  Amen.  

Next week: Mark 16- the Resurrection of Jesus

• Today’s prayers are from Stages on the Way: Worship Resources for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, by the Iona Community Wild Goose Worship Group, GIA Publications, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1998. ​