Worship
Service for March 29, 2026
Prelude
Announcements:
Call to Worship
L: Our God helps us and stands here in our
midst.
P: We stand up together, united in prayer and
praise.
L: Our God is gracious, pouring out mercy and
love.
P: We put our trust in the Lord.
L: God’s face shines upon us in this hour of
worship and always.
P: We find salvation in God’s steadfast
love. Alleluia! Amen!
Opening Hymn – Hosanna,
Loud Hosanna #89/297
Prayer of Confession
O God, we stand at the gate, hesitant and uncertain; we are
reluctant to answer your invitation; we are slow to embark on the journey toward
your reign. Forgive us, we pray. Grant us the help we need to be your people, the
courage to join you in the procession, the selflessness to lay our cloaks
before you, the freedom to lift our palms to your glory, and the knowledge that
by your grace we are forgiven. (Silent prayers are offered) AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon
L: Hear this Good News! The procession is ever moving forward. We can join at any moment. The invitation still stands! In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
P: We proclaim and resound with this Good
News! In the name of Jesus Christ, we
are forgiven. Glory be to God! AMEN!
Gloria Patri
Affirmation of Faith/Apostles’
Creed
I believe in God the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the
third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on
the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the
resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN
Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s
Prayer
As
we remember this day, the entry of Your Son into Jerusalem, O God, we join our
voices with the multitudes who hailed his coming in conquering triumph. On this day we see, prefigured before us,
your Son’s glorious reign. In the
excitement of these events, we know in truth that at the name of Jesus, every
knee should bow, and every tongue confess him as Lord. How wondrous is your love for us, that Jesus
empties himself, becoming a servant, becoming obedient to the point of death on
the cross. His life among us is a gift
of your grace to sinful humanity. We
offer you all glory and praise, great God of all creation, for this inestimable
blessing.
Trusting
in your continuing care, we pray for the many and varied needs of your human
children. We remember all who suffer and
all who face the final mystery of death, and we offer you our unspoken
concerns.
We
especially pray for….
And
in this personal time of prayer, hear our hearts O Lord.
We
stand, now and ever, in need of your protection and under your mercy; through Jesus
Christ the Lord, in whose name we pray saying… 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.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, forever.
AMEN.
Hymn –
Ride On!
Ride On in Majesty Hymn # 91 Blue
Scripture Reading(s):
First Scripture Reading – Psalm
31:9-16
Second Scripture Reading – Matthew
21:1-11
Sermon
–
“Who
Is This King? — The Parade, the Donkey, and the Choice”
(based on Matthew
21:1–11)
There is something about a parade
that stirs the soul. It doesn’t matter
if you’re young or old, whether you planned to be there or just stumbled into
it—when a parade comes by, something inside of you wakes up. Maybe it’s the music, the movement, the
anticipation… it draws you in. It makes you wonder; what is happening here? Who is worth all this celebration?
In 2022, I was in Spain as part of
my Sabbatical. One morning I walked out
of the place I was staying and I saw people beginning to line the streets. I heard music in the distance, but didn’t
know what was going on. Each passerby
stopped for a moment to take a look down the street. Although nothing was happening as far as we
could see, some stayed to witness the anticipated event, some continued on,
some walked more slowly, while others seemed to be asking the same question
that was in my mind. What is this? What’s going on?
As the music built and got closer,
troops of dancers dressed in colorful outfits began marching in front of
us. They danced to the beat of the music,
each in time with one another. And then
a new musical group would come with another troop, dancing to a different rhythm. Some people in the crowds joined in the dancing
on the sidewalk, some took pictures, some waved and clapped. I watched for a good 30 minutes as one group
after another in more and more colorful garments marched and danced down the
street. And yet, my question remained
unanswered. As my Spanish is pretty
terrible, I had no one to ask. What is this? What’s going on? Perhaps that was how the crowd felt on that
first Palm Sunday. It was out of the ordinary
for them. It was different and
unique. Culturally, it was unexpected.
That question—what is this or who
is this?—is exactly the question that echoes through Jerusalem on that
first Palm Sunday.
Matthew tells us that as Jesus
entered the city, “the whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?’”
And I think some still wonder about that
and question that today.
Palm Sunday is, at its heart, a
parade. Crowds lining the streets. Cloaks thrown down. Branches waving. Voices shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in
the name of the Lord!”
It was loud. It was public. It was impossible to ignore. And like any parade, it invited a response. Some people jumped in. Some stayed on the sidelines. Some questioned. Some celebrated.
Let’s be honest—this is not how
kings are supposed to arrive. No war
horse. No chariot. No army.
Just… a donkey. A borrowed
donkey, no less. It wasn’t even his own. It’s almost absurd. Because kings ride horses—symbols of power,
conquest, dominance. Instead Jesus
chooses a donkey—a symbol of humility, servanthood, peace. Who’s the most famous donkey you can think
of? Eyore, right? Does he seem majestic? Was he a symbol of power, conquest,
dominance? No, Eyore always had his head
hung low – a symbol of humility.
And right there, in that moment, riding
a donkey like Eyore, Jesus tells us everything we need to know about the kind
of king he is. He is not coming to
conquer. He is coming to serve. He is not coming to take power. He is coming to give his power, himself, away.
The crowds wanted a king who would
overthrow Rome. But Jesus came to
overthrow something far deeper—fear, sin, violence, injustice, and death
itself. And still… they didn’t quite get
it.
Because when the people of the city
ask, “Who is this?” the answer others give is: “This is Jesus, the
prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Just a prophet. Oh, just a prophet. After all that. After the healings, the teachings, the
miracles…Still just a prophet.
And maybe that’s where the donkey
helps us. Afterall, this donkey isn’t
Eyore. This donkey is a young unseasoned
colt. And sometimes it takes a different
perspective to see the truth. So, this
young donkey comes into town full of excitement, full of pride. He walks into Jerusalem thinking the
celebration is about him. It’s his debut
moment without mom, marching into town hearing all the cheers, the branches
being thrown down at his feet. He is
loving all the attention! Why? Because he assumes it’s all about him. Until the next day…
When the crowd is gone. When no one notices him. When no one cheers. And in that moment of confusion and
heartbreak, his mother speaks the truth: “Without Him, you are nothing.”
That’s a hard word. But it’s a necessary one. Because how often do we do the same thing? We confuse the attention for affirmation. We mistake the moment for meaning. And we start to believe the story is about
us.
But Palm Sunday reminds us—it’s not
about us. It never was. We are not the center of the parade. Christ is.
And that brings us to the real heart of this day. Palm Sunday is not just a celebration. It is a decision. Because when the parade passes by, you have
to choose. Will you stand on the
sidelines and watch? Will you wave your
palm branch, sing your song, and then go home unchanged? Or will you step into the street and follow?
Because here’s the truth: It’s easy
to shout “Hosanna.” It’s harder to follow to the cross. It’s easy to celebrate when the crowd is
cheering. It’s harder to stay when the
crowd turns. It’s easy to be a
spectator. It’s harder to be a disciple.
There really is no such thing as a
‘spectator Christian.’ It’s not audience
event. Jesus isn’t looking for fans. He’s looking for followers.
So, we come back to the question. The question that echoes through Jerusalem. The question that echoes through our own
world today. Who is this? Was Jesus just a good teacher? A wise prophet? A moral example? Or is Christ more?
Is he the one who challenges
systems, lifts up the marginalized, calls out injustice? Is he the one who turns the world upside
down? Is he the one who walks willingly
toward suffering—not to glorify it, but to transform it? Is he the one who shows us what love actually
looks like?
Because if he is…Then we cannot
remain unchanged. If he is the
Christ—the Son of the Living God—then this isn’t just a parade. It’s a call.
A call to live differently. A
call to love differently. A call to
serve differently. A call to truly follow.
Here’s the part that we cannot
ignore. The same crowd that shouts
“Hosanna” on Sunday…will be the crowd that shouts “Crucify him” by Friday. Even his own disciples will fall away, will
go into hiding, and will deny even knowing him.
That’s how quickly things turn. That’s
how fragile shallow faith can be.
That’s what happens when we want a
king who fits our expectations instead of one who transforms them. Palm Sunday invites us to examine that. Are we praising the Jesus we want…
Or following the Jesus who is? Because the road he is on does not end in
celebration. It ends at a cross.
And if we follow him, it may lead us
there too—not literally, but in the ways we are called to lay down our lives,
our comfort, our assumptions, our control and live into something
different. To stand up for the lost, the
lonely, the disenfranchised. To speak up
for those who have no voice. To break
the chains of idolatry, to disentangle our systems of oppression, and see in
the face of others, the face of Christ.
So here we are. The parade is passing by. The palm branches are in our hands. The songs are on our lips. And the question is before us. Will we just watch? Or will we follow? Will we be bystanders? Or will we be disciples?
Will we treat this as a just a
moment? Or allow it to become a movement
in our lives?
Because the truth is…This parade is
not about noise. It’s about
transformation. It’s not about cheering. It’s about commitment. It’s not about a day. It’s about a way of life.
“When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the
whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?’” That question is still alive. And how we answer it…Will shape everything. So today, as the parade passes by, may we not
miss it. May we not mistake it. May we not stand at a distance. But may we step forward.
May we follow.
May we serve.
And may we finally, fully,
faithfully answer:
This is not just a prophet.
This is the Christ. The Son of the Living God.
And we will follow him.
Amen.
Offertory –
Doxology –
Prayer of Dedication –
Name above all names, as You emptied Yourself
for others, we offer ourselves and these gifts as a sign of our hope in Your
reign. Where there is death, bring
life. Where there is sorrow, bring
joy. Where there is injustice, bring
courage for change. AMEN.
Closing
Hymn – All Glory, Laud, and Honor Hymn #300 Brown
Benediction –
Go
into this week with the knowledge that resurrection will come, even when it
seems like there is no tomorrow. Be
blessed and be a blessing, with the courage to stand with those in need. In the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and
Sustainer. AMEN.
Postlude
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