Palm/Passion Sunday—A Day of Celebration! A Day of Sacrifice! Movement of Service from Triumphant Parade to Pain & Passion Westport Presbyterian Church—April 2, 2023, 11:00 am
(Video will be posted LIVE on the church’s FB page at 11am and then cross-posted here. If the video doesn’t load properly here, you should be able to click on the Watch on Facebook link and watch as a guest, even if you don’t have Facebook)
PRELUDE: All Glory, Laud, and Honor [ST. THEODULPH]—Robert Lau
CALL TO RETURN TO OUR SOULS & WORSHIP
Pastor: Jesus is coming! People: Hosanna!
Pastor: The Messiah rides into the city!
People: Hosanna!
Pastor: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
People: Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Pastor: Lo, your sovereign comes to you!
People: Ride on, King Jesus!
Pastor: No one who can hinder you!
People: King Jesus is humble and riding on a donkey,
Pastor: On a colt, the foal of a humble donkey.
People: Hosanna!
Pastor: Blessed are they who are moving in the Light of God!
People: Hosanna!
HYMN: All Glory, Laud and Honor (with waving of palms) #196 GtG
CALL TO CONFESSION AND COMMITMENT—Coretta Scott King
Pastor: I remind you again today that
People: Violence against poor people and minority groups is routine.
Pastor: I remind you again today that that starving a child is violence.
People: Suppressing a culture is violence.
Pastor: Neglecting school children is violence.
People: Ghetto housing is violence.
Pastor: Ignoring medical needs and healthcare is violence.
People: Contempt for equality is violence.
Pastor: And watch this!
People: Even a lack of willpower
Pastor: And an apathetic spirit
People: That refuses to challenge these other forms of violence
Pastor: Is itself violent.
People: So sometimes the question for us is,
Pastor: Are we going to be on the side of violence or non-violence? Amen.
HYMN: Hosanna, Loud Hosanna (waving of palms) #197 GtG
BIBLE READINGS: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Matthew 21:1-11 EmmaWitbolsfeugen
ANTHEM: Hosanna to the Son of David—Tomás Luis de Victoria
Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in excelsis.
PRAYER BEFORE SERMON
Pastor: May the words of my mouth
People: And the meditations of our hearts
Pastor: Be acceptable to you, O Lord
People: Our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
SERMON: Holy Week Back Street Theatre
SUNG PREPARATION FOR COMMUNION: Lord, We Have Come at Your Own Invitation #503 GtG
CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION
Pastor: Let’s gather around this planet friendly, holy table, With holy bread & drink
People: The promise of Christ being alive among us
Pastor: This is the welcome table of God where all who intend to experience the non-physical spiritual dimension of life—
People: And live in relationships of freedom and peace with neighbors!
Pastor: Hunger no more! Come to eat! Here, all who longs for otherwise elusive grace
People:: May enjoy the strong love of God in Jesus Christ.
Pastor: Here you are embraced and held by Self Giving Love!—
People: One of God’s great and holy names!
Pastor: Come to drink, you are invited into this holy mystery.
People: We are ready!
Pastor: Jesus said: “I am the bread of life. All who come to me shall not hunger, and all who believe in me shall never be thirsty.”
People: We are hungry for Your Love, O God, We are thirsty for Your Deep Peace, OLamb of God. We seek an unusual gift— an experience of wonder and joy.
Pastor: Come, Holy Spirit. Come. Open our eyes to the mystery of The living Christ’s presence in our midst. Through the broken bread…
People: We are becoming the Body of Christ—
Pastor: Feeding the hungry!
People: Giving showers and clothes to people who are homeless and extremely poor!
Pastor: Becoming anti-racist! Getting into Good Trouble!
People: Let us praise and pray to God by singing an African hymn!
CONGREGATIONAL SUNG PRAYER: Come, Bring Your Burdens to God #851 GtG
Pastor: Lift up names of people we wish to pray for, concluding with The Lord’s Prayer (GtG , page 35)…
BREAKING & SHARING OF BREAD, POURING & SHARING OF WINE
Pastor: The Grace, Peace, Love and Joy of Jesus Christ be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Let us pray the prayer of thanksgiving together….
ALL: Gracious and loving God, You have united us into a body of Christ, and nourished us at Your table with holy food and drink. Thank you for feeding our hunger and relieving our thirst. Now send us into the world to do the great work You have called us to do; To find the lost and lonely! To heal wounded souls! To free people, including ourselves, who are not at all free! To give compassion to the vulnerable and marginalized! To love Beauty, the Planet & Sky, To persist in resisting evil, o share by what we say and do The Message of Jesus Christ, Who is The Light in the World. Amen.
WELCOMING
OFFERTORY The Palms—Jean-Baptiste Faure Joshua Stark, bass
Offering link
Along our way the palm trees and the flowers Send forth their perfume on our festal day, Jesus appears, he comes to dry our tears,
Already crowds appear and homage pay
Refrain
All nations sing and chant his praise, Now let your voices join with ours and anthems raise. Hosanna! Glory to God ! Blessed is He who comes bringing salvation! His voice is heard and nations at the sound Have now regained that freedom sought in vain, Humanity shall everywhere abound, For light to all the world is given again.
[refrain]
Rejoice, e’en thou saintly Jerusalem, Thy children now sing the Redeemer’s name; For by his grace the God of Bethlehem Brings them new faith, and hope confirms the same.
[refrain]
A CREATIVE CHANTED PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Never forget where you come from, And always praise the bridges that have carried you over. Amen. (Fannie Lou Hamer)
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: They Crucified My Lord #219 GtG
BENEDICTION
SUNG BENEDICTION RESPONSE: Jesus, Remember Me (sing twice) #227 GtG
POSTLUDE: Ah, Holy Jesus (HERZLIEBSTER JESU)—Jason W. Krug
CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS
· Bread, water, fruit, sandwich meat are always needed for the Interrupt Hunger work we are doing here! Thanks to all who have been generously giving.
· Sign up for the PASSOVER SEDER on Thursday, April 6, 6:00 p.m. The focus of this Seder will be on SPIRITUALITY—person-to-person, person-to-God—person-to-self spirituality. We are going to hold the Seder around tables at the back of the sanctuary. Sign up sheet at the back.
· ILLUMINATED GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE is at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 7. Global Art, Songs, Spoken Gospel tell & interpret the Passion of Jesus story.
· Easter Sunday, April 9, 11:00 am – Celebration of the Resurrection and 1st Children’s Sunday School since pandemic began. During worship with teachers in the redesigned 2nd floor Children’s Space, the teaching and learning will emphasize Care for the Earth, Sky and all God’s creation. 11:00 am start time.
· #GoodTrouble KC will soon meet with the remaining Board of Police Commission members. We are discussing and thinking together about how to hire and promote more Black and Brown police officers, especially women, and how to achieve an audit that will change what the police chief herself has called “the good ol’ boy” culture in the KCPD, plus local control and gun control (a/k/a common sense gun reform) and ban on sale of assault weapons, and more. Stan Morgan, Rev Scott, Marian Thomas, Karen Daniels, Brother John Anderson, Doug Kinney are the catalysts for this DIALOGUE experimental method of social change and transformation.
· We are involved with Steptoe Lives in an effort to honor and preserve WHAT remains of the historic Black Westport community of Steptoe. A major event now being planned is Juneteenth in Steptoe, on the Sunday afternoon, June 18, the day before the new national holiday. Events will be held in the neighborhood (parade), at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church (music and Dancing Word) and here at Westport Presby (film) Want to join in the effort? Stan Morgan & Rev Scott are participating so far.
· Want to join folks here for a group visit to a world class art exhibit coming to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum? The exhibit is—Alberto Giacometti: Toward the Ultimate Figure—Today, April 2 after church. We have pizza and veggie tray.
• Friendship Time before and after worship has begun! Starts at 10:20 am before church with coffee, snacks, conversation, continues after church. Join us in the magical, mystical hallway (where the historic, old and new building intersect) after church today.
0 Comments