Sunday Worship: April 5

(Together)
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory!
(Psalm 24:7–10 ESV) (Leader) Let us go to the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit!

CONFESSION

(Together) O Lord, who on this day entered the rebellious city
that later rejected you,
we confess that our wills are as rebellious as Jerusalem’s,
that our faith is often more show than substance,
that our hearts are in need of cleansing.
Have mercy on us, Son of David, Savior of our lives.
Help us to lay at your feet all that we have and all that we are,
trusting you to forgive what is sinful,
to heal what is broken,
to welcome our praises,
and to receive us as your own. Amen.
(Adapted from “The Worship Sourcebook”)
(Leader)
Let’s take a moment in silence to confess our sins to God.

ASSURANCE

(Leader)
For those in Christ, listen as I read this assurance of pardon:

The LORD is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.
Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:

“The right hand of the LORD does valiantly,
the right hand of the LORD exalts,
the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!”
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
(Psalm 118:14–17 ESV) (Together) Thanks be to God!

As in some church traditions, we take time now in a time of much chaos and fear to “pass the peace.” We know that true peace is not ours to give, but rather comes from the Prince of Peace Himself, Jesus. Take time to greet each other by saying: “The peace of Christ be with you!” Let the other person respond by saying: “And also with you!” May we be a people marked by His peace in a time of peril.

When He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as He rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Taking communion together is a major reason we love to gather on Sundays. It’s a powerful physical and tangible reminder of the work of Jesus and continued reliance on Him until He returns. As you consider taking communion at home, here are some items you’ll need:

• Bread or crackers
• Juice or wine
• A glass for the juice or wine

Here is a simple communion liturgy to walk through on Sunday:

1. Read through 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
2. Have someone designated to hold the bread and say, “This is the body of Christ broken for you.” Tear the bread off.
3. Have someone designated to hold the glass with juice or wine in it and say, “This is the blood of Christ shed for you.” Dip the bread in the wine.
4. Have someone pray.
5. Take the bread & wine together.

For those with kids, we encourage parents to handle this the same way they do when they are at church taking communion. If your children haven’t been taking communion, consider taking communion in front of them and use this as an opportunity to explain and share the Gospel. If kids show an interest or new profession of faith as a result, reach out to a pastor or elder and we’d love to celebrate with you and help you think through next steps of faith and communion, etc. If they have been taking communion, guide them through the liturgy.

(Leader) May this Jesus, who is both majestic and humble, lead us to walk with Him this next week on His journey toward Calvary. And may the God of peace be with you! (Together) And also with you!