Sermon Tone Analysis

April 1, 2007                               Palm Sunday                                                         

 

*WELCOME*

* *

*CALL TO WORSHIP*

/O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops!/

*Shout it louder, O **Jerusalem**.

Shout, and do not be afraid.*

/Tell the towns of //Judah//,/

*“Your God is coming!”*

/        /     

*~*HYMN OF PRAISE                                                                        *             #324

*Be still my soul*

               

*~*INVOCATION (*the Lord’s Prayer) Lord, as we celebrate the day of Triumphal Entry, may we be readied to receive your journey into our hearts.

Help us to forsake our sin, to overcome our prejudices, and to deny any false pretense that might hinder your entry.

May Christ’s entry be triumphant in us.

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.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen.

* *

*~*GLORIA PATRI (*Sung together)*                              *                                    #575

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

*~*PSALM FOR TODAY*                                        *Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29*/ (NRSV)  /

1     /O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!/

2     /Let //Israel// say, *“His steadfast love endures forever*.”/*

*

*19**     Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

*

*20**     This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.

*

21     /I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

/

/22//     The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

/

*23**     This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

*

*24**     This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.*

/25//     Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

/

/26//     Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

We bless you from the house of the Lord.

/

*27**     The Lord is God, and he has given us light.

Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.*

*28**     You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.

*

*/29/**/     O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

/*

*CHOIR                                                                         *

*SCRIPTURE READING                                                   Luke 19:28-40* * */(NRSV)/* *

28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden.

Untie it and bring it here.

31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’

just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’

” 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them.

33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord needs it.”

35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road.

37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”   39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.”

40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

* *

*OFFERING TO GOD  *Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23 NIV).

*~*DOXOLOGY (*Sung together)                                                              #572

       Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

       Praise him all creatures here below:

       Praise him above ye heavn’ly host:

       Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

*~*PRAYER OF DEDICATION  *Father, as faithful followers of Christ in days of old blessed his coming and laid before him branches of palm, may we, this day, lay our choicest gifts before the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

Bless his Holy Name.

*                                      *

*~*HYMN OF PRAYER                                                                       #420*

*If Thou But Suffer God To Guide thee*

 

*PASTORAL PRAYER   *follow a *“PATH”*: *P*raise God for...*A*sk God for...*T*hank God for...*H*ealing for...These requests will focus on the mission and ministry that God has called us to as American Baptists.

American Baptists acknowledge the need to pray.

We are a people of “prayer, purpose and passion.”

/"After he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray." //Matthew 14:23/

*P*raise God for... Rev. Dr. Albert Paul Brinson, whose life and ministry in the ABC has touched so many lives…and even continues to do so in retirement.

*A*sk God for... provision and guidance for the governing bodies of American Baptist Churches, that they may take whatever measures fulfill God’s will in the best interests of our denomination.

*T*hank God for… meeting needs even when things look bleak.

*H*ealing for... churches that are struggling financially; may God grant them a compelling vision for ministry that encourages giving.

Eternal Spirit, with our prayers hanging in the quiet air, we reach out to you.

With a longing for connection in our best moments, we awaken to your truth.

But unfortunately, these moments fade like deer tracks in the melting snow.

We strive to recapture the bliss but discover that it has vanished as the dream when we wake up.

God of mystery and grace, how do we satisfy this restlessness that we feel?

How do we free ourselves from this dance of life that holds us fast?

How do we live with faith when we are too busy listening to our chatter to hear you?

Our souls know that you are with us always, yet we don’t see you.

Now, with the promise of resurrection in the stirrings of the slumbering earth, and in the lingering light of these spring evenings, we are back traveling the road to Jerusalem with you, casting palm branches before you, being called to something deep and universal.

Our deaf ears shall hear, our blind eyes shall see, and once again our hearts will realize that the Divine is within us, around us, smiling at us, loving us.—Janet

Boynton

* *

*HYMN OF PRAISE                                                                                               *#417

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

 

*Scripture Text                    **Luke 22:14-23:56** *(NRSV)

14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.

15 He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

21 But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table.

22 For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!”

23 Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.

*   *

*MESSAGE                                                                                  *Rev.

Esther Irish

The Proposal

 

Jesus, the Host of the supper, met them with the traditional kiss of peace, and then the men reclined around the table, Judas at our Lord’s left and John at His right (John 13:23).

*/Jesus revealed His love (vv.

14–16)/* by what He /said/ and by what He /did./

He told His friends that He had a great desire to share this last Passover with them before He suffered.

Passover commemorated the Exodus of Israel from Egypt centuries before, but He would accomplish a greater “exodus” on the cross.