Sixth Sunday in Lent Palm Sunday
Hosanna in the highest!
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Arizona April 5, 2020
Welcome to Grace! Our mission at Grace is to teach the inspired and inerrant Word of God, to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the crucified and risen Savior of the world, and to nurture believers for lives of Christian service. Check out the GRACE WEBSITE at GraceLutheranSAZ.org
Worship Notes Thank you for joining us for worship today! Although we may not be physically together for this service, we trust God’s promises to bless our time together in worship. The worship service is printed in its entirety in this worship folder for you to follow along and participate as you are able. The Season of Lent leads the Church on a forty-day journey of repentance, remembrance, and prayer. It is a time to consider the sufferings and death of Jesus and to prepare for Easter. Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days and have only hints of the season’s mood, such as the omission of “Alleluias.” Sundays are islands of refreshment in our Lenten walk. Purple is the color of the season and represents repentance and solemnity. As Jesus went to Jerusalem to suffer and die for the world’s sins, he arrived in the city to shouts of “Hosanna!” Hosanna literally means “Help!” or “Save, I pray!” It was a plea to God for deliverance, used often in Psalms 113-118, and has now become for Christians a word of praise to Jesus, our Savior and our King. If you would like to make an offering in thanks to God and in support of the ministry of Grace, you may do so online at GraceLutheranSAZ.org/Give. Offerings can also be mailed to the Grace Central Office at 830 N. 1st Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719. Many banks also offer bill pay services (where they will mail a check directly to Grace). This may also be a good time to consider enrolling in our Simply Giving contribution program. For more information on this program, please contact our Financial Manager, Jay Wiechmann, at finance@gracelutheransaz.org. During this time, your pastors are committed to serving you. If you are in need of pastoral assistance, please call the Grace Central Office at (520) 623-6633. Although the church office is closed at this time, voice messages are forwarded to the pastors. You will also find a listing of our pastors’ email addresses on the back page of this worship folder. May God be with you and bless you in the days ahead! Proclaim the greatness of the L#$% with me, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:3)
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ORDER OF WORSHIP If you are following along using this worship folder, you are encouraged to speak the parts in bold and join in the singing of the hymns.
PRESERVICE MUSIC
All Glory, Laud and Honor
WELCOME
INVOCATION The grace of our Lord ( ) Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14
Our service begins today with hymn stanzas interspersed with spoken sections. These stanzas come from Christian Worship #131—All Glory, Laud and Honor.
Dear friends in Christ, for five weeks of Lent we have been preparing for the celebration of our Lord’s paschal mystery. Today we begin the solemn celebration of Holy Week. Christ entered in triumph into his own city to complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise again. Let us remember with devotion his entry that culminated at the empty tomb and follow him with a lively faith. United with him by Baptism, we share in his resurrection and new life. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest! 2
A READING FROM PSALM 118 Give thanks to the LGHI, for he is good; his love endures forever. Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LGHI. This is the gate of the LGHI through which the righteous may enter. O LGHI, save us; O LGHI, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LGHI. From the house of the LGHI we bless you. The LGHI is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LGHI, for he is good; his love endures forever.
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CONFESSION OF SINS Let us approach God with a true heart and confess our sins, asking him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive us. Lord of life, I confess that I am by nature dead in sin. For faithless worrying and selfish pride, For sins of habit and sins of choice, For the evil I have done and the good I have failed to do, You should cast me away from your presence forever. O Lord, I am sorry for my sins. Forgive me, for Jesus’ sake.
We come before the true God only because of his mercy and not because we deserve to come. We confess our unworthiness and rejoice to hear the assurance of forgiveness.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. In his great mercy, God made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Hear the word of Christ through his called servant: I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son ( ) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER Let us pray. God our Father, we remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem and was welcomed as a king by those who shouted “Hosanna” and spread their clothing and palm branches in his path. Accept our praise, and listen to our prayers as we rejoice in our triumphant King, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.
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Zechariah tells Jerusalem to rejoice when the messianic King comes to her, because he will have with him the righteousness she needs and the salvation she craves.
Jesus is our King, but he came humbly to save us.
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FIRST LESSON Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your King is coming to you. He is righteous and brings salvation. He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the
SECOND LESSON Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the
Zechariah 9:9-10 horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow will be taken away, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His kingdom will extend from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
Philippians 2:5-11 point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
HYMN OF THE DAY
SERMON As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Immediately you will find a donkey tied there along with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Tell the daughter of Zion: Look, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did just as Jesus commanded
Ride On, Ride On in Majesty Christian Worship #133
Matthew 21:1-11 The Warrior Rides Forth Into Battle them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their outer clothing on them, and he sat on it. A very large crowd spread their outer clothing on the road. Others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them out on the road. The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, asking, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The great King comes to his city and to his temple!
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PRAYER OF THE CHURCH Lord Jesus, you are the King of heaven and earth. We join the first Palm Sunday worshipers in praising and glorifying you for coming to this earth to be our Savior. Though you are one with God the Father and Lord of all, you humbled yourself and became one with us. Thanks be to you for living a life of perfect conformity to God's holy law in our place. Praise be to you for being obedient to death, even death on a cross, to redeem us from sin. Cause our voices to blend with those who sang your praises as you rode into Jerusalem. Move us to confess you before others as our Lord. Help us proclaim the message of peace and forgiveness to people of all nations. Use us to assure all people that your blood has cleansed them from sin and set them free from slavery to sin, death, and the devil. Move us to dedicate all we are and have to your glory. Lord Jesus, you are King over all the earth. Even at this time, bless the nations of this world with wise rulers and good government. Let peace prevail. Grant success to the businesses and industries of our land to serve for the common good. Cause all employers to be honest and fair-minded and all employees to be diligent and faithful. Look with favor on our nation's schools. Be with those who teach and those who learn. Comfort the sick and the afflicted with the assurance of your care and protection. Strengthen the faith of the dying. Special prayers and intercessions may follow. Dear Savior, as we walk with you this week toward Calvary, keep us focused on your purpose for coming into this world and on our calling to spread this wonderful message of salvation. Hear us for your mercy's sake. In your name we join to pray:
Matthew 6 and Luke 11 record how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. We use his example prayer as part of our public worship, trusting that he will hear and answer our prayers. The blessing of Aaron has been spoken over God’s people for over 3,500 years. The Lord said, “So I will put my name on [them], and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:27
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LORD’S PRAYER Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
BLESSING The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and ( ) give you peace. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna Christian Worship #130
POSTLUDE MUSIC
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
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THOSE ASSISTING IN THIS WORSHIP SERVICE Pastor....................................................................................... Pastor Ryan Heiman Accompanist....................................................................................... Laura Heiman Sound and Recording Tech ................................................................... Jeremy Snavely Vocalists.............................................................. Pastor Nathan Kassulke, Beth Kassulke Trumpet ................................................................................ Pastor Nathan Kassulke Copyright Information: All Glory, Laud, and Honor: Text by Theodulph of Orleans c. 762-821; tr. John M. Neale, alt. Public Domain Tune by Melchior Teschner, 1584-1635, alt. Public Domain. Ride On, Ride On in Majesty: T ext by Henry H. Milman, 1791-1868, alt. Public Domain. Tune from Musicalisch Hand-Buch der Geistlichen Melodien. Hamburg, 1690. Public Domain. Hosanna, Loud Hosanna: T ext by Jeanette T hrelfall, 1821-80, alt. Public Domain. Tune from Gesang-Buch . . . Der Herzogl . . . Hofkapelle, Wurttemberg, 1784, alt. Public Domain. PRESERVICE—All Glory, Laud, and Honor: Musical setting by Cindy Berry. © 2006 Alfred Publishing Company. POSTLUDE—Hosanna, Loud Hosanna: Musical setting by Mary K. Sallee. © 2013 Alfred Publishing Company. Copyrighted material reprinted, streamed, and posted with permission under One License #A-710199 and CCLI License #3095263. All rights reserved. Scripture readings are taken from The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved. www.wartburgproject.org
Holy Week Schedule Maundy Thursday Thursday, April 9 10:00 AM Live-streamed Worship
Good Friday Friday, April 10 Tenebrae Service (Service of Darkness) 7:00 PM Live-streamed Worship
Easter Sunday Sunday, April 12 8:00 AM Live-streamed Worship
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ANNOUNCEMENTS Online Worship While Grace has cancelled all in-person worship services for the time being, we will continue to provide online worship services. You can access these worship services through our website at GraceLutheranSAZ.org/service-videos. You can also find these services on our YouTube channel: GraceTucsonVideo. If you subscribe to our channel, you can choose to be notified when a new video is available.
Stay Up to Date on Church News and Events For the health and safety of our members and our community, our Ministry Board has made the decision to suspend all in-person church activity until it is deemed safe to resume gathering together. The fastest and easiest way to communicate to our members and friends at this time is through email updates. If you have not been receiving these updates from Grace, please email the church office at office@gracelutheransaz.org and let us know. We will also post updates on our Facebook page. We are doing our best to call our members who are not online. If you have not heard from us, but would like to be added to our list, please call the church office at (520) 623-6633. If you have any other questions, concerns, or suggestions during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out to one of our pastors or Ministry Board members.
Church Office Closed In order to best follow the guidelines set forth by our state and local governments, we have closed our church office at this time. Staff members may be present from time to time to complete tasks that are not able to be handled remotely; however, members are asked not to drop by the office without an appointment. If you are in need of assistance, please call the office and leave a voicemail. These messages are forwarded to our pastors. You can also find a listing of our pastors’ email addresses on the next page.
Opportunities at Grace While many things in our community have ceased at this time, there are still opportunities at Grace. Check out our website for useful content. Some of these things have always been available, such as links to videos of our worship service, audio recordings of our sermons, and printed sermons and service folders. New content is also being added. You will find devotions from our pastors addressing the issues we are facing at this time. Videos of Sunday School lessons and devotions are also available. A Virtual Choir is being assembled for our Easter service next Sunday. If you are interested in being a part of this unique opportunity, please email Beth Kassulke (music@gracelutheransaz.org) by Tuesday, April 7. Recordings will need to be submitted by email no later than Wednesday, April 8. Construction of our Child Learning Center in Sahuarita continues and volunteers are still needed to help with the work. If you are willing to lend a hand, please contact Pastor Heiman for more details (RevRAH@GraceLutheranSAZ.org). If you (or your children) are looking for something to do from your own home, now would be a great time to make blankets for the Child Learning Center! When we open, we will need a blanket for each child. These can be knitted, crocheted, sewn, quilted, or have tied edge, but they must be machine washable. Various sizes are needed. If you have any questions about this project, please contact Diane Kramm at (520)440-8564 or pdkramm@earthlink.net. 10
One Church. Four Sites. Proclaiming the love of Jesus in Southern Arizona since 1911. Grace-Tucson and Central Office
Grace-Sahuarita
830 N. 1st Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719 (520) 623-6633 office@gracelutheransaz.org
17675 S. La Canada Dr., Sahuarita, AZ 85629 (520) 578-3538
Pastor Ronald G. Koehler, III
75 W. Sahuarita Rd, Sahuarita, AZ 85629
revrgk3@gracelutheransaz.org
Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke revnpk@gracelutheransaz.org
Pastor Timothy L. Patoka (Campus Ministry)
New Construction Pastor Ryan A. Heiman revrah@gracelutheransaz.org
Child Learning Center
revtlp@gracelutheransaz.org
(520) 848-4630 Laura Heiman, Director director@gracelutheransaz.org
Grace-Benson
Bible-Based Counselor—Cinda Drescher
451 W. Duane St., Benson, AZ 85602
cinda@gracelutheransaz.org (520) 405-3286
Grace-Vail Worshipping at Esmond Station Elementary 9400 S. Atterbury Wash Way, Tucson, AZ 85747
Pastor Frank A. Rose revfar@gracelutheransaz.org
Administrative Assistant—Debbie Koehler assistant@gracelutheransaz.org
Worship Coordinator—Beth Kassulke music@gracelutheransaz.org
Office at Civano 10501 E. Seven Generations Way, Tucson, AZ 85747 (520) 848-4631
Office Manager—Cora Stuhr office@gracelutheransaz.org
Grace Lutheran Church is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), a group of nearly 400,000 men, women, and children in nearly 1,300 congregations across the United States and Canada united by a common faith in Christ's saving love. We are committed to a common calling—encouraging each other in our faith and sharing God's gift of a Savior with the rest of the world. For more information about our synod and what we believe visit: www.wels.net