PALM/PASSION SUNDAY March 25, Acolytes Olivia Adams and Lanae Caldwell. All: Hosanna to the son of David. Save us, Lord, we beg you.

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1 PALM/PASSION SUNDAY March 25, 2018 Acolytes Olivia Adams and Lanae Caldwell = Stand as you are able Opening Dialogue P: Lord Jesus, as you entered Jerusalem so long ago to confront the powers of this world, enter now our hearts and hear us as we call to you. All: Hosanna to the son of David. Save us, Lord, we beg you. P: As you humbled yourself before the Pharisees and Pilate, teach us to put aside our pride and self-righteousness. P: As you spoke the truth knowing the deadly consequences, teach us to be truthful with each other. P: As you gave yourself up to be the willing victim of all the anger and violence that simmers in the human soul, give us the courage to put our lives on the line for the cause of peace. P: As you reached out in compassion to bring healing to the wounded and the sick, as you welcomed the leprous, the outcast and the unclean, teach us, Lord, to touch those you touched, and to be vessels of your compassion that we might bring healing to this wounded world. P: As you reached out through your own pain to speak forgiveness from the cross, teach us to reach out to each other through our own pain and speak forgiveness. Your kingdom come. Your will be done in my life and in all the earth. Amen. 1

2 PROCESSION WITH PALMS Entrance Hymn All Glory, Laud, and Honor No. 344 P: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. All: Hosanna in the highest. Announcements Bob Siemer (p.4) Choir Hosanna to the Son Ed Harris Greeting L: The immeasurable grace of Christ Jesus, the rich mercy of God, and the unity of the Holy Spirit be with you all. C: And also with you. Prayer of the Day (Unison) L: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you. P: Let us pray: Sovereign God, you have established your rule in the human heart through the servanthood of Jesus Christ. By your Spirit, keep us in the joyful procession of those who with their tongues confess Jesus as Lord and with their lives praise him as Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. The Passion Narrative - (an account based on the Gospels and other historical material) Readers Pr. Steve, Meri Beckham, Martie Engle Hymn of the Day Jesus, I Will Ponder Now No. 345 The Apostles Creed (Unison) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. 2

3 Prayers of Intercession L: The Lord be with you. C: And also with you. L: Let us pray. The Offering is Gathered Organ Were You There? arr. Dale Wood The Lord s Prayer C: 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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. Franciscan Lenten Benediction (in unison) May God bless us with discomfort discomfort at easy answers, halftruths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless us with tears tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, hunger, and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with foolishness enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done. The Sending Song Beneath the Cross of Jesus No. 338 Reprinted from Sundays and Seasons, copyright 2010 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Setting Four, Holy Communion, copyright 2006 Augsburg Fortress. Hymns used under permission of CCLI # Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation. GLORIA DEI LUTHERAN CHURCH 5872 Naples Plaza, Long Beach, CA Steve Beckham, Pastor Richard L. Hoover Minister of Music/Organist 3

4 WELCOME. WE RE GLAD YOU RE HERE and we trust the Spirit will touch you in our worship today. Please fill out the worship card and place it in the offering plate. Thank you. A WELCOME GIFT for first time guests can be found in the built-in wall rack near the entry doors. CHILD CARE IS AVAILABLE upstairs in the nursery. A child activity bag for use during worship is available from the ushers. Greeter is Nancy Sansum. Kitchen hostess is Nancy Kahakauwila. LARGE PRINT BULLETINS are available from the ushers. ALTAR FLOWERS are placed to the Glory of God by Marion Beckman for her blessings, & by Nancy Sansum in memory of her mother s birthday. TODAY Please join us for coffee, juice and cookies in the Fellowship Hall following worship. Last week s Noisy Offering was $86. If you would like to match it, use the green slip of paper in your pew with your name & phone # and place it in the offering plate. Someone will contact you. This money goes toward maintenance at Lutheran Social Services, Pine Ave. TUESDAY (No Adult Ed. Class resumes next week.) WEDNESDAY Choir rehearsal, 7:15 p.m. THURSDAY MAUNDY THURSDAY, Meal in the Upper Room, 6:30 p.m. (see insert). Last opportunity to RSVP for this special event. If you ve reserved a spot but need to cancel, be sure to call the office. FRIDAY GOOD FRIDAY Worship Service begins at 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to prepare the sanctuary for Easter. Join us this Saturday, March 31 st, at 10:00 to decorate and raise the cross and help the Altar Guild with their preparations for Easter. Highenergy doughnuts will be served! If you have questions or want to RSVP for doughnuts contact Phil Como. Also, EASTER VIGIL at Holy Redeemer, Blaine Ave., Bellflower, 7p.m. (See Pr. Steve if you are planning to attend.) NEXT SUNDAY EASTER (No Adult Ed), Worship, 10:30 a.m. EASTER LILIES NEEDED Help us beautify the Sanctuary. Drop off an Easter Lily potted plant during the week, M-Th 10-3 or Saturday, 10 a.m. Take your plant with you following the Easter service. Thank you. 4

5 BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: TODAY Beth Rotsel. TUESDAY Bret Engle. WEDNESDAY Tѐa Satariano. JOYS & CONCERNS Sandy Irvine is engaged to Pr. Jeffrey Nelson who serves at Peace Lutheran (ELCA) in Lompoc Twyla Karkut s son, Kevin, is recovering from surgery Mike Meckna is recovering from a broken arm Barbara White is recovering from surgery. Keep them in your prayers. Words to Choir Anthem, Hosanna To The Son Words from Matthew 29:9, Music by Ed Harris Hosanna, Hosanna to the Son, Hosanna to the Son of David, Hosanna to the Holy One; Hosanna to the Son, the long awaited One, Hosanna to the Holy Son. O blessed is He that cometh In the Name of the Lord; Blest is He. Hosanna Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation. 5

6 THE STORY OF AFRICAN PALMS USA African Palms was founded in 1965 by Father Alan Talbot, an Anglican priest, who served for six years as a missionary in Tanzania. Father Talbot observed the poverty of the people and sought ways for them to increase their income. He encouraged the villagers to begin weaving palm crosses to sell to churches for use on Palm Sunday. In 1976, the Women of St. John s Episcopal Church in Olney, Maryland, accepted the mission of distributing the palm crosses to churches throughout the United States, and African Palms USA was born. It has become the major outreach of the church, with net proceeds from the sale of crosses, and now totes, returned to Africa in the form on non-denominational, self-help grants. Since its inception, African Palms USA has awarded nearly $2 million to African communities to help meet basic human needs such as clean drinking water, HIV/AIDS education, fighting hunger, and farming ventures. The crosses and totes are made throughout the year in villages near Masasi, Tanzania. This is a cottage industry performed by families at home or while guarding the nearby cashew crop from baboons. The villagers are subsistence farmers augmenting their income in order to purchase household supplies and family needs such as school fees for their children or bicycles for transportation. The palm crosses and totes are made from dried leaves of the dwarf palm, hyphaena coriacia, harvested from the local forest. Only the leaves are used, leaving the tree intact and our products environmentally-friendly. Nothing has been artificially treated, so the product you receive is wholly organic. Once the products have been shipped from Tanzania to the United States, they go through a quality control process and are repackaged for shipment throughout the country. This process is accomplished by many dedicated volunteers from young students to senior citizens! African Palms USA provides palm crosses to churches as well as schools, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, military facilities, bookstores, and church goods distributors for use on Palm Sunday and other special occasions, such as baptisms, mission trips, pastoral visits, and Vacation Bible School, or given as bookmarks, prayer reminders, and much more. 6

7 MAUNDY THURSDAY, The Meal in the Upper Room. Please join us March 29 at 6:30 p.m. We will begin in the Sanctuary then proceed to the Fellowship Hall. Please RSVP by today if you have not already done so. Fill out the Meal insert and place it in the offering plate. Guests are invited. WHAT IS THE MEAL IN THE UPPER ROOM??? The Meal in the Upper Room is not a fully authentic traditional Jewish seder (Passover meal) but an abridged overview of the seder. The meal is conducted by candlelight. It includes the traditional Hallel Psalms of Passover, Psalms , which speak of God freeing the Israelites from Egypt, as well as some of the historic seder prayers. The food gives a taste of the customary passover meal: nuts, figs, raisins, bitter herb, and so forth, with an explanation of what each food represents. Our meal also includes readings from the New Testament describing the Last Supper and concludes with communion. 7