Calls To Worship
Palm Sunday
Adapted from Psalm 118
Awake to the day of triumph for our Savior!
Give thanks for this day that leads to the cross!
Come with your branches, hosannas, and songs
Fill the air with welcome to the Lord!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Adapted from Psalm 118:19,2c
Open the gates of victory;
I will enter them and praise the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
The victors shall enter through it.
This is the day on which the Lord has acted.
Let us exult and rejoice in it.
Adapted from Isaiah 40:12-14
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
Or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
Or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
Lord, we worship you today in all your splendor and glory.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Adapted from Zechariah 9:9
Pastor: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
All: Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Pastor: Behold, your king is coming to you;
All: righteous and having salvation is he,
Pastor: humble and mounted on a donkey,
All: on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Zechariah 9:9-10
Pastor: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
All: Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Pastor: I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations;
All: his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from John 12:12-15
Leader: A great crowd that has come to the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
People: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Leader: “Blessed is the king of Israel!” “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion. See, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
Adapted from Zechariah 9:9-10 & Revelation 11:15 RSV
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Lo your king comes to you;
Triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass,
On a colt the foal of an ass.
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Lenten-Easter Sourcebook, 1961, Abingdon Press.
Adapted from Matthew 21:5, 9b & Luke 19:38*
Pastor: Jesus is coming!
All: Jesus is coming!
Pastor: Good morning, King Jesus!
All: Good morning, King Jesus!
Pastor: We worship you, humble King!
All: We worship you, humble King!
Pastor: Save us, Son of David!
All: Save us, Son of David!
Pastor: Bless you, Lord Jesus!
All: Bless you, Lord Jesus!
Pastor: Bring peace in Heaven and on earth, King Jesus!
All: Bring peace in Heaven and on earth, King Jesus!
*Editor’s Note: This was created as a Call to Worship created for a Children’s Worship Service, though obviously it could be used in a normal worship service.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Matt. 21:5, Luke 19:38
Jesus is coming!
We worship you, humble King!
Save us, Son of David!
Bless you, Lord Jesus!
Bring peace
In Heaven and on earth, King Jesus!
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Palm Sunday- The King is Coming
The King is coming
The people announce it.
It fills the streets like the perfume filled the house the night before.
“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!”
The King is coming.
The disciples remember it.
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Hosanna! The King is coming, triumphant and victorious
Riding into Jerusalem just like Solomon did centuries before
Ending the dispute over who’s the one true King
Jesus, Jesus is the King of kings
Greater than the Roman war machine
Greater than the Pax Romana
With Jesus its Eternal Peace-
wrong made right through humility, and vulnerability, and sacrifice
Eternal Peace- Pax Eterna
Zechariah 9:10
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Hosanna! The King is coming.
The Anointed One- the Christ
Anointed by Mary in gratitude and love for raising her brother Lazarus from the dead
Anointed by Mary, blessed to reign as King forever
Anointed by Mary, blessed to bear God’s grace as high priest forever
Anointed by Mary, a holy sacrifice anointed for death
The last sacrifice ever needed
A sacrifice so great it overcomes all sin, all death, for all time
Hosanna! The King is coming. The King over death.
Jesus raised Lazarus
Only a few days later he’ll lay down his own life and take it up again
Hosanna! The King over death.
And he will raise us up as well.
Hosanna! The King over death.
All the little deaths. All the little injustices.
All the big deaths. All the big injustices.
Hosanna to the King over death.
Hosanna! Save now.
This is why so many are going after him.
He raised Lazarus from the dead.
This spectacular miracle.
This quick, spectacular fix.
This is what the people were testifying to.
Hosanna to the King of Israel.
Hosanna to the King over death.
Hosanna! Save now.
How many will go after him when his work becomes small?
When his work becomes slow?
When his work becomes sacrifice?
How many will go after him when his work includes our work?
When his work includes our “yes” – our time, our prayer, our money, our hands, our sacrifice
When the hungry come and Jesus says, “You feed them”
When the night of anguish comes and Jesus says, “stay awake, watch and pray with me”
When it’s time to deny ourselves, and take up our cross, and follow
Follow the King- the King of kings, the King of death, the King of sacrifice
Hosanna! The King is coming
Some want it to stop
Some say, “what can you do, the world has gone after him”
Have you gone after Him?
Are you following him?
testifying to him?
serving him?
trusting him?
The King is still coming
The gracious King
The King of kings
The King of death
The King of sacrifice
Our humble King
Our King, triumphant and victorious
Let us go after Him
The King is Coming © 2021 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
The story of Palm Sunday tells of how
people removed their cloaks and spread them out
in front of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.
The cloak we wear every day to face the world
is both the persona we wish to present,
and our defense against the elements.
As we come to worship may we be willing
to lay down our defenses and disguises,
at the feet of the One who sees us we really are.
And then, set free for worship,
may we offer our praises
with open hearts and lives. AMEN.
Ann Siddall, Stillpoint Spirituaity Centre
Let us enter the city with God today
Let us sing hosanna to our king
To the son of God riding on a donkey
With shepherds and prostitutes,
With the blind and the leper
With the abandoned and oppressed
Let us shout for joy at Christ’s coming
And follow the One who welcomes the sinner and dines with the outcast
Let us touch and see as God draws near
Riding in Triumph towards the Cross
May we invite Jesus to come into our lives more deeply this Holy Week, rejoicing that He welcomes ALL to follow Him.
May we allow Him to draw near.
May we take up our cross to follow Him.
May we be renewed in the hope of His eternal triumph!
Christine Sine, GodSpace
Almighty God, your greatness is unfathomable. Your majesty is unending. And yet we place so many other lesser things in front of you. You are Lord of our lives, but we try to rebel against you, desiring to rule our own lives. Please give us the same humility that your Son had during the week of his passion as we silently confess our sins to you now…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
Looking for More Liturgical Elements?
Check out our Prayers of Confession on Palm Sunday.