Opening Prayers/Prayers of Adoration on Salvation
Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit,
We adore you as one Being, one Essence,
one God in three distinct Persons,
for bringing sinners to the knowledge of you and your kingdom.
O Father, you have loved us and sent Jesus to redeem us;
O Jesus, you have loved us and taken on our nature,
You who shed your own own blood to wash away our sins,
Who worked righteousness to cover our unworthiness;
O Holy Spirit, you have loved use and entered our hearts,
implanted there eternal life,
revealed to us the glories of Jesus.
Three Persons and one God, we bless and praise you,
for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous,
so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.
O Father, we thank you that in fullness of grace
You have given me to Jesus,
to be his sheep, jewel, portion;
O Jesus, we thank you that in fullness of grace
You have accepted, supported, bound us;
O Holy Spirit, we thank you that in fullness of grace
You have exhibited Jesus as our salvation,
implanted faith within us,
subdued our stubborn hearts,
made us one with him forever.
O Father, you are enthroned to hear our prayers,
O Jesus, your hand is outstretched to take our petitions,
O Holy Spirit, you are willing to help our sufferings,
to show us our need, to supply words, to pray within us,
to strengthen us that we do not faint in our supplication.
O Triune God, who commanded the universe,
You have commanded us to ask for those things
that concerns your kingdom and our souls.
Let us live and pray as one baptized into the threefold Name.
Taken from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, ed. Arthur Bennett (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1975), 3. Language modernized for corporate worship by Stuart Strachan Jr.
Bless Christ Through Whom All Things Are Made
Inspired by Colossians 1:11-28
Bless Christ through whom all things are made.
Join seen and unseen in their praise
of One who both creates, sustains
who goes before, in justice reigns.
Who makes the lion and the lamb,
the farthest star, the smallest hand,
dominions, rulers, and their pow’rs,
the steadfast mount, the fleeting hours?
Who made the ore for blood-soaked nails?
Who made the thorns and whipping tails?
Who made the sun that would not shine
and made the tree on which Christ died?
Who makes the waters of our birth?
Who makes the dust where we return?
Who makes the way for us to die
and rise to everlasting life?
Bless Christ though whom all things are made.
Join seen and unseen in their praise
of One who both creates, sustains
who goes before, in justice reigns.
You can sing this poem to tunes with this meter: 88.88 (LM)
Suggested tune: POXON
Bless Christ, Through Whom All Things Are Made © 2000 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, www.revlisad.com
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
O Merciful God, who came in Jesus Christ with saving power to a world that walked in darkness and in the shadow of death, we praise and bless you for all those your servants who helped prepare the way for his appearing, and for those who received him and grave to him the worship of their hearts and lives. For prophets who in the face of tyranny declared your truth and your righteousness, for psalmists who in days of gloom still believed in your great goodness and sang praises unto your name, and for innumerable regular saints who waited in patience and unfailing hope for the manifestation of your glory, we raise to you our grateful praise. Grant, we ask you, that we in this time may show forth your salvation. Help us to put away all untruthfulness and all selfishness and greed, all malice and prejudice and cowardice. Let your Holy Spirit cleanse us from all our sins, and teach us to love one another even as you dost love us, that we may make manifest in our lives what you can do for your faithful people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ernest Fremont Tittle, Language modernized by Stuart Strachan Jr.
God of power, love and wisdom:
you’ve known us and loved us from before we even were,
and extended your grace to us before we knew your name. You save us from ourselves –
from our arrogance, rebellion and sin;
and from the powers of the world and devil
which seek to ensnare us.
And you save us for something, as well –
for a new life of holiness
and for a great purpose:
to guard your gospel by giving it away in truth.
For all of this: we thank you and praise you.
Because of this: we can trust you and depend on you.