Younger Children Bulletin

Older Children Bulletin

All Glory, Laud and Honor

by Jeremiah Padilla, Josh Burtner | Streamed with permission. CSPL121366

Good morning all! I hope this finds you safe and well. Please know that we are praying for you, for your health, and for strength and peace during this troubled time.

This is especially difficult, not being able to gather for Holy Week and Easter celebrations this year. However, even though our celebrations are changed, that does not mean that Easter is canceled. We place our faith in the fact that Jesus did not shy away from danger, but entered the tomb for our sake, and emerged again to declare that not even death has power over God and his love! We still celebrate Easter this year, and will continue to celebrate when we are able to gather together again!

One new form of prayer and celebration this year will be a Drive-Through Prayer Walk. I will provide a web page and with scriptures and prayers. You will be invited to drive through different stations focusing on different scenes from the week leading up to Jesus’ resurrection. These scenes will be outdoors around the church, unless weather does not cooperate. In that case, we may set up a prayer walk in the pavilion. More information will be emailed later this week.

The Church of the Brethren Denominational offices have also coordinated an Online Love Feast service that will be Livestreamed at 8PM EST on Thursday. That service can be found by visiting https://livestream.com/livingstreamcob/lovefeast2020.

We have been receiving inquiries about methods of giving during this pandemic. There are two methods that we recommend. The first is the use of the online giving link that appears at the offering section of our service, and on the sidebar of our website (toward the bottom of the page if you are using a mobile device). The second is by mailing a check to the church. We do not recommend hand delivery to the church right now. We are trying to minimize the number of hands touching doorknobs and other items in the church, to avoid the possibility of spreading contagion.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the ministries of the church!!! 

Prayer Requests

Please continue to be in prayer for those who have been infected with the virus, those who are providing health care and support to all who are in need, and those who are most vulnerable in this crisis.

Ashley and Josh Dove are scheduled to have the birth of their new child induced on Monday. Please be in prayer for a smooth and safe delivery.

Please be in prayer for all who are suffering losses in this time.

John 12:12-18
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,
‘Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
the King of Israel!’
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:
‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!’His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him.

Pastor Rebecca prepared this video for sharing with the children in our congregation.  We pray it will be a blessing to all as we continue to seek to serve Jesus during this time.

As we read the story of Palm Sunday in John, even though many did not know who Jesus was, there were others that did. They were spreading the news. This Jesus was a teacher who had been given the power to heal. This teacher was the one spoken of by prophets, who would restore Israel to God’s favor. This teacher even had power to restore the dead to life and just days earlier had called Lazarus forth from the tomb. And so, when they heard he was coming into Jerusalem, into the capital, the ancestral city of King David, home of the temple, palace, and throne, they gathered in the streets. They waved palm branches, and celebrated, and shared what they had seen and been told about Jesus.

This is why we gather on Palm Sunday as well. As John said, there were things that the disciples still did not understand when Jesus was entering into Jerusalem. But we have the advantage of knowing what was to come and having had the disciples explain them to us in scripture afterwards. We know that Jesus came to Jerusalem to save us all. This is why we waves our palms and shout Hosanna on Sunday morning!

Of course, just like everything else right now, this Palm Sunday will be different. We will not be gathering and waving our palms. But when Jesus was asked to silence the crowds, he responded that even if the crowds were silenced, the stones would cry out! We will not be silenced! Instead, lets continue to tell people about Jesus, and the things that he has done. Lets continue to lift our praises, to honor the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!

1 Hosanna, loud hosanna
the little children sang;
through pillared court and temple
the lovely anthem rang.
To Jesus, who had blessed them,
close folded to his breast,
the children sang their praises,
the simplest and the best.

 

2 From Olivet they followed
mid an exultant crowd,
the victory palm branch waving,
and chanting clear and loud.
The Lord of earth and heaven
rode on in lowly state,
nor scorned that little children
should on his bidding wait.

3 “Hosanna in the highest!”
That ancient song we sing,
for Christ is our Redeemer,
the Lord of heaven, our King.
O may we ever praise him
with heart and life and voice,
and in his blissful presence
eternally rejoice.

In Prayer Together

Lord Jesus, we lift our prayers to you today.

As the grass is greening and the flowers are blooming, we are reminded that you promise us new life. So even as we may feel like we are confined in our homes, remind us that you are preparing the world for a new emergence.

Provide for those whose needs are immediate. Inspire us with ways to share, even as we keep distance.

Protect those who are working in and serving the community. Keep them safe and give them encouragement. Provide for them spaces for recovery and rest.

Forgive us when we lose patience. Help us to cope with our stress. Do not let us succumb to fear.

Give us faith to trust in your promises.

Give us strength to endure the challenges of today.

Give us peace that equips us to love and minister to all.

Your mercy and grace abound! As we move into Holy week, help us to continue to see your touch in our lives. We remember and celebrate your love – that you are willing to give us all to show your love. In the midst of any trials we face, may we remember that you also faced fears and troubles. May we bring our concerns to you, praying for your will to be done in and through our lives, knowing you will never leave us alone.

Amen.

It is different to be the church when we are not able to gather together. But that does not mean that it is impossible. The church is a body, formed by individual decisions to be a part of the body of Christ every day. The church is possible because God sends the Holy Spirit to awaken and revive us, to help us wake up in the morning and say that I want Jesus in my life today!

Below is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands, The Walking Roots Band. I love the song because it shares powerful examples of what can be possible when we commit to following Jesus and to being a part of God’s church: the Kingdom of God gains life in the world!

(You can read the lyrics here.)

Let us Break Bread Together

by The Walking Roots Band | Light: A Hymn Reclamation Project

Thank you for being the church, in all the ways you minister and share!!!

John 13:1-11
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

Hosanna!

by Sara Houff and Josh Burtner | Streamed with permission. CSPL121366

Confession

With all of our current talk about separation, it begs some reflection on the things that separate us from God. Isaiah 59 talks about this separation as something that results from sin. But, Isaiah also reminds the people of Israel that God has not still abandoned them. Instead, it is they who have chosen to not follow God. “Your iniquities have been a barrier between you and God.” (verse 2) Isaiah goes on to describe their sins, and the consequences of their separation in more detail, but the most important verse comes at the end of the chapter:

Isaiah 59:21-22

And he will come to Zion as Redeemer,
   to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, says the Lord.
And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from now on and for ever.”

Let us remember that even when we are separated from God, Jesus is coming to us.

 

Lord God,

We confess to you today that our hearts have often been far from you.

We have allowed ourselves to be consumed by chasing after possessions and passions that have nothing to do with your good and only to do with distraction and entertainment.

We have neglected the care of our neighbors.

We have ignored the need of the stranger.

We have strangled our own hearts.

Help us to recover a passion for your mercy and justice.

Renew our excitement about the power of your grace.

Guide us to sit at your feet again, to learn what it is to be your children in this world.

Remind us that you are coming to be our savior in this day and in all days.

Amen.

John 13:12-17
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

We are in a season of hand-washing.

Jesus speaks of the cleanliness of washed feet.

Today we think about the cleanliness of washed hands.

We name that it is neither the hands or the feet that are important,

but that it is Jesus who is essential in this act.

After this prayer, let’s take a moment to go and wash hands,

and do it praying for Jesus to minister to us,

to make us wholly clean.

Handwashing Prayer

Lord, you gathered your disciples to yourself.

In that gathering, you insisted on washing their feet.

You wanted them to be made clean.

You wanted them to be made whole;

washed of everything that would separate them from each other and you.

Lord, we desire this also.

In this season, we are washing hands instead of feet, but we are still turning to you.

Wash humanity of this virus. Remove its stain from us.

Wash us of the other things that separate us as well.

Wash away from us our fear of each other.

Wash away from us our reluctance to forgive and be forgiven.

Wash away from us every insecurity that says we are not strong enough to follow you.

Give us hands and hearts washed clean and ready to serve.

As you have done for us, may we know the blessing of doing also.

May we soon enjoy the meal, together at your table again.

Amen.

Matthew 26:26-29

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’

Bread

by Sarah Are
https://sanctifiedart.org

“After he had washed their feet . . . [Jesus] returned to the table.” (John 13:12)
Jesus returned to the table, that simple common space,
Moving from water and undeserved grace
To bread that nourishes and sustains our place—
Two simple elements, no time to waste.

I should have known there would be water,
But of course there would be bread.
From the start of creation, God has tried to keep us fed—
Fed on bread and roses and love we don’t notice.
I should have known there would be water,
But of course there would be bread.

I should have known there would be space
At the table for grace—
Space for nerves, and questions, and absent confessions;
Space for me and Elijah and Judas, without question.
I should have known there would be space,
But of course there would be bread—
For it started with manna, and all must be fed.

“This is my body, broken for you.
For you, five thousand;
For you, Israelite nation;
For you, child of the covenant;
Judas and Peter,
This is my body broken for you.”

That simple phrase, paired with the food of the day,
Makes me human again—nourishes weak spots within.
It lifts me up and draws me back in—
Breathing life into bones that were weary and thin.

For it’s easy to be so hungry for God
That God must appear in the shape of a meal,
Countering frailty, allowing me to heal.

So maybe that’s why I come back to this space,
Because I know God will be here, offering grace.
And I need that bread in order to feel—
In order to see the kingdom revealed.

I should have known there would be water,
But of course there would be bread—
For I am hungry, and all must be fed.

Blessed Be the Tie that Binds

by Jeremiah Padilla, David Tate, and Josh Burtner | Streamed with permission. CSPL121366