Hold On!

Resurrection Lutheran Church

6705 Wesner Rd 1603 16th Ave Verona, WI 53593 Monroe, WI 53566 (608) 848-4965 (608) 328-8130

www.rlcverona.org www.rlcmonroe.org

Pastor Nathan Strutz - Pastor Andrew Ewings - Vicar Seth Krueger 608.515.4334 608.535.6531 507.217.6181

Palm Sunday

Welcome to Resurrection!

W e extend a warm welcome to each one present. As we unite together in worship, may we experience together

the grace and mercy of our God through his life-giving Word and sacraments. Guests, below is some information that may help us host you well in the Lord’s house. Please let us know if we can assist you in any way.

Visitor Information

W orship at Resurrection Lutheran Church follows the historic liturgy of the Church. Our worship service is

designed to give our Savior thanks for the salvation He won for us. Lutheran worship is really a conver-sation between God and his people. He speaks to us in His Word; we praise Him and respond to Him in song. We confess our sins and needs; He provides the forgiveness Jesus accomplished at the cross, and helps us with our individual needs.

W orship will follow the service folder, guiding us in our dialogue with the Lord. Feel free to par-ticipate at whatever level you are comfortable. Whenever the words are printed in bold, the

congregation is welcome to join in responding or singing. May God bless us as we place Him at the cen-ter of our worship.

Personal Prayers for Worship are found on pages 10-11 in the front of the

Christian Worship hymnal located under the pew chairs.

Preacher: Vicar Seth Krueger Leader: Pastor Nathan Strutz Pianist: Elizabeth Strutz Cantor: Rick Hermanson

Welcome!

April 5, 2020

Palm Sunday

Welcome

WELCOME

OPENING HYMN: 130 “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna”

INVOCATION

Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

People: And also with you.

CONFESSION OF SINS

Leader: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.

All: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

Leader: Friend, your sins are forgiven. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, God has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.

People: Amen.

PRAYER AND PRAISE

Leader: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.

People:

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Leader: Let us pray.

We praise you, O God, for the great acts of love by which you have redeemed us through your Son, Jesus Christ. As he was acclaimed by those who scattered their garments and branches of palms in his path, so may we always hail him as our King and follow him with perfect confidence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever..

People: Amen.

THE WORD

LESSON: ZECHARIAH 9:9, 10 NIV

9 Rejoice greatly Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

PSALM: 63

The cantor will sing the verses, and the congregation joins on the Refrain.

Refrain

Cantor: O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory.

People: Refrain

Cantor: For your love is better than life, my lips will speak your praise. So I will bless you all my life, in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, my mouth shall praise you with joy.

People: Refrain

Cantor: On my bed I remember you. On you I muse through the night, for you have been my help; in the shadow of your wings I rejoice. My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast.

People: Refrain

LESSON & SERMON TEXT: PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 NIV

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped; 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And be-ing found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

VERSE OF THE DAY (Sung by the cantor)

Cantor: The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. (John 12:23)

GOSPEL: MATTHEW 21:1-11 NIV

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disci-ples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5”Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds an-swered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Leader: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise be to you, O Christ!

CONFESSION OF FAITH - Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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 into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE (all the children are invited to join at the altar area for a devotion)

HYMN OF THE DAY: 133 “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty”

SERMON: VICAR SETH KRUEGER BASED ON: PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11

Hold On! 1. Jesus Reached for Humility

2. We Reach for the Glorified Christ

Questions to consider while hearing the sermon:

1. Who would you expect to see playing for a basketball team this time of year?

2. What do we spend much of our time looking for?

3. Why was Paul concerned for the Philippians?

4. What is the meaning of the “key word” in Jesus’ attitude?

5. How does our attitude often differ from Jesus?

6. What else did Jesus “grab”?

7. What was Jesus’ reward for giving up his glory?

8. What do we have to hold on to?

For further discussion/Vine and Branches

1. What’s your favorite comeback story? Why does it mean so much to you?

2. When have you seen people’s trust in earthly things come up short? How does Jesus answer your doubts and fears when it comes to your peace and security?

3. Agree or disagree: Jesus’ life proves that if I give up enough for God, he will honor me.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Leader: Dear Heavenly Father, the world we live in is not the way you envisioned it to be. When sin entered the perfect paradise you made for mankind, it destroyed the peace and security you had given. Now we endure a life in a world full of doubt, uncertainty, and fear. We often seek to find that long-lost peace in ourselves, the things we can buy or the things we can accomplish. But these are only temporary solutions to the permanent problem of sin, and we need your gracious help to overcome. We thank you for sending your Son to do what we could not, and become the perfect sacrifice that was required to rid the world of sin forever. Let your glorified Son be our Rock to hold on to in times of trouble, to remind us that our hope is in you alone. Give us humble hearts and attitudes that long to serve others before ourselves, to imitate the life of our Savior who sacrificed so much to give us the gift of heaven. In his name, which is above every name, we pray,

People: Amen.

Leader: We join in the Lord’s Prayer:

LORD’S PRAYER

All: 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

Leader: 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.

People: Amen.

The Closing Hymn is found on the following page

CLOSING HYMN: 363 “The King of Glory Comes”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblia, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

PLEASE NOTE:

We are making every attempt to continue to worship together as a church family. However, due to the ever-changing conditions with Covid19, we ask that you please monitor the website and our Facebook page for any changes. We will comply with all government mandates as they are issued & modify our gatherings accordingly.

We will be posting online worship opportunities very soon. You will receive notification of them via email and they will also be posted on our Facebook page, our YouTube channel (The Resurrection Channel) and the websites. Resources to follow along will be included.

Your gifts of love are still needed, and can be mailed to the main office: Atten-tion Treasurer, 6705 Wesner Rd, Verona, WI 53593. You also may contribute through your bank’s bill-pay service & they will mail the check for you. Or, you may contribute online by contacting the office to obtain the form to do so: ministrycoordinator@rlcverona.com.

Pastors and Vicar are available for communion by request.

Maundy Thursday - April 9 Good Friday - April 10 Verona: 6:30pm Monroe: 12:00 noon Monroe: 7:00pm Verona: 6:30pm

Easter vigil will not be held this year Easter Sunday - April 12 Verona: 7:00am Sunrise Service 9:00am Festival Service Monroe: 10:30am Festival Service No Communion Easter Sunday

WHAT IS LENT?

Lent comes from a word that means, “spring,” as Lent takes place during the spring of the year, even if it does not feel like Spring.

The season of Lent officially lasts forty days, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending the day before Easter. Lent is traditionally a somber season of repentance, or sorrow over our sins. This sorrow is shown in the ashes on Ash Wednesday, the mood of many Lenten hymns and the lack of Alleluias during worship (Alleluia is a joyous word that means, “Praise the Lord.” This word is not sung or spoken during the Lenten season). We also do not open the triptych during Lent to convey the somber nature of the season. The color purple is also a color of repentance that is used only during Lent. A special crown of thorns candle wreath will also help us focus on our sins and Christ’s suf-fering and death to pay for all our sins. In spite of all the somber moods Lent conveys, we still fo-cus more than anything on the wonderful good news that all our sins are indeed paid in full be-cause of Christ’s suffering and death. One way this stands out is that the Sundays during Lent are not counted as part of the official forty day length of the season. Each Sunday remains a little Easter, a chance to reflect again on the victory of Christ’s resurrection which follows his suffering.

Throughout the history of the Christian Church, many traditions have sprung up around Lent. If we remember the good reason for these traditions, we may use them as aids to focus on Christ, rather than thinking they will earn Christ’s love. Because Lent was often a time of fasting or giving up certain foods, people began to celebrate, “Fat Tuesday,” the day before Ash Wednesday, when people would gorge on the foods they were not going to eat during Lent. This practice seems the least desirable of all the traditions connected with Lent. Mardi Gras is an example of an entire fes-tival that takes place before the enforced somberness of Lent begins. That one doesn’t seem like a good idea either.

But what about giving something up for Lent? You may have heard of friends or family, espe-cially those who belong to the Roman Catholic Church, doing this. The original idea behind giving something up for Lent, was to help the person remember the great sacrifice of Christ by making some small sacrifice for him. There’s nothing wrong with that. Over time, however, many people thought they were earning Christ’s love by their sacrifices. As a result, many Christians objected to the faulty reason for the tradition, more than the tradition itself. Also today, because the tradition is strongest in the Roman Catholic Church, it has come to be associated as “Catholic” rather than simply, “Christian.”

In the final analysis, a Christian who wants to give up something for Lent to remember Christ’s much greater sacrifice can do so and worship Christ in this way. The Christian who chooses not to do so is not any more or less Christian. Maybe a good idea for those who want to remember Christ’s sacrifice would be to consider replacing something in their life with more focus on Christ. For instance, maybe you would give up your favorite TV show and replace the 30 minutes a week with Bible reading, or attending Wednesday evening worship in addition to Sunday worship. May-be a Christian would give up drinking pop and use the money as a special offering to Jesus. Again, this won’t earn God’s love, but maybe it will help you keep your focus on Christ’s great sacrifice, and help you remember just how much Jesus loves you. That’s what Lent is really all about.