St Ansgar Lutheran Church, London

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Sunday Morning

We invite you to join us for the following worship services:

Sundays
10:30 a.m. Worship service

Hand sanitizer will be available at the entrance and other locations in the church for
your use.

Washrooms will be available for use.

In the service: The service will be shown on the screen. The offering will not be gathered and presented, but there will be an offering plate at the back of the sanctuary where you can put your offering as you enter or leave. Pastor David distributes the communion wafers and an Assisting Minister distributes wine or grape juice in individual glasses.

We have coffee and fellowship time available again in Luther Hall after the service.

We will continue to evaluate our worship service procedures on a monthly basis.

PALM SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2026

St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, Outline for Worship (with sermon)
Sunday, March 29, 2026 - Palm / Passion Sunday
ELW Holy Communion Setting 5

GATHERING
P: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
C: Hosanna in the highest.

PROCESSIONAL GOSPEL: Matthew 21:1-11
P: The holy gospel according to Matthew.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage,
at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them,
"Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey
tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says
anything to you, just say this, 'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them
immediately." 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the
prophet, saying, 5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to
you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought
the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut
branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that
went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son
of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in
the highest heaven!" 10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in
turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" 11 The crowds were saying, "This is the
prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

P: The gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.

BLESSING OF PALMS
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.

P: Let us pray.
P: We praise you, O God, for redeeming the world through our Saviour
Jesus Christ. Today he entered the holy city in triumph and was proclaimed
messiah and king by those who spread garments and branches along his way.
Bless these branches and those who carry them.
Grant us grace to follow our Lord in the way of the cross, so that, joined to
his death and resurrection, we enter into life with you; through the same
Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
C: Amen.

ENTRANCE HYMN - All Glory, Laud, and Honour (ELW #344)

PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: As we now enter into the contemplation of the passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ and meditate on the salvation of the world through his sufferings, death,
burial, and resurrection, let us pray.
P: Everlasting God, in your endless love for the human race you sent our Lord
Jesus Christ to take on our nature and to suffer death on the cross. In your
mercy enable us to share in his obedience to your will and in the glorious victory
of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and forever.
C: Amen.

WORD

FIRST READING: Isaiah 50:4-9a
4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how
to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens
my ear to listen as those who are taught. 5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. 6 I gave my back to those who
struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my
face from insult and spitting. 7 The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not
been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not
be put to shame; 8 he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.
9a It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?

A: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

PSALM: 31:9-16
9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
my eye is consumed with sorrow, and also my throat and my belly.
10 For my life is wasted with grief, and my years with sighing;
my strength fails me because of affliction, and my bones are consumed.
11 I am the scorn of all my enemies, a disgrace to my neighbours, a dismay
to my acquaintances;*
when they see me in the street they avoid me.
12 Like the dead I am forgotten, out of mind;
I am as useless as a broken pot.
13 For I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around;
they put their heads together against me; they plot to take my life.
14 But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord,
I have said, “You are my God.
15 My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.”

SECOND READING: Philippians 2:5-11
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in
the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to
the point of death-- even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted
him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.

A: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
C: Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

GOSPEL
P: The holy gospel according to Matthew 26:14 - 27:66
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the
chief priests 15 and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?"
They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he began
to look for an opportunity to betray him. 17 On the first day of Unleavened
Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make
the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He said, "Go into the city
to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is near; I will
keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" 19 So the disciples
did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
20 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; 21 and while
they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me."
22 And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after
another, "Surely not I, Lord?" 23 He answered, "The one who has dipped
his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as
it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!
It would have been better for that one not to have been born." 25 Judas, who
betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."
26 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."
27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 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." 30 When they had sung the hymn, they
went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, "You will
all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, 'I will strike
the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32 But after
I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee." 33 Peter said to him,
"Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you."
34 Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows,
you will deny me three times." 35 Peter said to him, "Even though I must die
with you, I will not deny you." And so said all the disciples.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to
his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took with him
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.
38 Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here,
and stay awake with me." 39 And going a little farther, he threw himself on
the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me;
yet not what I want but what you want." 40 Then he came to the disciples
and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay
awake with me one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you may not come
into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
42 Again he went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this
cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." 43 Again he came and
found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So leaving them again,
he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.
45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping
and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed
into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at
hand." 47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived;
with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests
and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign,
saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him." 49 At once he came up to
Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him,
"Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on
Jesus and arrested him. 51 Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand
on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who
take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal
to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
54 But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen
in this way?" 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out
with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day
I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But all this has
taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all
the disciples deserted him and fled. 57 Those who had arrested Jesus took
him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders
had gathered. 58 But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the
courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order
to see how this would end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were
looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death,
60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last
two came forward 61 and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the
temple of God and to build it in three days.'" 62 The high priest stood up
and said, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?"
63 But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I put you under
oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."
64 Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you
will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on
the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said,
"He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard
his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death."
67 Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him,
68 saying, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?"
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him
and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." 70 But he denied
it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about."
71 When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she
said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72 Again he
denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." 73 After a little while the
bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them,
for your accent betrays you." 74 Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath,
"I do not know the man!" At that moment the cock crowed. 75 Then Peter
remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny
me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.
27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the
people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death.
2 They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented
and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders.
4 He said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said,
"What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5 Throwing down the pieces of silver in
the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests,
taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury,
since they are blood money." 7 After conferring together, they used them to
buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. 8 For this reason that
field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what
had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty
pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on
whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, 10 and they gave them
for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me." 11 Now Jesus stood
before the governor; and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of
the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." 12 But when he was accused by
the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him,
"Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?" 14 But he
gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was
greatly amazed. 15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to
release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16 At that time
they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. 17 So after they had
gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you,
Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" 18 For he realized
that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19 While he was
sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do
with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a
dream about him." 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the
crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21 The governor
again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?"
And they said, "Barabbas." 22 Pilate said to them, "Then what should
I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him
be crucified!" 23 Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they
shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!" 24 So when Pilate saw that
he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water
and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's
blood; see to it yourselves." 25 Then the people as a whole answered,
"His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 So he released Barabbas
for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters,
and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28 They stripped him and
put a scarlet robe on him,29 and after twisting some thorns into a crown,
they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before
him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 They spat
on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 After mocking him,
they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him.
Then they led him away to crucify him.
32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon;
they compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a
place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him
wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves
by casting lots; 36 then they sat down there and kept watch over him. 37 Over his
head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of
the Jews." 38 Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and
one on his left. 39 Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads 40
and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save
yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 In the same
way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders,
were mocking him, saying, 42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself.
He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will
believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to;
for he said, 'I am God's Son.'" 44 The bandits who were crucified with him
also taunted him in the same way. 45 From noon on, darkness came over
the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o'clock Jesus
cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?" 47 When some of the bystanders heard it,
they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." 48 At once one of them ran and got
a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. 49
But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50
Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51 At that
moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened,
and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After his
resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and
appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and those with him, who were
keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they
were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" 55 Many women
were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from
Galilee and had provided for him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene,
and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons
of Zebedee. 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea,
named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate
and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and laid it
in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great
stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, that is,
after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered
before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while
he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 Therefore command
the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may
go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,'
and the last deception would be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them,
"You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." 66 So they
went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.

P: The gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON
Matthew 21:1- 11
Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the prayers of our hearts,
always be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our Strength, and our Redeemer.
AMEN
Can you imagine what it was like for Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on
a donkey? Suddenly, spontaneously, people started to rip palm branches
off the trees and shouted “Hosanna,” placing their coats in front of the donkey
so that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem like a king.
Jesus was greeted like a king even though he came so humbly riding in on a
donkey and this, to me, is the moment, the one time, when the world acknowledged
Jesus for who he was – the Messiah, son of David. An astounding statement was
made by humanity which acknowledges Jesus as God’s Saviour of the world.
They shouted praises to God, giving thanks for Jesus.
This is the only moment in which Jesus was ever treated that way by the world.
Granted that it was in Jerusalem and it was a particular ethnic and religious
crowd, but people came to the Passover Feast from all over the world.
The crowd was made up of people from many different countries and languages
and backgrounds. They came to Jerusalem as pilgrims and so this event can
be argued to be the moment when the world greeted the Messiah.
Think about it: it is only the one time because just three days later the
crowd shouted “crucify, crucify him.” A turnaround of events that leaves
us scratching our heads. Even after Jesus’ resurrection, he only appeared
to a few of his followers.
So, this is the moment in which Jesus was acknowledged by the world so
much so that people who were bystanders asked, “Who is this?” The parade
crowd answered, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
God made it very clear to us in the Scriptures, such as in John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” It is so clear
that God offered his only Son out of love for us. God sent his only Son out
of love and deep care for us. God could have drawn a line in the sand and said,
“This is it!” Instead, God was willing to cross that line in a very personal way
to reconcile us to God. I believe with all my heart that God will reconcile every
single person on this earth to God, because God is a God of love.
Sadly, some theologians through the ages have been very quick in putting
limits on God’s grace. They have been quick to say that God’s grace is not
for everybody. Of course they say, ideally God would love for everybody to
be reconciled, but that is just not going to happen. So, obviously there are
going to be people that are going to be lost.
One of those theologians, John Calvin, believed in double predestination,
which is a theological position that states that God has chosen a group of
elect persons. These people are predestined before the foundation of the
world to be saved. And, of course, if you are making such a statement then
what follows is that there is another group that is not elect and they were
apparently predestined from the beginning of the world not to be saved.
They were predestined to hell.
To me that is horrible theology. I am sorry Mr. Calvin, but I just don’t buy this. As
a good Lutheran I should not. Martin Luther described John 3:16 as
“the Bible miniature” or “the Gospel in a nutshell,” considering it a concise
summary of the entire Christian faith. Luther emphasized that the verse
highlights God’s profound love, the gift of God’s Son for salvation, and that
eternal life is received through faith alone. For Luther, this verse was not
merely information, but a declaration of good news designed to evoke trust,
promising that salvation depends solely on God’s love in Christ. In Luther’s
theology God’s love stretches to all the world not just to some, not even just
the majority, but to every single one of God’s children. We are all included!
Karl Barth, another well-known theologian, had an interesting contribution to make in
this discussion. I do not particularly agree with all his theology, but there is one thing
I really like about him. He comes from the Calvinistic tradition, so he had to come to
terms with Calvin’s theological double predestination. He came up with a
wonderful statement on this topic. Barth said, “God has determined through his
Son as his image and the first-born of all creation to ‘reconcile all things
to himself’...This much is certain, that we have no theological right to set any
sorts of limits to the loving-kindness of God which has appeared in Jesus
Christ. Our theological duty is to see and understand it as being greater
than we had seen before.”
Some call Karl Barth a universalist because of this and similar statements he
made. Honestly, I think if he is a universalist then I am a universalist. I believe
that in the end all of God’s children will be saved and that God will reconcile
all of creation to God. I do not believe in a God, in a divine parent who would
reject any of His/Her children for eternity.
I truly believe that God will reconcile all of creation. So, in a very real sense,
Jesus is the Messiah of every single person in the history of the world.
And that to me is the greatest news ever, that Jesus is the Saviour of every
single person who ever lived, lives now, or who will ever live in the future.
Jesus is the Saviour of the world. Whether people know Jesus or not, all are
chosen by God through Jesus. In the end they will know, but what is so
remarkable about God’s limitless love and grace is that absolutely everybody
is chosen in and through Jesus Christ.
So, this passage about Jesus’ triumphal entry allows us to witness a truly
historic moment. A moment when the world greeted their Messiah to
acknowledge the truth of God’s great love and care for all of humanity.
It is such a very special occasion. In fact, it is the only occasion. This morning,
we want to celebrate this amazing moment of revelation and acknowledgement.
Let us chime in with the crowd and give thanks for God’s amazing grace and
love for all of God’s children as focused in the person of Jesus the Messiah.
Let us remember Jesus the Messiah as we take communion, and as we
partake, let us think about what this all means for us.
AMEN

Silence is kept for reflection.

HYMN OF THE DAY – O Sacred Head, Now Wounded (ELW #351)

APOSTLES’ CREED
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.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
A: Reconciled by God’s mercy and sustained by God’s presence, let us pray
for the world and its needs.
A: God of our church, send forth your Spirit as we pray for our Bishops Larry
and Carla. Empower them with your wisdom to lead the church. We also pray
for the Thames Ministry area, especially the people of Trinity Lutheran Church,
London, in their time of pastoral vacancy. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: O God, you announce words of grace and truth. Give wisdom to all preachers
in your church both globally and locally. Open our hearts to encounter the
infinite life you offer in Jesus. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: You hold the whole universe. Gather sun and moon, clouds and stars,
land and sea, and plants and animals around the cross, so that all creation
bears witness to your saving love. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Your power is sure. Destroy inequity and division in every place, and build
your beloved community among all people. Guide judges, attorneys, and juries
so that they act with justice and fairness. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Your heart breaks open at our pain. Send healing and vindication to all who,
like Jesus, know the sting of betrayal, denial, abuse, or false accusations. Be with
those experiencing pain or loss this day and all who are sick or homebound.
We pray especially for Beth, Jean, Mary Margaret, Kristine, Karen, Emma, Cathy,
Lene, Lyra, Bud, Heather, Margaret, and those others who are in our hearts.
Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Your ways show compassion. Let this same mind be in us as we enter Holy
Week. Bless those here who will lead worship and tell the story of Jesus’ death
and resurrection. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Merciful God, we pray for peace as war continues to rage in Ukraine and
in the Middle East. Shelter all living in fear; protect those seeking refuge in
neighbouring countries; sustain families separated by the horrors of war;
tend to those who are injured; comfort all who mourn their dead.
Direct your people into the way of peace. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: O God, your embrace is eternal. Praise and thanks to you for all the faithful
departed who rest in your mercy. Deliver us all from death’s power and raise
us to life in you. Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is great.

A: Receive our prayers, O God, through Jesus Christ, our strength and
salvation.
C: Amen.

PEACE
P: The peace of Christ be with you always.
C: And also with you.

OFFERTORY HYMN (ELW #186)
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with your free Spirit.

OFFERING PRAYER
A: O God, maker of heaven and earth, your steadfast love embraces
all creation. You send rain and sunshine to nourish the earth and bring
forth its bounty. Through these gifts of bread and wine, draw us into the
death and life of your Son, who calls us to bear witness to his saving work.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
C: Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER
P: Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.
C: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

SENDING

BLESSING
P: Receive the blessing of the holy Trinity: God, who calls all things into
existence; Jesus Christ, who redeems us; and the Holy Spirit, whose breath
sustains creation, ☩ bless you now and always.
C: Amen.

SENDING HYMN - Beneath the Cross of Jesus (ELW #338)

DISMISSAL
A: Go in peace. Believe the good news.
C: Thanks be to God.