​ 
April 2, 2023
PALM PASSION SUNDAY
 
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Today we receive One Great Hour of Sharing Offering.
Wednesday Morning Bible Study continues from 9-10 thru May 24.
Join the community Cross Walk leaving Christ Episcopal at 11:30 am and/or Stations of the Cross at St. Boniface beginning at noon on Good Friday
Come celebrate Easter and Communion here next Sunday with Pastor Joyce.
Session will meet Tuesday, April 11, 9:30 am.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
*JoAnn Grimm who  is struggling with health issues. 
* Richard Lewis continuing recovery at home.
* Members who are on hospice: Joan Pinkston and Maxine Wagner.
*  Arlene Pawlik continuing recovery. 
* The people of Ukraine in their continued war and suffering.
* Other areas of violence and oppression.
* Areas recovering from natural disasters.
* All who are struggling with health concerns.
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP             Psalm 118:1,19-29, NLT
 
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
19 Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,
    and I will go in and thank the Lord.
20 These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there.
21 I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!
22 The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.
24 This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Please, Lord, please save us. Please, Lord, please give us success.
26 Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God, shining upon us.
    Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
    His faithful love endures forever.
 
*OPENING PRAYER
                  
God of mercy and grace, we bless you and praise you for your faithful love and for the gift of your Son, Jesus the Christ. We celebrate his entrance into Jerusalem and remembering those days we wave our own palm branches to honor him. We recall his story through the days that followed and we mourn with his friends as he was crucified. God, as we recall these storied today, fill us with understanding, but also with hope, for unlike his disciples that week, we already know the next chapter. Thanks be to God!
 
*PALM SUNDAY
                    Matthew 21:1-11, NCV
As Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem, they stopped at Bethphage at the hill called the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his followers 2 and said to them, “Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will quickly find a donkey tied there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once.”
 
4 This was to bring about what the prophet had said:
 
5 “Tell the people of Jerusalem,
    ‘Your king is coming to you.
He is gentle and riding on a donkey,
    on the colt of a donkey.’” Isaiah 62:11; Zechariah 9:9
 
6 The followers went and did what Jesus told them to do. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt to Jesus and laid their coats on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The people were walking ahead of Jesus and behind him, shouting,
 
“Praise to the Son of David!
God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Psalm 118:26
Praise to God in heaven!”
 
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, all the city was filled with excitement. The people asked, “Who is this man?”
 
11 The crowd said, “This man is Jesus, the prophet from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.”
 
*HYMN       Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!      #89
                    (You may be seated.)
 
CALL TO PRAYER                 Psalm 31:9-16, GNT
 
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in trouble;
my eyes are tired from so much crying; I am completely worn out.
10 I am exhausted by sorrow, and weeping has shortened my life.
I am weak from all my troubles; even my bones are wasting away.
 
          (Silent prayers for our own needs.)
 
11 All my enemies, and especially my neighbors, treat me with contempt.
Those who know me are afraid of me;
    when they see me in the street, they run away.
12 Everyone has forgotten me, as though I were dead;
    I am like something thrown away.
13 I hear many enemies whispering;
    terror is all around me.
They are making plans against me,
    plotting to kill me.
 
          (Silent and pastoral prayers for the world.)
 
14 But my trust is in you, O Lord; you are my God.
15 I am always in your care; save me from my enemies,
    from those who persecute me.
16 Look on your servant with kindness; save me in your constant love.
 
Almighty God, grant us courage and faith to fully put our trust in you and your constant love. May we reflect that kindness to your world all around us. Amen.
 
THE BETRAYAL           Matthew 26:14-16, NLT
 
14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
 
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION
 
Judas’ sin was greed and betrayal. Let us confess our own sins to the Lord.
 
Lord Jesus, we confess the times we too have betrayed you by our thoughts, our actions, or our words. We are sorry for the times we have failed to stand up for you, for the times we have ignored a sacred nudge to help someone in need, for the times we have followed our own agenda instead of your will, for the times we have ignored the demands of justice or the needs of the earth and its creatures, for the times we have judged others without being honest about our own flaws, for the times we have been unwilling to recognize the equality of all humankind or back that recognition with action. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
 
We remember this day how far Jesus went to show us that we are forgiven and loved. Through Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God.
 
SONG OF PRAISE       Gloria Patri #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE
 
May the peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
 
The Last Supper              Matthew 26:17- 30, NLT
 
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
 
18 “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.
 
20 When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
 
22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”
 
23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
 
25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”
 
And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”
 
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
 
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”
 
30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
 
HYMN         An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare    #94, v. 1-2, 4
 
JESUS’ PREDICTION            Matthew 26:31-35, NLT
 
31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,
‘God will strike the Shepherd,
    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
 
33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
 
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
 
35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.
 
HYMN         Go To Dark Gethsemane       #97, v. 1
 
GETHSEMANE             Matthew 26:36-46, NLT
 
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
 
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
 
40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
 
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
 
44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
 
 
THE LORD’S PRAYER
 
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.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
THE ARREST                Matthew 26:47 - 56
 
47 And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. 48 The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.” 49 So Judas came straight to Jesus. “Greetings, Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
 
50 Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.”
 
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
 
52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
 
55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day. 56 But this is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures.” At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
 
HYMN         Go To Dark Gethsemane       #97, v. 2
 
JUDGEMENT                Matthew 26:57-68, NLT
 
57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
 
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
 
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
 
64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
 
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”
 
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”
 
67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
 
INTERLUDE
 
PETER’S DENIAL                  Matthew 26:69-76, NLT
 
69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.”
 
70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
 
71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
 
72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.
 
73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
 
74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.
 
75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
 
MEDITATION                                             I Wonder
 
As I share my ponderings roused by these scripture readings from Jesus’ triumphal entry to his passion and burial, I will pause often for you to begin to ponder your own answers.
 
I wonder what it was like for the disciples as they went to ask a stranger for that donkey.
Were they surprised the owner agreed so easily when they said the Teacher needed it?
Why am I still surprised each time Jesus meets my needs?
 
I wonder what it was like for them to see the crowds waving palm branches and hear the hosannas as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem. Did they remember stories of David riding a donkey into Jerusalem when he became king? If I had been there would I have danced by the roadside and shouted with them? Why is it I don’t often celebrate with Jesus beyond our worship time together?
 
I wonder if it was easier to ask a friend if they could use his upper room to prepare the Passover. Did they feel the excitement of preparing for this annual celebration of a sacred meal? Did they think about the stories it told as they prepared each food and about God setting the Hebrews free from enslavement in Egypt? When I take communion, do I pause to give thanks for all the ways God has set me free? Do I ask Jesus to free those who are enslaved to poverty or addiction or depression or whatever else in our world today?
 
I wonder if that night the disciples thought about all that had happened in the past three days, clearing the Temple of the money changers, and declaring it a place of prayer, hearing Jesus continue to teach whoever came to listen. Were they aware of the animosity building among the Sanhedrin? Were they as afraid of the tensions building in Jerusalem that week as I am of the tensions building around the world in 2023?
 
I wonder how they felt when they came to eat that night. Were they as eager as Jesus to share this meal or were they just squabbling over who would sit where? Were the others just as flustered as Peter when Jesus washed their feet? Did anyone notice Judas’ anxiety that night or suspect why he was nervous? Were they shocked when Jesus let Judas leave? Sometimes I get so caught up in what’s going on in my own head that I don’t pay much attention to what’s going on around me or I fail to see what Jesus might be doing in my world.
 
I wonder if the disciples understood what Jesus meant about the bread and cup being his body and blood. Do we consider and understand the spiritual significance of that meal?
 
I wonder if they were surprised when Jesus said they would all leave him. Did they deny it in their own minds? How about Peter, denying then that he would deny even knowing Jesus before morning? I know I will make lots of mistakes and I will make bad choices, sometimes even when I’m aware that what I’m doing might be displeasing to God. But somehow I always want to think of myself as doing my best anyway. Am I like those disciples?
 
I wonder how the disciples found the strength to sing hymns as they walked to Gethsemane. I would have had too much on my mind to sing. It takes courage and intention to sing and offer praise on a gloomy day.
 
I wonder how disappointed Jesus must have been each time he found the disciples asleep and unable to pray. Were they also disappointed in themselves each time they woke up? Sometimes I fall asleep as I pray, but sometimes I forget to pray. In what other ways have I disappointed Jesus?
 
I wonder how Judas felt as he kissed Jesus on the cheek. With a simple greeting he identified Jesus who was then arrested. Was Judas embarrassed he had turned Jesus in, especially doing so in front of those he had been with the past three years? Was he able to look Jesus in the eye or did he turn away? When have I turned a blind eye to my own bad choices or ignored the love in Jesus’ gaze in spite of my mistakes?
 
I wonder if any of the guards arresting Jesus thought this was wrong or if any of the Sanhedrin doubted the intentions and advice of the High Priest. Did they just go along with it doing what was expected? What went through Nicodemus’ mind at that point? Jesus became the scapegoat not just symbolizing the taking away of sins as the High Priest would send them away on the Day of Atonement, but also as a political sacrifice for leadership who didn’t want to lose power. That’s a far less noble reality. How often does someone have to be that kind of scapegoat in our world today? Have I done that to anyone?
 
I wonder how Peter found the courage to follow Jesus but not the courage to acknowledge knowing Jesus. He came so far yet fell so far, but not too far from grace. Did Peter know as the cock crowed not only that he had failed Jesus, but also that Jesus would still forgive him and use him to build a community for those who believe? I think of the ways God has used me in spite of all my mistakes.
 
I wonder if those who chose to buy Potter’s Field with Judas’ returned “blood money” ever stopped to reflect on their own sin as Judas did. I’m sad that he chose suicide to deal with his guilt rather than understanding Jesus’ intentions to forgive all our sin. Are there ways I choose to punish myself rather than accept Jesus’ forgiveness?
 
I wonder if Pontius Pilate regretted his assignment to Jerusalem as the crowds shouted for Barabbas and to crucify Jesus. Can you imagine the conversation with his wife later when she had tried to stop him, but he proceeded to give in to the crowd’s demands? He felt caught in the middle but didn’t stand up for what he believed, that Jesus was innocent. How often do I give in to what society says rather than stand up for what I believe to be right?
 
I wonder what went through the soldier’s minds as they mocked and flogged Jesus or gambled for his clothes. What was Simon of Cyrene thinking as he was drafted to carry Jesus’ cross? Did the crowds have a clue what they were doing or that Jesus was innocent? What finally triggered the Centurion’s recognition that Jesus was indeed the Son of God? What does it take for me to recognize when the crowd is wrong, when leaders are steering us the wrong direction? Am I willing to speak up or do anything about it?
 
I wonder if anyone else noticed the women watching in horror as Jesus hung on the cross and died or that only one of the disciples stood with them. I am amazed and grateful that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea found the courage to try to give Jesus a proper burial. Did they no longer care what their friends or colleagues thought? The women watched so they could come back and honor Jesus with their final ministrations of love. Did Joseph or Nicodemus notice them and understand? Would I have stood with them if I were there then? What have I done to show my love or support for Jesus in my lifetime?
 
In the days ahead, I invite you to also ponder these things – what happened then and how you react and respond to the needs of Christ’s mission in our own day.
 
 
JUDAS                 Matthew 27:1-10, NLT
 
27:1 Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
 
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”
 
“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”
 
5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
 
6 The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” 7 After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. 8 That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,
 
“They took the thirty pieces of silver--
    the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
10 and purchased the potter’s field,
    as the Lord directed.”
 
OFFERING OURSELVES TO GOD
 
God of Mercy and Grace, Judas failed to receive that give from you and punished himself for his crime. But rather than going the way of Judas, we choose to freely offer our lives and resources to serve you as best we can. We are able to do so only because we indeed live in your mercy and grace. Amen.
 
OFFERING
 
DOXOLOGY        Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow          #592
 
TRIAL                   Matthew 27:11-26, NLT
 
11 Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.
 
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
 
 
12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
 
15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas. 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
 
19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”
 
20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”
 
The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”
 
22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
 
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
 
23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
 
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
 
24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”
 
25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”
 
26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
 
HYMN         Go To Dark Gethsemane       #97, v. 3
 
THE CROSS                  Matthew 27:27-44, NLT
 
27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
 
32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
 
35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
 
39 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
 
41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
 
*HYMN       When I Survey the Wondrous Cross        #101
                    (You may be seated.)
 
JESUS’ DEATH            Matthew 27:45-56, NLT
 
45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
 
47 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. 48 One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. 49 But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
 
50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52 and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and
women who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
 
54 The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
 
55 And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
 
Affirmation of Faith               Philippians 2:1-11, NCV
 
5 In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.
 
6 Christ himself was like God in everything.
    But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit.
7 But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing.
    He was born as a man
    and became like a servant.
8 And when he was living as a man,
    he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God,
    even when that caused his death—death on a cross.
9 So God raised him to the highest place.
    God made his name greater than every other name
10 so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus--
    everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.
11 And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
    and bring glory to God the Father.
 
THE BURIAL                 Matthew 27:57-66, NLT
 
57 As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, 58 went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. 59 Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. 60 He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. 61 Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.
 
The Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. 63 They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”
 
65 Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” 66 So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.
 
PLACING THE PALL
 
CHARGE AND BLESSING
 
POSTLUDE
 
EXIT IN SILENCE
                    
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.