I hope everyone stays warm and safe today. But if you were hoping for a worship experience to mark the beginning of Holy Week, I have some resources to share here, including some prayers, music, and a meditation version of the sermon scheduled for today. Below is my video introduction to our online worship resources.
The traditional opening hymn on Palm Sunday is "All Glory, Laud, and Honor." This is a good recording of a congregation singing this hymn, with the lyrics (if you'd like to sing along).
Here is a prayer I offer on behalf of our community on this holy day.
Palm Sunday is the first of two days when we collect the Easter special offering, which benefits many of the wider ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) through Disciples Mission Fund. You can learn more about these ministries here. We will collect this special offering for the next two Sundays.
The choir had worked hard to prepare a special arrangement of "Ride On, King Jesus" by Moses Hogan. You can listen to this anthem, performed by the Hastings College Choir, below.
This week, I had planned to continue our study of the Hebrews' journey through the wilderness by focusing on the end of Moses' life, when he climbs Mt. Nebo to see the Promised Land toward which he has guided the Israelites for 40 years. I believe that there are lessons here that parallel the vision of Christians on Palm Sunday. You can listen to the meditation here. (I should confess: it felt a little weird recording it with no one listening, so if it sounds odd to you -- I certainly understand.)
During Communion, I had planned to sing "Via Dolorosa" to mark the beginning of Holy Week. Instead, you can listen to the original recording by Sandy Patty.
I know that we cannot replicate our shared worship online, but we also cannot control the weather. So we do the best we can. I hope to see you all soon.
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