Ron Rienstra

This is part of the worship series, "Grounded and Growing—Journeying from Lent to Easter” Series Introduction | Ash Wednesday | Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 | Palm/Passion Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | EasterLeading Prayers of the People During Lent | A Communion Liturgy for LentAlso in this year-long Grounded and Growing series: Advent and Christmas | Epiphany Throughout the season of Lent, we have been walking with Jesus—through wilderness and testing, through pruning and promise, through sorrow and waiting. We followed him into Jerusalem. We watched as the light faded and the shadows gathered. We ate a memorial meal on Thursday. Then on the Friday we call “Good,” we stood at the foot of the cross and listened as the story seemingly concluded and was buried.Today, we come to the morning after the long night.But Easter is not a return to normal. It is not a sentimental ending to a difficult story—the “happily ever after” we all expect from our favorite narratives. No, it is the beginning of something entirely new, something that had to pass through death in order to live. The seed that fell into the earth has broken open.The gospel tells us that the women came to the tomb at dawn, carrying spices to embalm…well…the corpse they expected to find. Instead, they found an empty grave and a revelation that could barely be spoken aloud. Mark’s shorter conclusion leaves us hanging a little bit. Resurrection did not arrive with trumpets or certainty. It arrived quietly, like light slipping over the horizon, like life stirring underground.This is what it means to be grounded and growing in the Easter faith. We trust that God is at work beneath the surface. We believe that new life is already pushing up through the soil of grief and fear. We follow a risen Christ who still bears the marks of the cross. Not erased, but redeemed.We come today with alleluias on our lips, but questions in our hearts. We come with joy and with scars. We come from a world that still knows violence and loss, but also from a God who has refused to let death have the last word.Christ is risen. The tomb is empty. The garden of the whole world is waking.And we are invited to grow into this new life.Service OutlineGATHERINGCall to WorshipThis opening song is an adaptation of the most ancient Easter chant Christendom knows. Beneath the spoken words, the musicians play the Gm (Em with Capo III) chord quietly, keeping time.During this section, attend to these gestures as indicated: Light the Christ candleLift and place the ScripturesPour water into the font“O Sons and Daughters of the King” early 16th C., tr. NealeThis is the good news—the cross is empty.   The grave is empty![The musicians continue, bouncing to Dm7 (Bm7 with Capo III) to cue the congregation][Easter Opening 1 Music to come]This is the good news—the light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never put it out.[Light the Christ candle][Easter Opening 2 Music to come]This is the good news—the Word is near you.   It is in your mouth and in your heart[Lift and place the Scriptures][Easter Opening 2 Music to come]This is the good news—once we were no people, now we are God’s people[Pour water into the font][Easter Opening 2 Music to come]Christ is Risen! Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia.Opening Songs of Praise“Glory to God Who Does Wondrous Things” (st. 1–2) Haugen  [Or one or more other Easter songs that celebrate Christ’s resurrection.]  Welcome & Season Framing[Brief word naming this week’s theme, and the Grounded and Growing theme (see introduction).]Prayer of  Confession[In some traditions is it customary to omit the penitential sequence during the season of Easter. If you choose to do so, skip ahead to the Prayer for Illumination. If not, let this season’s confession land a bit lighter on the spirit.]Risen Christ,we come to you with alleluias on our lipsbut doubts in our hearts.We want resurrection without the waiting,new life without the letting go,and hope without the cost of love.We confess that we cling to what is familiareven when you are doing something new.We confess that we trust what we can seemore than what you have promised.Forgive us, O God.Turn us again toward life.Teach us to walk in the way of your risen Son.Amen.Silence is keptAssurance of PardonHear the good news:The tomb is empty.Death has been defeated.The powers of this world have not won.In Jesus Christ, God has broken the hold of sin and death.In Jesus Christ, a new creation has begun.In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and made new.Christ is risen.Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia. Response/Gloria:“We Are Not Overcome”(st. 3 + refrain) Wardell, Heiskell, Radcliffe  OR “Oh, Qué Bueno Es Jesús/Oh, How Good is Christ the Lord” Puerto Rican WORDPrayer for IlluminationO Christ, after your resurrection you appeared to your disciples; you breathed on them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Breathe on us that we might receive your spirit to recognize you in the reading of your Word. Amen.Scripture Reading Acts 10:34–43 (alternate: Isaiah 25:6–9)—God’s promise fulfilled in the risen Jesus, whom God made both Lord and Savior. (Typically in the Easter season a reading from Acts replaces the OT reading, but either of these readings are fitting).Psalm 30—A song of thanksgiving for deliverance—God turns mourning into joy and restores life from the brink of death.John 20:1–18 (alternate: Mark 16:1–8)—Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Jesus at the empty tomb.1 Corinthians 15:1–11 (alternate: Acts 10:34–43)—Christ’s resurrection: cornerstone of faith and hope, witnessed and shared. Sermon “Raised to New Life”[See notes from introduction.]Song of Response“Te ensalzaré, Señor” Bell [sung refrain with a reading of Psalm 30]ORChoral arrangement of “Te ensalzaré, Señor” Bell  [with sung verses and congregational refrain.] ORDownload congregational version with stanza and refrain and copyright permission at OneLicense.net #31159Prayers of the PeopleBegin by naming the day and its place in the season.• Locate the congregation in the story of God.• Name the theme of the service (resurrection, new life, hope, etc.).• Invite the community into prayer with confidence in God’s mercy. Example framing cues:• “Trusting in the God who brings life out of death…”• “Rooted in Christ’s resurrection hope…”• “With hearts open to the Spirit who is making all things new…”For the ChurchPray for:• The global church and its witness• Pastors, teachers, and leaders• Communities of faith in places of fear, violence, or persecutionAttend to:• Faithfulness• Courage• Unity• Truth-tellingFor the WorldPray for:• Nations and leaders• Places of war, displacement, and injustice• The poor, the hungry, the hunted, and the forgottenName:• Abuse of power• Environmental degradation• Systems that crush the vulnerableAsk for:• Justice• Peace• Wisdom• Repair For the EarthPray for:• Creation’s healing• Land, water, air, and creatures• Those who work the soil and steward resourcesUse grounded language:• Soil, seed, root, harvest, waters, wilderness For the Local CommunityPray for:• The city, campus, or neighborhood• Schools, hospitals, shelters, and caregivers• Those affected by violence, addiction, or despair For Those in NeedPray for:• The sick and grieving• The anxious and exhausted• The lonely and forgotten• Those carrying hidden burdensAllow silence for names.Closing Prayer Gather the prayers:• Return to the day’s theme• Affirm trust in God’s mercy• Offer hope rooted in ChristEnd with a doxological or resurrection-shaped confession of faith.TABLELord’s Supper[Adapt “Grounded and Growing—A Communion Liturgy for Lent”]SENDINGPrayer of ThanksgivingRisen God,we thank you for the gift of this day and for the good news that has met us here:that the tomb is empty,that love is stronger than death,and that your life is already at work in the world.You have turned our mourning into dancing,our fear into hope,and our waiting into praise.You have planted resurrection in the soil of our livesand called us into the joy of your new creation.Send us out now as a people who live by your promise,who trust your power to make all things new,and who follow Christ in the way of life.Ground us in your grace.Grow us in your love.Lead us on your way.Amen. Closing song“Now the Green Blade Rises” Crum“Glory to God Who Does Wondrous Things” (st. 4) Haugen  Closing Prayer [Attend to the three gestures named in the introduction to this service.]This is the good news—The grave is emptyAlleluia! The light shines in the darkness Alleluia! The Word is near youAlleluia! We are God’s people!Alleluia!BenedictionMay the God of peace,who raised to life the great shepherd of the sheepmake us ready to do his will in every good thing,through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.Alleluia!  Amen.Bless the Lord.The Lord’s name be praised.Go in peace…A sign of peace may be exchanged.

This is part of the worship series, "Grounded and Growing—Journeying from Lent to Easter” Series Introduction | Ash Wednesday | Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 | Palm/Passion Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | EasterLeading Prayers of the People During Lent | A Communion Liturgy for LentAlso in this year-long, Grounded and Growing series: Advent and Christmas | Epiphany Good Friday is a day of holy restraint, a service shaped by absence and diminishment. There is no sermon. There is no celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Instead, we listen to the story of Christ’s passion and allow it to take root. This service draws on two ancient Christian traditions. One is the typically Roman Catholic Stations of the Cross, in which the church walks slowly through the final hours of Jesus’ life. The other is Tenebrae, a service of shadows, in which light is gradually withdrawn as the Passion story unfolds. In this service, these traditions are woven together. The passion according to the Gospel of Mark is told in a series of narrative sections. We provide a robust distribution of pericopes and descriptors (“Shadow of ________”), but you are free to adapt for your own context. After each reading, a candle is extinguished and the room grows darker.Throughout this central portion of the service, music plays quietly beneath the readings. It rises briefly during the silences between them. The visual and auditory elements are not decorative, but formative. They help shape a space of attention, reverence, and witness.There is no commentary on the readings. Scripture itself is the proclamation. Silence is part of the prayer.The extinguishing of each candle marks a shadow in the story: the shadow of betrayal, of condemnation, of humiliation, of death, of burial. Near the end of the service, the sanctuary is fully darkened (insofar as that is possible), and the Christ candle is carried from the room. Only then is the final shadow/text (burial) read.Throughout this season we have reflected on what it means to be grounded and growing—to trust that God is at work even when the soil is hard and the landscape bare. Good Friday brings us to the place where the seed falls into the earth. The story presses us down into the ground with Christ, into the silence and the waiting. It asks us to trust that even here—in loss, in grief, in apparent failure—God is still at work beneath the surface, preparing life we cannot yet see.The service concludes in silence, though not without hope. At the very end, a single flame returns, hinting at what is yet to come.See additional notes following the service regarding logistics. Service OutlineGATHERINGCall to WorshipThe Lord be with you.And also with you. This week we follow Jesus as he turns his face to Jerusalemwhere he will be betrayed,   arrested,      tried,         beaten,            mocked,and crucified.We follow him step by step,rooted in his story,standing where he stood,watching where he walked.   Silent reflectionLet us fix our eyes on Jesus……on Jesus,   the author and perfecter of our faith.Who for the joy set before him endured the cross,   scorning its shame,      and sat down at the right hand of God.Let us consider him who endured such opposition    from sinful peopleSo that we will not grow weary and lose heart.—Hebrews 12:2–3 NIV 1984Opening Song“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (st. 1–3) Watts WORDScripture Readings What follows is ONE way to tell the Passion story from Mark’s gospel. For each portion of the story we’ve provided an adjective: Betrayal, Devotion, Abandonment, etc. However, you can use whichever adjectives seem good to you. Working in your own context, for the sake of timing or other considerations, feel free to skip verses, combine pericopes, even gently edit if it keeps the story moving. Even bring in verses from other canonical gospels. More detail is given below, but note that during this section, the music of “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed me Yet” Bryars plays quietly beneath the readings. It rises briefly during the silences between them. The extinguishing of each candle marks a shadow in the story: the shadow of devotion, betrayal, etc. Near the end of the service, the sanctuary is fully darkened and the Christ candle is carried from the room. Only then are the two final texts read.Note: Use pastoral sensitivity as you prepare your congregation for what to expect in this portion of the service. People may experience strong emotional reactions to the sensory portions of the service (ie the growing darkness and auditory effects at the strepitus).Shadow of DevotionMark 14:3–9The anointing at Bethany—costly love in the face of death.Shadow of BetrayalMark 14:10–11The plot to kill Jesus. Judas agrees to hand him over.Shadow of CovenantMark 14:12–25The Passover meal. Bread broken. Cup poured. A kingdom promised.Shadow of AbandonmentMark 14:26–31Jesus predicts desertion. Peter swears loyalty.Shadow of AgonyMark 14:32–42Gethsemane. Prayer. Sweat. Surrender.Shadow of ArrestMark 14:43–52Judas’ kiss. The mob. The disciples flee.Shadow of DenialMark 14:66–72Peter disowns the one he loves.Shadow of CondemnationMark 15:1–15Jesus before Pilate. The crowd chooses Barabbas.Shadow of HumiliationMark 15:16–20The soldiers mock the “king.”Shadow of ProcessionMark 15:21Simon carries the cross.Shadow of CrucifixionMark 15:22–32Jesus is nailed to the cross and mocked.Shadow of DerelictionMark 15:33–36“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”Shadow of DeathMark 15:37–39Jesus breathes his last. The curtain is torn.[After the reading:Music fades completelyLights go fully darkA single cymbal roll begins and grows in intensity.Candle snuffer approaches Christ candle.At cymbal climax:Christ candle is extinguished (preferably wet-pinched for audible sizzle).The Christ candle is carried out slowly.This moment is the strepitus.]Shadow of WitnessMark 15:40–41The women watch from a distance.[The second last candle is snuffed out. The next reading is spoken in darkness so best memorized.]Shadow of BurialMark 15:42–47Jesus is laid in the tomb.[Final candle is extinguished.]Silent Meditation[After about 90 seconds of silence, a solo instrument plays the melody to “When I Survey”. At the same time, a liturgist slowly and reverently brings the Christ candle, now re-lit, back into the sanctuary (preferably from a different spot from where it was brought out).]Response“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (st. 4) Watts  SENDINGJesus turned his face to Jerusalemwhere he was betrayed,  arrested,     tried,       beaten,          mocked,and crucified.DismissalMay Jesus Christwho for our sakes became obedient unto death,even death on a cross,keep you and strengthen you.Amen.The people leave in silence. Logistical NotesThe MovementsThe service proceeds in three major movements:GATHERING: Opening liturgical sectionWORD: Tenebrae (Passion readings with shadows)SENDING: Closing section with return of the Christ candleVisual DesignThere should be one candle for each reading and they should be placed where they can be seen. The Christ candle should stand out in size or color and be placed in a prominent position.Audio DesignDuring the Tenebrae section, a portion of the recording “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet” by Gavin Bryars plays continuously under the readings.The volume is:Low during scripture readings (audible but unobtrusive),Raised slightly during silence and candle-snuffing transitions.After the “Shadow of Death” reading:Music fades completely to silence.A live cymbal roll (felt mallets) is used for the strepitus.Lighting DesignSanctuary lighting begins at normal worship levels. After each shadow reading, lights dim slightly.After the “Shadow of Death,” lights go completely dark and remain so for the final readings.During closing hymn, Christ candle re-enters the space, gently bring lights up.Candle ChoreographyDuring Tenebrae:– Scripture is read.– Approximately 20 seconds of silence follows.– Music rises slightly.– Candle snuffer walks to the candle station.– Candle is extinguished.– Candle snuffer returns to seat.– Lights dim slightly.This sequence repeats for each shadow.Final NoteThis structure assumes close coordination between:– Presider– Readers– Candle snuffer– Audio technician– Lighting technician– Projection operator– Musician (cymbal)A full run-through is strongly recommended.Musical NoteAbout “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet”In 1971, Gavin Bryars was working on a film about people living rough in the area around Waterloo Station, London. In the course of being filmed, some people broke into drunken song—sometimes bits of opera, sometimes sentimental ballads—and one, who in fact did not drink, sang a religious song "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet." Gavin recorded it, not sure of its use.When he got home, he found that the singing was in tune with his piano, and he improvised a simple accompaniment. He also noticed that the first section of the song—13 bars in length—formed an effective loop, which repeated in a slightly unpredictable way. He took the tape loop to the University of Leicester, where he was working in the Fine Art Department, and copied the loop onto a continuous reel of tape, thinking about perhaps adding an orchestrated accompaniment to it. The door of the recording room opened on to one of the university’s large painting studios, and he left the tape copying, with the door open, while he went to have a cup of coffee. When he came back he found the normally lively room unnaturally subdued. People were moving about much more slowly than usual, and a few were sitting alone, quietly weeping.He was puzzled until he realized that the tape was still playing and that they had been overcome by the old man's singing. This convinced him of the emotional power of the music and of the possibilities offered by adding a simple, though gradually evolving, orchestral accompaniment that respected the man's simple faith.

This is part of the worship series, "Grounded and Growing—Journeying from Lent to Easter” Series Introduction | Ash Wednesday | Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 | Palm/Passion Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | EasterLeading Prayers of the People During Lent | A Communion Liturgy for LentAlso in this year-long, Grounded and Growing series: Advent and Christmas | Epiphany Tonight is a night of tables, tables God has set for God’s people. We gather to celebrate the Lord’s Supper in a way that is faithful to the long story of God’s people. Across scripture, as we’ll rehearse tonight, meals are often shared at moments of danger and decision: on the eve of escape,in the face of desperate hunger,in the presence of enemies,on the night before betrayal. These are not meals of leisure or abundance (though of course, those stories populate scripture as well). Today we focus on meals eaten under pressure—meals shaped by urgency, uncertainty, and, yes, hope. A preacher may choose to exposit one of the selected texts, some borrowed from appointed lectionary texts, others not. But the service plan offered here suggests instead that the preacher join the congregation in listening to a handful of biblical stories that echo the Last Supper. These are meals that carry the same weight of danger and promise, the same mixture of fear and faith.Between each reading, we pause in silence and song, allowing the weight of the story to settle and its meaning to take root.Some Maundy Thursday services focus on foot-washing. Others center entirely on the upper room and the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Those are certainly good options. This service focuses on the Table, but with a wider frame. We place the Last Supper within the larger biblical witness of meals eaten when the world was closing in. These are the stories that form the soil in which our own celebration of the Lord’s Supper takes root. To be grounded and growing on Maundy Thursday is to remember that God has always met God’s people at the Table in all sorts of circumstances. It is to trust that God plants courage where fear is thick, that God feeds hope where power tries to starve it out, and that God keeps cultivating blessing even when many feel exposed, expendable, or forgotten. Service OutlineGATHERINGCall to WorshipThe Lord be with you.And also with you.Jesus gathers his friends for a final meal.We come to the table he sets for us.On the night before he suffered, he took bread and cup.We come to remember and to receive.The hour is near. The gift is given.We come to eat and drink with Christ.Opening SongDuring the next section, attend to these four gestures as appropriateLight the Christ candleLift and place the ScripturesDrape purple cloth on the crossPour water into the font“Ah, Holy Jesus” Heerman  Welcome & Season Framing[Offer a brief word naming the weekly Grounded and Growing themes (see introduction).]Prayer of Lament / Confession[Use with one of the Kyrie’s suggested with the Lent 1 service.]Tonight we come before God with hungry hearts and heavy hands,with fear we cannot shake and hope we barely dare to trust.We come with the burdens we carryand the burdens we have helped create.Trusting in God’s steadfast love,let us pray.[Spoken or sung, Kyrie or Agnus Dei]Lord, have mercy.Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.Gracious God,we come to your table from a world under duress.We lament the fear that is thick in our communities—fear for our neighbors,fear for the vulnerable,fear that power will do what it always doeswhen it is unchecked.We grieve those who are hungry and those who are hunted,those who are forced to flee,those whose lives are treated as expendable.We lament families torn apart,truth twisted into propaganda,and the slow corrosion of trust.We bring you our own weariness,our anxious waiting,and our grief for what has been lost.And we lament the ways the earth itself is being consumed—soil exhausted, waters fouled, forests felled—as if creation were only fuel for someone else’s comfort.Hear the cries of your people, O God.Do not turn away from our sorrow.[Spoken or Sung, Kyrie or Agnus Dei]Lord, have mercy.Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.We confess that we are not only wounded by this broken world,we are also shaped by it.We hoard what we have, as if we were saving ourselves.We cling to comfort, and call it wisdom.We protect our own place at the table, while others are left outside.We come to your feast, but resist your command to love.We want justice, but not if it’s too costly.We want communion, without the hard work of community.We confess the sins we know,the sins we excuse,and the sins we barely notice.Silence is kept.Forgive us, O Lord.Prune what is false.Plant what is true.Teach us to walk the way of Christ.[Spoken or sung, Kyrie or Agnus Dei]Lord, have mercy.Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.Assurance of PardonHear the good news. The God who brought a people out of slaverystill breaks the chains that bind us.The God who set a table in the wildernessstill feeds those who have lost their way.The God who raised Jesus from the gravestill grows life out of death.Friends, hear the good news: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, made new. In Jesus Christ, we are not overcome. Thanks be to God.Response/Gloria“We Are Not Overcome” (st. 2, refrain) Wardell, Heiskell, Radcliffe  WORDPrayer for IlluminationScripture Reading Exodus 12: 1–3, 5–8, 11–14—A meal of deliverance eaten in haste on the night of escape.1 Kings 17:8–16—A meal of trust shared in scarcity, where God’s provision doesn’t fail.Psalm 23—A table set in the presence of enemies, where God restores and protects.Mark 14:12–26 —A final meal where Jesus gives himself for the life of the worldJohn 13—Jesus kneels in love, washes the disciples’ feet, and commands them to love one another.Sermon “The Table is Set”[See notes from introduction.]Today we come to this Table, as the people of God always have—    sometimes boldly, sometimes bewildered, sometimes barely holding on. We do not come to this meal from a place of comfort or ease, but under duress.    We are being stretched in so many ways—uncomfortably, painfully, fearfully.Our world is deeply troubled.          Governments disappear the vulnerable,                     those who speak the truth are threatened or silenced.           Our environment is groaning under the weight of extraction and exploitation.         The church, fractured and fraying, often fails to offer shelter or clarity. The greedy are emboldened. The violent are celebrated. The powerful lie with impunity. And so many live with less and less—less hope, less freedom, less trust, less to eat and drink.And many of us arrive here bearing unseen griefs: diagnoses, debts, disappointments, depression,anxieties we can’t name, hopes we barely dare to hold.But we are encouraged by this: It is not the first time the people of God have come to the table in such circumstances.So today, for our sermon, we will hear stories from scripture—stories of meals eaten in desperation and dread.The Passover: A Table of SafetyThis story is about a meal eaten in haste, when the looming threat against your safety might come at any moment and you need to be ready to escape. Remember this portion of the story of God from the book that we love, found in Exodus 12. [Read Exodus 12:1–3, 5–8, 11–14]Silent Reflection “Ah, Holy Jesus” Heerman [Instruments only for one stanza.]Elijah and the widow of Zarapheth: A Table of Provision This story is about a small family—poor and starving—seemingly outside the boundaries of God’s blessing, preparing a meager meal with no hope for the next. Remember this portion of the story of God from the book that we love, found in 1 Kings 17[Read 1 Kings 17:8–16]Silent Reflection “Ah, Holy Jesus” Heerman [Instruments only for one stanza.]The Shepherd Psalm: A Table Set Among Enemies This is about a meal eaten in the midst of people who have shown no care or compassion for you or your loved ones, people who speak against you, people who have not acknowledged the pain they have caused.Remember this portion of the story of God from the book that we love, found in Psalm 23:[Read Psalm 23]Silent Reflection “Ah, Holy Jesus” Heerman [Instruments only for one stanza.]The Last Supper: A Table of SacrificeThis story is about a master and his friends gathering for one last meal. The Master patient; the friends eager and devoted, but slow-witted, cowardly, feckless. He knows that when push comes to shove, they will run or fall away, or turn on him. Death is at the door. He wants to give them a gift that will last.Remember this portion of the story of God from the book that we love, from Mark 14. [Read Mark 14:12–16]Silent Reflection “Ah, Holy Jesus” Heerman [Instruments only for one stanza.]Prayers of the People[See “Leading Prayers of the People During Lent”. Could conclude with an instrumental verse of “Ah, Holy Jesus” Heerman] TABLELord’s SupperToday we have heard stories from scripture of meals eaten in desperation and dread:The Israelites, sandals on their feet, staffs in their hands, go-bags at the ready, eat unleavened bread in haste, as death passes over. A widow prepares a last bit of bread for herself and her son, expecting it to be her final act. A psalmist dares to face enemies, even as a feast is prepared in their presence. Jesus gathers with his friends for one final supper—knowing that betrayal is near, that false bravado will falter, that death is stalking. And still, they eat.And still, we eat.Because this meal is not about control or safety. It is about God's strange and saving presence in the very midst of danger, grief, and need. This meal defies despair. This meal remembers the past, confronts the present, and offers a taste of the promised joy to come.So let us come now to the table. Let us rehearse how God feeds God’s people—even here, even now.Great Prayer of ThanksgivingThe Lord be with you.And also with you.Lift up your hearts!We lift them to the Lord.Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.It is right to give our thanks and praise.Eucharistia It is right, and a good and joyful thing,always and everywhere to give thanks to you,Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth.You hear the cry of the enslavedand set a table on the night of escape.You feed a widow in famineand keep a jar from running dry.You prepare a feastin the presence of enemies—even yours. You restore the weary soul.From the first waters of creationto the deep waters of deliverance,you have planted your promise among your people.You have rooted them in mercy,watered them with grace,and fed them with bread from heaven.And so, with all who have trusted your promisein every time and place,with the poor and the delivered,the hungry and the healed,with all whom you have planted and sustained,we lift our voices and join the song of your creation:Sung Response“Sanctus/Benedictus”  (Sung to HERZLIEBSTER JESU/“Ah, Holy Jesus”)Ah! Holy holy, God of might and powerEarth and all angels praise your name this hour;Highest hosannas! Blessed art thou, who comes near;God’s favored Son, here. Anamnesis Holy are you, and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ.When the powers of this world closed in,when fear and betrayal shadowed him,Christ did not turn away from his friends.He gathered them at the table.Christ lifted bread,and when he had blessed it, he broke it and said,“This is my body, given for you.Do this in remembrance of me.”In the same way, after supper he took the cup and said,“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.Do this, as often as you drink it,in remembrance of me.”And so, remembering your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgivingas a living and holy sacrifice,in union with Christ’s offering for us,as we proclaim the mystery of faith:Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. EpiclesisPour out your Holy Spirit upon usand upon these gifts of bread and cup.Make them be for us our communion in the body and blood of Christ,May we be for the worldthe body of Christ, redeemed by his love.Plant your life deep within us.Grow your mercy in hard soil.Make us a people who remember your deliverance,who trust your presence in the night,and who feed one another on the road.Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,all honor and glory are yours, almighty God,now and forever.Amen.InvitationThis is the table of Jesus Christ.It is the table that feeds people on the run,that sustains those with little to spare,that offers grace even to enemies,that offers abundant life where the ground is thin.This is not a table for the strong, but for the hungry;not for the certain, but for those who trust;not for the deserving, but for those who know their need.Come, you who are weary.Come, you who are afraid.Come, you who long for a different world.Here is bread for the journey.Here is a cup of hope.Come, for all is ready. The gifts of God for the people of God.DistributionWhile communing, sing: “What Wondrous Love is This” Anon, Rienstra using the text found below. st. 1–2: Use the standard arrangement from a hymnal.  -Spare octaves on st. 1, harmony st. 2st. 3–4: If needed. -See the new text found below-Begin to fill out arrangement1 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!What wondrous love is this, O my soul!What wondrous love is thisThat caused the Lord of blissTo bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.2 When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,When I was sinking down, sinking down,When I was sinking downBeneath God's righteous frown,Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.3 The bread is shared in grace, shared in grace, shared in grace,The bread is shared in grace, shared in grace,The bread is shared in grace,And in this aching place,Christ meets us face to face, at this meal, at this meal,Christ meets us face to face, at this meal.4 The cup is poured in peace, poured in peace, poured in peace,The cup is poured in peace, poured in peace,The cup is poured in peace,Though troubles do not cease,Christ promises a feast yet to come, yet to comeChrist promises a feast yet to come5 To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.To God and to the Lamb who is the great "I Am";While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;While millions join the theme, I will sing.6 And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on;And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on.And when from death I'm free I'll sing and joyful be;And through eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on;And through eternity I'll sing on!Thanksgiving“What Wondrous Love is This” Anon  [sing st. 5–6 found above (which is the same as st. 3–4 of traditional hymn), use arpeggiation and don’t be afraid of getting too loud.] SENDINGPrayer of ThanksgivingFaithful God,you have met us at your tablein the midst of a world that is anxious and afraid.You have fed us with the bread of mercyand the cup of hope.You have reminded us that you do not abandon your peopleon the night of danger,in the hour of betrayal,or on the long road toward freedom.Send us now into the darkness of these next dayswith courage to follow,with humility to serve,and with trust in your saving love.Ground us in your grace.Grow us in your love.Lead us in your way.Amen.Closing song“Dead in You, Lord, May We Rise” Rienstra Closing Prayer [Attend to the four gestures named in the introduction to this service.]God of love and mercy,Bless us on our Lenten journey. By your light, call us to faithful followingBy your word, call us to attentive listeningBy your cross, call us to sacrificial obedienceBy your Holy Spirit, call us to repentance, joy, and service.BenedictionMay the God who fed a people on the night of escapekeep you rooted in hope when the way is dark.May the Christ who broke bread in the shadow of the crosswalk with you in love that serves and gives itself away.May the Spirit who sustains the weary and the afraidplant courage where fear has taken holdand grow mercy where the ground is thin.Go in peace.Walk in faith.Amen.Bless the Lord.The Lord’s name be praised.Go in peace…A sign of peace may be exchanged.

This is part of the worship series, "Grounded and Growing—Journeying from Lent to Easter” Series Introduction | Ash Wednesday | Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 | Palm/Passion Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | EasterLeading Prayers of the People During Lent | A Communion Liturgy for LentAlso in this year-long Grounded and Growing series: Advent and Christmas | Epiphany Throughout the season of Lent, we have been walking with Jesus—through wilderness and teaching, healing and hard truth, pruning and promise. All of it has been preparation for what lies ahead. Now the road brings us to Jerusalem and the climax of this drama.Soon we will walk the road that leads from the upper room to the cross: from water-washed feet and a remembered feast to the place where love is nailed down and then lifted up—lifted up for the life of the world.But now, at the start of the week, Jesus rides into the city—not on a warhorse, but subversively, on a borrowed donkey. A parade starts. Or is it a protest march against political oppressors? The crowds line the road with branches and cloaks. They shout psalms: Hosanna! They wave palms: Save us! Hope spills out into the streets, and the whole city starts to thrum, saturated in the reckless and defiant joy of a people who believe that God’s kingdom is finally breaking into public view. Bonus question: Where do you see this same dynamic today?It’s not a victory march. But it is a celebration of possibility—a public prayer sung in the street, sung by people daring to imagine a world shaped not by domination and fear, but by mercy and peace. Or maybe it is something more complicated. Maybe their protest is born of righteous longing for justice. Maybe it is fueled by bitter anger and resentment. Maybe it is both at once. The crowd wants deliverance. They want dignity. They want their enemies humbled and their suffering to end. But what kind of ruler, what kind of kingdom will satisfy them? At this point in the story, we do not yet know. Bonus question: Where do you see this dynamic today?To be grounded and growing on Palm Sunday is to step into that crowd, to identify with them. It is to lift our voices with the hopeful and the furious, the faithful and the fed up. It is to stand inside both their righteous anger at injustice and their small, half-formed political misunderstandings of what God’s reign really is. With them, we lay down what we have like branches in the road, trusting that God can grow a new world out of worn-out soil. We follow the One who comes in the name of the Lord.Service OutlineGATHERINGCall to WorshipThe Lord be with you.And also with you.Jesus comes to Jerusalem in humility and hope.We come to meet him with praise and trust.Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest.The road is set before us. The story is unfolding.We come to walk with Jesus.During the next section, attend to these four gestures as appropriateLight the Christ candleLift and place the ScripturesDrape purple cloth on the cross and place some palm frondsPour water into the fontLight the way!We follow the Christ who comes in peace.Tell the story!We follow the Christ who comes in peace.Spread the branches!We follow the Christ who comes in peace.Claim the waters!We follow the Christ who comes in peace.Opening SongInvite those in the congregation who wish to do so—especially the children—to process with palm branches throughout the sanctuary. Be sure to have some hand percussion instruments on hand to be played as well!“Sana, Sananina” South African Traditional“Hosanna In the Highest” ScheerWelcome & Season Framing[Offer a brief word naming the weekly and Grounded and Growing themes (see introduction).]Praise/Psalm“Psalm 24: Lift Up the Gates Eternal” DubaPrayer of Lament / Confession[The following prayer sequence has been adapted from Lent 1. Use with one of the Kyrie’s suggested with that service or a setting of the Agnus Dei]We come before God with our longing and our anger,with our hope for a better worldand our confusion about how to get there.Trusting in God’s steadfast love,let us pray.[Spoken or Sung, Kyrie or Agnus Dei]Lord, have mercy.Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.Gracious God,the world you love is restless and aching.We cry out against violence that passes for order,against power that grinds the poor into dust,against fear that is wielded like a weapon against the vulnerable.We lament the widening gap between those who have too muchand those who cannot get enough.We bring you our anger at injustice,our exhaustion from waiting,and our grief for all that has been lost.The earth itself groans—fields stripped bare, waters poisoned, forests burned—and we wonder what kind of world we are handing on.Hear the cries of your people, O God.Do not turn away from our sorrow.[Spoken or Sung, Kyrie or Agnus Dei]Lord, have mercy.Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.We confess that we are not only wounded by this broken world,we are also shaped by it.We want deliverance, but only on our terms.We want justice, but without cost.We want a kingdom that looks suspiciously like our own small empires.We shout Hosanna,but we do not always listen when Jesus refuses our weapons.We wave branches,but we hesitate to follow when the road turns toward the cross.We confess the sins we know,the sins we excuse,and the sins we dress up as virtue.Silence is kept.Forgive us, O Lord.Prune what is false.Plant what is true.Teach us to walk the way of Christ.[Spoken or Sung, Kyrie or Agnus Dei]Lord, have mercy.Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.Assurance of PardonHear the good news.Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest.In Jesus Christ, God meets us in the street and on the road.In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.In Jesus Christ, a new world is already taking root.Thanks be to God.Response/Gloria[Use the “Gloria” from the refrain of “Sanna Sananina” or “Hosanna in the Highest” if you sang them earlier in the service.]The LawJesus Christ forgives our sins and calls us to new life. The law of the Lord guides us in this new life. When Jesus was asked, “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”—Matthew 22:37–40 NRSVUEThis is the law of our God.Write your law upon our hearts, O God. WORDPrayer for Illumination“Psalm 42: Be Still” Kimbrough “Draw Your Holy Spirit Near” RienstraScripture Reading Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29—A song of thanksgiving and praise for the saving work of the Lord.Mark 11:1–11—Jesus’ humble entry into Jerusalem as king, greeted with shouts of Hosanna.Sermon “Branches in the Road”[See notes from introduction.] Song of Response"All Glory, Laud and Honor" Orléans, tr. Neale"Mantos y Palmas" Àvila"Lift Up the Gates Eternal" Jabusch, Duba "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna" Threlfall"Ride On, Ride On in Majesty" MilmanPrayers of the People[See “Leading Prayers of the People During Lent”] TABLELord’s Supper[See “Grounded and Growing—A Communion Liturgy for Lent”. If you wish, within the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving, you may use the Sanctus and Memorial Acclamation found below (coming soon).]SENDINGPrayer of ThanksgivingFaithful God,we thank you for meeting us in the street and on the road.We thank you for a Savior who does not hide from the crowdand a kingdom that refuses to stay behind closed doors.We thank you for branches in our handsand songs that dare to speak of justice,for hope that refuses to be quiet.Plant this day deep within us.Let what we have sung take root.Let what we have seen bear fruit.Ground us in your grace.Grow us in your love.Lead us on your way.Amen.Closing song“Dead in You, Lord, May We Rise” RienstraClosing Prayer [Attend to the four gestures named in the introduction to this service.]God of love and mercy,Bless us on our Lenten journey. By your light, call us to faithful followingBy your word, call us to attentive listeningBy your cross, call us to sacrificial obedienceBy your Holy Spirit, call us to repentance, joy, and service.BenedictionMay the God who stirs hope in restless heartssend you into this week with courage.May the Christ who rode into the citywalk with you on the road that leads to the cross.May the Spirit who grows new life in worn-out soilkeep you faithful when the cheering fades.Go in peace.Walk in faith.Amen.Bless the Lord.The Lord’s name be praised.Go in peace…A sign of peace may be exchanged. 

This service is for the fifth Sunday in Lent and focuses on John 12:20-33. While created for the Grounded and Growing series it can be used as a stand alone service on the John passage with the theme, "Life from Death".

This service is for the fourth Sunday in Lent and focuses on John 3:14-21. While created for the Grounded and Growing series it can be used as a stand alone service on the John passage with the theme, "Lifted to Healing".

This service is for the third Sunday in Lent and focuses on John 2:13-22. While created for the Grounded and Growing series it can be used as a stand alone service on the John passage with the theme, "A House for God's Glory".

A service for the second Sunday of Lent. Created as part of the Grounded and Growing Series it can also be used one its own.

A service for the first Sunday of Lent. Created as part of the Grounded and Growing Series it can also be used one its own.

A communion liturgy for the season of Lent. While created for the "Grounded and Growing" series it could be adapted for any Lenten service.