The following originally appeared as part of "Grief over Injustice, Hope for Wholeness—Palm/Passion Sunday: Poverty."
Call to Confession
We shout “Hosanna! Jesus is King!”—but we don’t always treat him as king over our lives or treat others as if they are sons and daughters of the king. We all have sinned, and we all need to ask God for forgiveness.
Prayer of Confession
Holy and loving God,
You love us so much that you sent your Son to save us.
We love you, and we wave our palm branches in praise of you as king over all.
Sometimes we are selfish, or we say mean things about others.
That hurts other people, and it hurts you.
We are sorry, Lord—
sorry for all the times we don’t treat others as loved children of God.
We want to serve you and to love others as you have loved us.
Help us, God, to love as you love,
and to serve as you serve.
Amen.
Song
“His Mercy Is More” Boswell and Papa
Assurance of Pardon
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. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.
—John 3:16–17 NRSVUE
We can trust that these words are true: God loves us so much that he sent his only Son to die for our sins.
Revised Common Lectionary
Year A, B, C: Lent—Liturgy of the Palms
