Download Printable PDF BulletinUse the scroll bar on the right side of the window below to read along with the service.
PALM SUNDAY / SUNDAY OF THE PASSION
April 10, 2022
Jesus Was Reviled as King So We Could Wear the Crown
In the hymn “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted,” writer Thomas Kelly points to Jesus with a strong biblical image as he writes, “Here we have a firm foundation, Here the refuge of the lost: Christ, the Rock of our salvation, Is the name of which we boast” (LSB 451:4). The portrayal of Jesus as the rock is anchored in the Old Testament, where Moses brings forth water as a gift from God while the children of Israel traveled in the desert. Recalling the “water from the rock” event, Paul writes to the Corinthians, “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). Today begins Holy Week, during which Jesus travels from the rock-strewn Mount of Olives to the rocky hill of Calvary as He goes to His death for us and for our salvation. We begin that blessed journey now!
+ PROCESSION OF PALMS +
GREETING
Pastor: The grace of our Lord + Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
People: Amen.
Pastor: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
People: Hosanna to the Son of David.
COLLECT
Pastor: Let us pray.
Most merciful God, as the people of Jerusalem, with palms in their hands, gathered to greet Your dearly beloved Son when He came into His Holy City, grant that we may ever hail Him as our King and, when He comes again, may go forth to meet Him with trusting and steadfast hearts and follow Him in the way that leads to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
PROCESSIONAL GOSPEL John 12:12–19
(The triumphal entry)
Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twelfth chapter.
People: Glory to You, O Lord.
12The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
Pastor: Let us go forth in peace,
People: in the name of the Lord.
HYMN: #442 –All Glory, Laud, and Honor
Pastor: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
People: Hosanna in the highest.
OPENING SENTENCES
Pastor: All hail to Jesus, the King of our lives! Lift up your hearts and rejoice in Him!
People: He came from the very throne of God, but He gave that up to suffer a criminal’s death on the cross.
Pastor: But God raised Him up that the ends of the earth may bow before Him as their King!
People: Jesus Christ is Lord! Hosanna!
Pastor: In Him is forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
People: Have mercy on us, Lord! Bless us with Your peace! Hosanna! Hosanna!
+ PREPARATION +
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Pastor: Let us now make confession of our sins to God, our gracious, heavenly Father.
People: Eternal God, we confess that we were born sinful and have continued to sin in thought, word, and deed. O God, in Your mercy, forgive our sin and renew Your Spirit within us that we may joyfully follow Your will and gladly obey Your commandments. For the sake of Jesus, our Lord, forgive our sins and direct us in ways of compassion and love.
Pastor: In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it. Go in + peace.
People: Amen.
PSALM Psalm 118:19–29
19Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!
26Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27The Lord is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
28You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Let us pray.
Everlasting God and Father, You sent Your Son to take our flesh upon Himself and to suffer death upon the cross. Grant that, being inspired by His great humility and following His patient example as He was besieged by His enemies, we may at the last share in His victorious resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
OLD TESTAMENT READING Deuteronomy 32:36–39
(The Lord will vindicate His people.)
36 The Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants,
when he sees that their power is gone
and there is none remaining, bond or free.
37Then he will say, “Where are their gods,
the rock in which they took refuge,
38who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you;
let them be your protection!
39“See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no god beside me;
I kill and I make alive;
I wound and I heal;
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
GRADUAL Hebrews 9:12a, c, 15a; Psalm 111:9a (spoken together)
Christ entered once for all into the holy places, by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
He sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever.
EPISTLE Philippians 2:5–11
(Christ poured Himself out in death for His people.)
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
VERSE Philippians 2:8b (spoken together)
People: He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
HOLY GOSPEL John 12:20–43
(Jesus speaks of the death by which He will die.)
Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twelfth chapter
People: Glory to You, O Lord.
20Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
27“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. 37Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40“He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
and understand with their heart, and turn,
and I would heal them.”
41Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
HYMN: #441 – Ride On, Ride On in Majesty
SERMON: Jesus Was Reviled as King So We Could Wear the Crown
NICENE CREED
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life + of the world to come. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
After each petition:
Pastor: … Lord, in Your mercy:
People: hear our prayer.
At conclusion:
Pastor: … through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
People: Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13
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.
CLOSING PRAYER
Pastor: Let us pray.
Gracious and righteous God, You sent us one who suffered and died for our sakes. Move us again with the power of that blessed sacrifice for sin, that experiencing again the passion and the compassion of the crucified Lord Jesus, we be directed by Your Spirit into ways of humble service in thanksgiving to our Savior, in whose name we pray.
People: Amen.
BENEDICTION Numbers 6:24–26
Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and + give you peace.
People: Amen.
DISMISSAL
Pastor: Go in peace! Serve the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God.
CLOSING HYMN: #436 – Go to Dark Gethsemane
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series C, Quarter 2. Copyright © 2021 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
