Prelude: Ride On!  Ride on In Majesty!  setting by Richard Syner  

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zh_WlHcu9o  

 “Sabbath Poem I - 1986” by Wendell Berry

Slowly, slowly, they return

To the small woodland let alone:

Great trees, outspreading and upright,

Apostles of the living light.

Patient as stars, they build in air

Tier after tier a timbered choir,

Stout beams upholding weightless grace

Of song, a blessing on this place.

They stand in waiting all around,

Uprisings of their native ground,

Down comings of the distant light.

They are the advent they await.

Receiving sun and giving shade,

Their life's a benefaction made,

And is a benediction said

Over the living and the dead.

In fall their brightened leaves, released,

Fly down the wind, and we are pleased

To walk on radiance, amazed.

O light come down to earth, be praised!

God of glory, God of grace, help me to praise you today in all I do and say. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQqRwJKU_jQ

 Still my heart and my mind and my body, o God so that I might turn toward you again.

Silence

Merciful God, we have sinned in what we have thought and said, in the wrong we have done and in the good we have not done. We have sinned in ignorance: we have sinned in weakness: we have sinned through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry. We repent and turn to you. Forgive us, for our Savior Christ’s sake, and renew our lives to the glory of your name. Amen.

In Jesus Christ, God knows and receives us as we are. Listen, give thanks, and live. 

 Gloria Patri:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToyMoJyeYDM

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.

Anthem: The Palms by Jean Baptiste-Faure

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etrgxd6fSvc 

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29                Matthew 21:1-11

 +As we shout praises along the way of our Christ, we remember, too, to share joy and appreciation with those we love. Give each member of your family or group of close friends a note of appreciation this week. 

+Several weeks ago, when we met for our Lenten mid-week dinner and discussion, we talked about this passage from Matthew, and how the people were shouting “Hosanna!” which means, “Save us now!” We answered the question: what do we ask Jesus to save us from? It strikes me that our answer this week might be different than our answers several weeks ago as we gathered around one table at the church with far fewer than six feet between us. So, now, read this verse aloud: 

“The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, 

“Hosanna to the Son of David! 

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 

Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Save us now! From what are we asking Jesus to save us?

+Looking back to Berry’s poem at the beginning of this worship guide, what in the natural world—what landscapes, what creatures, strike you most as praising God? And in turn, what makes your heart sing? Explore these questions in a journal, or call someone to discuss them.  

God of grace and promise,

You gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth; but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.

Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC as I share in our common prayer:

• We thank you for your tender care, for soothing the wounds of this life. 
• We thank you that in the presence of enemies, especially the last enemy of death, you are with us, as Shepherd, Host, Home.
• We pray for the members of St. Paul’s, as well as our distant friends and family. 
• We pray for those afflicted with Covid-19, as well as all disease.
• We pray for the caregivers, the medical teams, the researchers and the public health officials.
• We pray for our leaders—international, national, state, and local.
• We pray for the church, now scattered, yet still one body.
• We pray for those who have lost or will lose their income.
• We pray for the children without school, provision, or nurture.
• We pray for the earth, and the creatures therein. 

May they not fail you, nor I fail them. 

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 debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAh1lzSQ3P4

Gathered and scattered, God is with us. 

In suffering and hope, God is with us.

Now and always, God is with us. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHAN7UnPj1M

*Prayer Attribution: Iona Community Prayer Book, 2017.

**Poem and Reflection Questions adapted from: Salt Project’s “Wendell Berry and the Sabbath Poetry of Lent.” www.saltproject.org

 Prelude:  Fughetta on Jesus, My Sole Consolation by J. S. Bach BWV 702

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvnUfi4-ON0

“Sabbath Poem I - 1980” by Wendell Berry

What hard travail God does in death!

He strives in sleep, in our despair,

And all flesh shudders underneath

The nightmare of His sepulcher.

The earth shakes, grinding its deep stone;

All night the cold wind heaves and pries;

Creation strains sinew and bone

Against the dark door where He lies.

The stem bent, pent in seed, grow straight

And stands. Pain breaks in song. Surprising

The merely dead, graves fill with light

Like opened eyes. He rests in rising.

God of new life, help me be a part of your resurrecting work: life in the midst of death, hope in the midst of struggle, and rising in the midst of toil. Amen.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gndx39q7QM 

Still my heart and my mind and my body, o God so that I might turn toward you again.

Silence

Merciful God, we have sinned in what we have thought and said, in the wrong we have done and in the good we have not done. We have sinned in ignorance: we have sinned in weakness: we have sinned through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry. We repent and turn to you. Forgive us, for our Savior Christ’s sake, and renew our lives to the glory of your name. Amen.

In Jesus Christ, God knows and receives us as we are. Listen, give thanks, and live. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyVhCz5XzXI

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAE1VszfrXI

 Ezekiel 37:1-14               Psalm 130               John 11:1-45

 +This week, look for signs of resurrection, new life breaking into the world - not only among flowers and trees and non-human animals, but also in human communities. Where is life breaking forth, even where disease abounds?

+Our goals for this week are toward nurturing life: drink water, eat nutritious foods, exercise and sleep. What will you do to care for yourself while you shelter at home?

+When Lazarus emerges from the tomb, he’s still wrapped in bandages of death - and Jesus commands that he be “unbound and let go.” What resurrection might be in process in your life? What bonds are still holding you back? What does this even look like when we’re under a shelter at home order? Call a friend or family member and explore these ideas of finding resurrection in difficult times. 

 God of grace and promise,

You gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth; but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.

Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC as I share in our common prayer:

• We thank you for your tender care, for soothing the wounds of this life. 
• We thank you that in the presence of enemies, especially the last enemy of death, you are with us, as Shepherd, Host, Home.
• We pray for the members of St. Paul’s, as well as our distant friends and family. 
• We pray for those afflicted with Covid-19, as well as all disease.
• We pray for the caregivers, the medical teams, the researchers and the public health officials.
• We pray for our leaders—international, national, state, and local.
• We pray for the church, now scattered, yet still one body.
• We pray for those who have lost or will lose their income.
• We pray for the children without school, provision, or nurture.
• We pray for the earth, and the creatures therein. 

May they not fail you, nor I fail them. 

 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 debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAPLYPHXOn4

Gathered and scattered, God is with us. 

In suffering and hope, God is with us.

Now and always, God is with us. Amen.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmkzSjs9eAw

Sunday, March 15, 2020, 2:00 p.m.

 The perfect concert of Art Song in its many forms! The beloved mélodies of Cécile Chaminade are witty and tuneful and in typical French style. Joseph Marx wrote Lieder that are akin to those of Richard Strauß, harmonically lush. Deità silvane is Respighi’s setting of Arturo Rubino’s verses on ancient Greek and Roman deities with a nostalgic feel. The concert also includes songs by one of the most celebrated and prolific composers of American song, Lori Laitman.

Get Your Tickets Online at  VocesIntimaeArtSong.org

Or At The Door$Name-Your-Own-Price
Stay for a reception and meet our talented musicians!