Welcome to the Red Lodge Community Church Worship With Us 10 AM March 24 2024 Palm Sunday Worship Leader: Lori Bryon, MD
If you are joining us in person, the service is at 10:00 AM Sunday School
Mission: Red Lodge Community Church, United Church of Christ, welcomes all people to gather for worship, fellowship and to study God’s Word. We seek to be servants of our Lord in the care of all people.”
Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge, with humility, that the land upon which we worship today was once the land of the Apsaalooke People, those who we now know as the Crow People. Their stewardship and relationship with the land is the stewardship and relationship that we hope to honor with the mission of this church.
Red Lodge Community Church March 24 2021 Palm Sunday
Gathering Music Welcome & Announcements Bell Ringing Prelude
CALL TO WORSHIP (Responsive) One: Greetings to the joyful, the content, the hopeful, and the cheerful. All: Bring your laughter, your celebrations, and your delight to worship. One: Welcome to the mournful, the anxious, the overwhelmed, and the afraid. All: Bring your thoughts, your worries, your concerns, and your fears to worship. One: We all come from different places, with different experiences, and with different expectations. All: God alone knows our inner thoughts and looks upon us with compassion. One: Come as you are. Come with all your feelings. All: God will help us process and transform our feelings into faithful action. One: Come as you are. Come with all your feelings. All: Come, let us worship together in unity. OPENING HYMN Hosanna, Loud, Hosanna NCH #213 OPENING PRAYER Spirit of the Living Christ, when you were facing your most desperate day, you communed with the disciples, you sang songs with them, and you prayed for hours into the night. In the midst of joys and sorrows, we come together today to commune, sing, and pray. Though we may be struggling through seemingly inescapable problems, issues, or feelings, you fortify our hearts so we might face these things with courage and community. No matter how we are feeling, you welcome us into worship. Our laughter is welcome as well as our tears. We know that when we spend time with you and your people, we are transformed. Amen. PASSING THE PEACE (Responsive) May you be at peace in mind, peace in body, and peace with your neighbors, family, and friends. Take this moment to pass the peace of Christ. May the peace of Christ be with you. All: And also with you. MESSAGE WITH CHILDREN Ho-Ho-Ho-Hosanna, Ha-Ha-Hallelujah PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Responsive) One: Let us confess the ways in which we have treated ourselves with judgment and cruelty. Compassionate God, you love us and treat us tenderly, even when we are struggling to do what is right. In spite of your patience with us, we condemn ourselves, judge ourselves, and tell ourselves lies. All: We confess we treat ourselves harshly, condemn our own mistakes, and punish ourselves when we fail. We confess we call ourselves names, can be our own worst bullies, and look in the mirror without love for our faces. We confess we give up on ourselves, treat ourselves with unkindness, and withhold good things from our lives. We confess we choose the well-being of others over ourselves when we really need to rest and recover. We confess we believe negative things others say about us and deny words spoken which bless us. We confess we confuse confidence for arrogance and self-love for indulgence. One: For you, God, adore us. You are kind to us, forgiving us when we fail. Show each of us how we might love ourselves, not from a place of self-absorption or narcissism, but in the knowledge that you made us, and we belong to you. Amen. ASSURANCE OF PARDON Let love and forgiveness banish all shame, for we are made whole in Christ when we confess our shortcomings. Be free to love yourself and all the traits God gave you. PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Infinite and eternal God, we pray today for those who are overwhelmed. For the caretakers of small children with little support, little sleep, and little time in community, for those for whom potty training and other developmental milestones feel like an eternity away, we pray for rest, respite, hope, patience, and friendships. For the caretakers of adults who feel invisible, exhausted, and underappreciated, for those who do not have the support of other family members, and for those who feel like they are carrying the whole care plan on their shoulders, we pray for encouragement, creativity, support, and strong boundaries. For those overwhelmed with work or a lack of work, who cannot foresee a life of comfortable balance between labor and rest, who are suffering in a world that does not value their labor enough, and who do not have the privilege of spending extra time with friends or family or church, we pray for relief, justice, equity, and direction. For those overwhelmed with mental and physical health needs, for those navigating the complexities and injustices of healthcare systems, and for those burdened by the financial and emotional costs, we pray for healing, guidance, wisdom, and provision. For those in school, overwhelmed by the workload, and worried about the unknown future, we pray for peace, mentorship, curiosity, and maturity. We pray for those in any state of overwhelm, that you might first guide us to a sense of trust and peace, for we know we will always face stressors. Give us the skills to feel our feelings, respond to stress in healthy ways, and live mindful lives in the midst of suffering. Prayer of Our Savior (Unison) 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 that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever. Amen. Sacred Text: Mark 14: 26-31; 66-72 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though all fall away, I will not.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same. While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the female servants of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the female servant, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean, and you talk like one.” But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. One: The Word of God for the People of God All: Thanks Be to God SPECIAL MUSIC Blessed Are They Choir SERMON OFFERING/W OFFERTORY God, we bring together our offerings and gifts because we believe and trust you are faithful to care for all our needs. We give because our needs are met so abundantly we cannot help but respond with generosity and gratitude. So, take these gifts, bless them to your service, and help us be wise stewards of the resources we bring together. Amen. DOXOLOGY PRAYER OF DEDICATION (Unison) Generous God, we bring the gifts of ourselves and our abundance. Magnify and multiply these offerings to meet the needs before us. Continue to cultivate the spirit of generosity among us and make us good stewards as we allocate the use of these gifts in your name. Amen. Closing Hymn All Glory, Laud, and Honor NCH #216 Benediction Lori Byron, MD Go into the world and relieve each other’s burdens. Stay up for the night, carry the load, take the next shift, and do not stop praying. May you be blessed with rest, recovery, and restoration. Amen. Sending Hymn Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross NCH #197
THIS WEEK: Monday, March 25 1pm Staff Meeting 6:00 pm Theater Group (Fellowship Hall)
Tuesday, March 26 09:00 am Finance & Stewardship meeting Upperroom
Wednesday, March 27 9am Coffee Klatch & Prayer Zoom combined 1 am HbH Practice 1:30pm Choir Practice 6:00 pm Theater Group
Thursday, March 28 5:30 pm Maundy Thursday Upperroom Friday, March 29 3:30 Girl Scouts
Saturday, March 30
************************************************************************************************************** Sun, March 31 10am Worship Sunday School Easter Worship Leader: Rev. Don Hamilton
Next Week’s Volunteers Liturgist: Libby Gardner Deacons: Lori Floyd, Sharyn McKenzie Christian Education: Zina General Tech: Jay West Coffee Hour:
Participating in Today's Worship Worship Leader – Lori Byron, MD Liturgist - Mark Sechler Acolyte - Pianist – Dr Lynell Kruckeberg Special Guest Music - Sue Logan Special Music- Homebrewed Harmony- Marty Clague, Steve Hanson, Jim Howe, Mark Sechler, Don Redfoot, Alan Schuyler Choir- Marty Clague, Director, Martha Brown, Julia Childs, Jo Ann Eder, Lori Floyd, Libby Gardner, Steve Hanson, Sharyn McKenzie, Allan Schuyler, Mark Sechler, Karen Simmons, Lanny Hilderman, Kathy Munson
For information on joining Red Lodge Community Church, please talk with any of our deacons, or contact Mark Sechler at 573-415-7722 or sechlermc@gmail.com Red Lodge Community Church video tapes Sunday Services and broadcast on our website; if you wish to opt out forms are available. Thank you.