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April 9, 2017

Palm Sunday

For Meditation and Reflection: “The seed of God is in us. Given an intelligent and hardworking farmer, it will thrive and grow up into God, whose seed it is, and accordingly, its fruits will be God-nature. Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God seeds into God.”
– Meister Eckhart (1260 – 1329)

Welcome and Announcements

Opening Prayer (in unison): Gracious God, oil the hinges of our hearts’ doors,
That they may swing gently and easily to welcome your coming.

Responsive Call to Worship – Black hymnal # 822

Opening Hymn: All Glory, Laud and Honor – #216

Today’s Scripture Readings: Matthew 21: 1-11

Sermon by Rev. Michael Lyle – “A Week of Choices”

Reflective Hymn: O, Jesus, I Have Promised – #493

The Offerings and Offertory Music

A Litany of Darkness and Light – Black hymnal #880

Joys and Concerns

Prayers of the Pastor and the People

Lord’s Prayer (Traditional, with “debts”)

Closing Hymn: Just As I Am – #207

Prayer of Benediction: Leader: May the God who shakes heaven and earth,
People: Whom death could not contain;
Who lives to disturb and help us;

Leader: Bless you with power to go forth
And proclaim the gospel. Amen.

Sharing the Peace as we go…….And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.

Thoughts for the Day/Week

“Thus we have the twofold theme that leads to Palm Sunday. Genuine discipleship, following Jesus, means following him to Jerusalem, the place of: 1) confrontation with the domination system; and 2) death and resurrection. These are the two themes of the week that follows, Holy Week. Indeed, these are the two themes of Lent and of the Christian life.”
The Last Week, by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan

“Sweet Darkness”    by David Whyte 
When your eyes are tired, the world is tired also.
When your vision has gone, no part of the world can find you.
Time to go into the dark…..where the night has eyes to recognize its own.
There you can be sure you are not beyond love.
The dark will be your womb tonight.
The night will give you a horizon further than you can see.
You must learn one thing. The world was made to be free in.
Give up all the other worlds except the one to which you belong.
Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness
 to learn that anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.

Our Statement of Faith

We gather in worship as an inclusive community, an open & affirming community of faith that transcends any distinctions based on gender, sexual orientation, nationality, race, or religion.

Our formal worship flows into a living worship of love and support for one another as we pursue ways to reflect God’s reign of mercy, justice, and peace in our community and throughout the world…

….along with a continuing search for ways to celebrate the goodness of life together ….and always reaching out to draw others, with total inclusiveness, into this communal experience.

Announcements:

Palm Sunday, April 9th
The Church Council meeting will convene at 9:30 in Fellowship Hall.

Our Worship leader will be the Rev. Mike Lyle, a frequent visitor and friend of the congregation. His sermon topic will be “A Week of Choices”.

Good Friday, April 14th
Grace Episcopal Church will lead a Stations of the Cross walk through Lovettsville, praying for systemic sins against social justice. The walk begins at the flagpole at 3:00 pm and ends at St. James.

Easter Sunday, April 16th
We will continue our Easter tradition of recent years by beginning our worship with a brief sunrise service (at around 6:30) at the cemetery on the southeast edge of Lovettsville. This will be followed by a potluck breakfast at Fellowship Hall, and worship will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. The Rev. Mike Lyle will be leading the worship service. Donations of Easter lilies or other flowers would enhance the beauty of our sanctuary. We hope you can join us for all or part of this Easter celebration.

Sunday, April 23rd
Our Worship leader this Sunday will be Tena Brass, She will be celebrating Earth Day, and her worship topic will be “Waste Not”. She encourages everyone to bring one or more non-perishable food items to be donated to the local Food Bank.

“Jammin’ at James” will be held in the sanctuary from 6:30 – 8:00. Please come (and invite your friends) to participate in the open mic, or just enjoy the good music. Anyone who would like to provide a light supper for the musicians and attendees, please contact Tena Brass or Lauranne Oliveau.

Sunday, April 30th
Services will not be held at St. James today. On this fifth Sunday of the month, we plan to travel to share worship with Grace Episcopal Church in Brunswick. Anyone needing directions or wishing to share a ride, contact Tena Brass or Janell Kinzie.

We are continuing our project to collect pill bottles, which are needed by organizations sending medicines overseas. A collection box is on the pew in the back of the Sanctuary. Please save your medicine containers (rinsed and with the labels removed, please) and donate them to this worthy cause.

Palm Sunday