The Lord’s Day

March 16, 2008

Palm Sunday

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

(Psalm 55:22)

  Prelude

  Apostolic Greeting

*Call to Worship                                                     Psalm 30:1–4

I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,

And have not let my enemies rejoice over me. 

O Lord my God, I cried to You for help,

And You healed me. 

O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;

You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit. 

Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones,

And give thanks to His holy name.

*Gloria Patri                                                                      No. 734

*Prayer of Invocation

*Hymn                    All Glory, Laud, and Honor             No. 235

  Public Confession

O God of all grace, hear our confession and take away our alarm. Fill our hearts with courage, and let us look confidently to You for forgiveness. We know we have sinned in various ways this past week. We also know we have a Savior, One who died for our sins.

Please forgive us for the transgressions we could recount. And forgive us, we pray, for those offenses we have committed in ignorance. Let us know the peace of reconciliation and the joy of burdens lifted. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and King.

  Words of Assurance                               1 Corinthians 1:30, 31

By God’s doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

  Response                     My Faith Looks Up to Thee        (facing page)

  Prayer for the Tithe and Offerings

  Collection of the Tithe and Offerings

*Doxology                                                                          No. 731

*Declaring Our Faith                The Larger Catechism (48, 49)

How did Christ humble Himself in His life?

Christ humbled Himself in His life by subjecting Himself to the law, which He perfectly fulfilled; and by conflicting with the indignities of the world, temptations of Satan, and infirmities in His flesh, whether common to the nature of man, or particularly accompanying His low condition.

How did Christ humble Himself in his death?

Christ humbled Himself in His death in that, having been betrayed by Judas, forsaken by his disciples, scorned and rejected by the world, condemned by Pilate, and tormented by His persecutors; having also conflicted with the terrors of death, and the powers of darkness, felt and borne the weight of God’s wrath, He laid down His life an offering for sin, enduring the painful, shameful, and cursed death of the cross.

  Pastoral Prayer

*Responsive Reading             The Wedding of the Savior (Psalm 45)

My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips;

Therefore God has blessed You forever.

Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One,

In Your splendor and Your majesty!

And in Your majesty ride on victoriously, for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;

Let Your right hand teach You awesome things.

Your arrows are sharp; the peoples fall under You;

Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies.

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;

A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.

All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;

Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad.

Kings’ daughters are among Your noble ladies;

At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear:

Forget your people and your father’s house;

Then the King will desire your beauty.

Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him.

The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;

The rich among the people will seek your favor. 

The King’s daughter is all glorious within;

Her clothing is interwoven with gold.

She will be led to the King in embroidered work;

The virgins, her companions who follow her, will be brought to You.

They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing;

They will enter into the King’s palace.

In place of your fathers will be your sons;

You shall make them princes in all the earth.

I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations;

Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.

  Hymn                  Ride On, Ride On in Majesty!           No. 237

*Public Reading of the Word                       Mark 10:32–11:10

*Prayer for the Ministry of the Word

  Sermon                                                                                          

  Sacrament of Baptism

*Hymn                 Man of Sorrows! What a Name          No. 246

  Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper⁺

*Hymn                           All Praise to Christ (inside back cover)

*Benediction

*Threefold Amen                                                               No. 740

* Congregation will please stand

⁺ Visitors: please see the note on the back of this bulletin