A Service of Worship for
Palm/Passion Sunday
March 28, 2021

And so we come on our donkeys, 
Some from Detroit and some from Tokyo 
and even a few from Seoul. 
With horns blaring and brakes screeching, 
We enter the city, the holy of holies. 
We know what Caesar wants: 
Testing ranges and new arenas 
while the homeless haunt church basements 
and the poor shuffle in the streets. 
But we march to a different drummer. 
Not many rich, not many mighty. 
A vagabond crew in a strange land, 
Whose ways are not our ways 
Nor thoughts our thoughts. 
But let us be of good cheer. 
Let the word go out. 
The donkey is mightier than the missile. 
And flowers have been known to split a rock. 
It is Caesar’s week. 
But it is God’s world. 
And so we take heart and rejoice.

Roger Cowan
Adult Education - TODAY, 9AM
Adult Education this Sunday will deal with the events of Holy Week, featuring a lecture by John Dominic Crossan, whose lessons added so much to our pre-Christmas classes.
​
​​Zoom link is available on the Online Gatherings page on our website: https://www.covenanthouston.org/covenant-gatherings.html
Full worship service video:
COFFEE TIME Gathering on Zoom
Today, 11AM
We will begin as a large group before we transition into “rooms" for coffee time. 
​Log in details on the Online Gatherings page. 
Worship notes are included at the bottom of this page and in the Worship Order located at the link below.
With this link you can make a donation to Covenant through PayPal or a credit card. 
Prelude
"The Royal Banners Forward Go," arr. Raymond Weidner. Andrew Bowen, organ. 

​Call to Worship

Opening Prayer
O Thou, whose kingdom is within,
may all thy names be hallowed.
May no one of them be turned against the others
to divide those who address thee.
 
May thy presence be made known to us
in mercy, beauty, love, and justice.
May thy kingdom come to be in the life
of all humankind.
May it come with peace, with sharing,
and in a near time.
 
Give us this day our daily bread,
free from all envy and alienation,
broken and blessed in the sharing.
 
Keep us from trespass against others,
and from the feeling that others are
trespassing against us.
Forgive us more than we have forgiven.
 
Deliver us from being tempted by lesser things
to be heedless of the one great thing:
the gift of thyself in us.

​Scripture Lesson:  Mark 11:1-11
​
​Hymn
"Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days," Tune: St. Flavian Words: Claudia F.I. Hernaman. The Covenant Singers. Andrew Bowen, organ.

​Time for Children

Confession
Unison Confession
If we do not work for, or in some way support
the establishment of God’s kingdom of love and justice,
then our silence and inactivity will ultimately serve
the forces of injustice.
 
We wish to be counted among those who truly tried
to love our neighbors as ourselves.
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​Music
"Sanctus/Benedictus" from Mass No. 2 in G major, D 167 Franz Schubert. The Covenant Singers, directed by Fran Avera. 
Proclamation

​​​Prayer
Gracious God,
There is much to be thankful for as we enter this holy week. While it’s not yet Easter, the proliferation of vaccines does feel a bit like a resurrection or a triumphant re-entry.
Hope is thick in the air. 

At the same time, we know there are still those experiencing sickness and pain. We ask for special prayers for anyone still struggling with COVID-19, for our beloved community members in the hospital, and for those who have been affected by the recent gun violence in our country. We know these events break your heart as well as ours. So much uncertainty still remains.

But Hope is in our midst. 
As is Joy, and we are especially grateful for the time our community has gotten to spend together recently. We are grateful for science, for those who are able to spend their time or money fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. It is through our combined efforts, our combined caring, that we will be able to make a difference for our future. 
Amen.
-Jodi Bash

​Invitation
​
​Prayer of Dedication
Help him
that's what faith is
he can't bring it about
his kingdom
couldn't then couldn't later can't now
not at any rate without you
and that is his irresistible appeal.

Doxology

Affirmation of Faith
Through Jesus’ life and teachings
we see that God’s power consists
not in coercion but in God’s willingness
to forgive and have mercy.
 
God wills nothing less than that
all people should love their enemies
and forgive one another.
 
Jesus challenged both the militaristic
and ritualistic notions of what God’s kingdom required.
 
He issued this challenge not only through his teaching
but through his life. The announcement of the reality
of the kingdom, its presence here and now,
is embodied in life.
 
In him we see that living a life of forgiveness and peace
 
is not an impossible ideal
but an opportunity now present.

Benediction

Postlude
"Come, Your Hearts and Voices Raising," Healey Willan. Andrew Bowen, organ.
Worship Notes

The worship leader is Tonya McKinny.

The banner was created by Nancy Henry.

The prelude is played by Andrew Bowen, organ.

The Call to Worship is “Blessing in a Time of Violence” by Jan Richardson.

The Opening Prayer is from Jacob Trapp in Rejoice Together: Prayers, Meditations, and Other Readings, edited by Helen Pickett.
The Unison Confession is adapted from The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus’ Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted by Obery Hendricks, Jr.

“Sanctus and Benedictus” from Mass in G is sung by The Covenant Singers, May 1, 2016, directed by Fran Avera. The soloists in the Benedictus are Casey Okabayshi, soprano; Eric Avera, tenor; and Jay Hooker, baritone. Susan Wegner is the cellist and Ben Grube is the violinist.

The Prayer of Dedication is from “When He Came” by Dorothee Soelle.

The Affirmation of Faith is adapted from “Jesus and the Kingdom of God” in The Peaceable Kingdom by Stanley Hauerwas.

The postlude is played by Andrew Bowen, organ.

​A message to the U.S. Senate: Take Action on Background Checks - click the link to add your name. 

Sunday schedule for today: 
9:00 - Adult Education with Zoom
10:00 - Worship via videos on the Worship Page
11:00 - Transition from worship to coffee time with Zoom

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