ORDER OF WORSHIP - MARCH 29TH, 2026

ORDER OF WORSHIP

MARCH 29TH, 2026 10:30 AM

PALM SUNDAY

**Kindly stand if you are able

PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR PHONE before Worship Service unless NECESSARY for medical reasons.

PRELUDE            “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” - Gesangbuch der Herzogl               

John Coates

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL TO WORSHIP (Adapted from Psalm 118)

LEADER: O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever!

PEOPLE: Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures for ever.”

LEADER: Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.

PEOPLE: This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.

LEADER: You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.

PEOPLE: O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love

endures forever.

INVOCATION

As we remember the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, we also fear what will happen to our Lord. Send your Spirit to be with us today and throughout Holy week.

**OPENING HYMN                “All Glory, Laud and Honor”                      Red #204

CALL TO CONFESSION

We are all sinners, and we are not alone. We come to confess as a community,

equally guilty and equally in need of forgiveness.

PRAYER FOR UNDERSTANDING

Lord, even as we join in the cheering for your glorious return, we know that the same crowd called for the crucifixion. It is our nature to go along with the loudest voices and stay silent even as we witness injustice. Help us to raise our voices for justice. Help us to live our faith even when it is easier not to.

(A moment for silent personal confession)

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

The same Messiah who was greeted as a king will soon give his life on the cross.

Know that the sacrifice of Christ is the guarantee of your forgiveness.

**GLORIA PATRI                    “Glory Be to the Father”   (Back of the Red hymnal)

**HYMN OF PRAISE             “Were You There?”                                   Red #218

**PASSING OF THE PEACE

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Apostles’ Creed)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

The word of the Lord tells us of glory and grief, praise and ridicule. Let us hear the

word and let us learn from the story of Christ.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

GOSPEL                                 Matthew 21:1-11                              Rob Ferguson

2nd GOSPEL                         Matthew 27:11-31       

SERMON MESSAGE           “From the Palms to the Cross”       James Phillips

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

And Lord we pray for those in our own hearts whose names you already know, for their own healing and comfort, in your name and that of our redeemer Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:

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.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

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

OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS

Let us return to God the offerings of our life and the gifts of the earth. May our gifts be a blessing to those who receive them. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

OFFERTORY                         “Ride On, Ride On in Majesty“                  Red #205

DOXOLOGY                           Avery & Marsh (Back of the Red hymnal)

PRAYER OF THANKS

We thank you, our Lord for those gifts to us that we send to you for your work and ours in congregation, community, and culture. Guide us in good use as we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

HYMN OF PARTING             “Lord, Let Us Now Depart in Peace”        Red #842

BENEDICTION

Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering--remembering and not using your right to hit back. - Desmond Tutu

POSTLUDE                           “Lead On, O King Eternal” – Henry T. Smart

                                                                                                John Coates - Piano

James Phillips

Union Church

44 Balmville Rd, Newburgh NY 12550

https://www.newburghpresby.org

(845) 562-0954