Williston Federated Church

United Methodist Church and United Church of Christ – Federated 1899

An Open and Affirming, Reconciling Congregation

Mission Statement

Our church is a community which seeks, welcomes and gathers people to share the Gospel of God’s love, enables people to find fullness of life through Jesus Christ, goes into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ, and responds actively to human need.

Welcome To All Who Worship Here!

Palm Sunday – April 5, 2020 ~ 9:30 A.M.

GREETING

CALL TO WORSHIP (adapted from Psalm 118) Ashley Dubois, Lay Leader, Williston Federated Church

One: Give thanks! God’s love is constant and devoted to us.

All God’s hope is unfailing in caring for us: through health care workers and researchers; through first-responders and others who help in time of crisis; through teachers offering online lessons, and therapists available around the clock.

One: Give thanks, O give thanks! God is open to all.

All: God hears the cries of those who are forgotten: those who sleep rough in emptied streets; those who are most vulnerable around us; those who have no family to care for them.

One: Give thanks, O give thanks, people of God! God comes to bring us new life.

All: God takes the stone that we have tossed aside and God uses that stone to build the foundation of salvation.

One: This is the day that the LORD has made;

All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

PRELUDE Carol Schein

LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE

SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST

One: Peace be with you

All: Also with you

(copyright permission: OneLicense.net #733435-A and CCLI # 176957)

PRAYER OF THE DAY

One: When we are so weary we cannot seem to put one foot in front of the other,

All: you take us by the hand, O God of Steadfast Love, so we can join you on a morning walk to hear the songbirds.

One: Even when our fears and frustrations overflow,

All: you teach us how to listen to the hearts which seem to be ignored by everyone, everywhere.

One: When we long to run away from all the worries and uncertainty, O God of Peace,

All: You model for us how to be willing to care for those who suffer. In these moments—and especially in this moment—we turn to you, O God. Amen.

ANTHEM “Rejoice, the King is Coming” by Jon Paige

(performed by Martin and Donna Sue Hain)

TIME WITH CHILDREN OF ALL AGES

SCRIPTURE Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew 21;1-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

“Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

 PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION (Psalm 19:14)

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

SERMON “Spread” Pastor Paul Eyer

CELEBRATIONS AND CONCERNS/ PRAYER REQUESTS

Prayer requests can be posted as chat/comments to the video livestream throughWilliston Federated Church Facebook page at Facebook.com/WillistonFederatedChurch or you may send those requests via email to WillistonFederatedYouth@gmail.com. Please remember that if you post your prayer request on Facebook, it can be visible to anyone who visits our church’s Facebook page. And prayer requests shared verbally during our livestream video worship service can be heard by anyone who watches the video of this worship service. If you wish to send confidential prayer requests, address those requests to Pastor Paul at pastoreyer@gmail.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Pastor: Lord of Life and Love,

Congregation: Hear our prayer.

SILENT MEDITATION

THE LORD’S PRAYER (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 who 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.

OFFERING

Mail in your offering or get started with ouronline giving. It’s easy!If you’re interested in setting up automatic withdrawals to make your gifts, please contact Matt Bliss who can invite you to set up an account with our online church membership software called Realm.  When logged in, select the “Giving” menu on the left hand side and the “+ Give” button on the next screen.  Then, enter your giving details and payment information to set up automatic withdrawals from your bank account.  Select one of the pledge accounts (e.g. Pledge Jul xxxx to Jun xxxx).  Frequency should be set to monthly on the 15th.  You can follow the same process to make one time contributions too.  If you have any questions, contact Matt Bliss at blisswm@comcast.net. Thank you for your generosity!)

OFFERTORY

*Presentation of Gifts:

We give thee but thine own, What e’er the gift may be:
All that we have is thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from thee.

PRAYER OF DEDICATION (unison)

O God, may our gifts bring hope and healing, peace and plenty, in your name and in your love. Amen.

THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH

—virtual” coffee hour/fellowship time via Zoom following worship today

–online Maundy Thursday worship service via Facebook Live on Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m.

–online Good Friday worship service via Facebook Live on Friday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m.

–online Easter Sunday worship services via Facebook on Sunday, April 12:

at 6:30 a.m., Son-rise Easter Service led by Williston Federated Youth

at 9:30 a.m., Easter Sunday service led by Pastor Paul

CLOSING HYMN “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” UMC hymnal #278

(led remotely by Martin and Donna Sue Hain)

(copyright permission: OneLicense.net #733435-A and CCLI # 176957)

BENEDICTION

Liturgical resources: The Call to Worship and the Prayer of the Day are adapted from “Liturgy of the Palms for these days (April 2020), by Thom Shuman, found at http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/, accessed on 3 April 2020. The Prayer of Dedication is adapted from “A Liturgy for worship in a time of pandemic (Lent 5-A)” by Thom Shuman, “ Lectionary Liturgies” found at http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/, accessed on 26 March 2020.

Williston Federated Church

United Methodist Church and United Church of Christ – Federated 1899

An Open and Affirming, Reconciling Congregation

Mission Statement

Our church is a community which seeks, welcomes and gathers people to share the Gospel  of God’s love, enables people to find fullness of life through Jesus Christ, goes into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of  Christ, and responds actively to human need.

Welcome To All Who Worship Here!

Fifth Sunday of Lent – March 29, 2020 ~ 9:30 A.M.

GREETING

CALL TO WORSHIP               Ashley Dubois, Lay Leader, Williston Federated Church

One:  Gracious and Most Merciful God, we gather in our separate  homes–distant physically, but spiritually together in this new way to worship you.

 All:   Lord, help free us from that deep aching need for a sense of normalcy  and instead fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we might wake up and  see You coming to us in new ways.

 One:  Great Physician, like your disciples long ago we cry out:  if only you could have come sooner; if only we had been better prepared; if only we had known, this would not have happened.

 All:   Lord in your mercy, clear our minds from the need for a sense of control over things, so that we might remember in times such as this    you are indeed with us in mysterious ways, still offering abundant life  to all.

 One:  Healer of Nations, in the midst of despair and sadness, remind us of your greatness, so that we might focus our attention on your peace, on your      teachings, and on your Glory.

 All:   Lord in your mercy, help us to let go of fears of the known and unknown, so that we might be unbound and rise again to be your light  to a world in need. AMEN.

LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE

SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST

One:   Peace be with you All:      Also with you

PRAYER OF THE DAY (from Psalm 130)

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.  Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!  If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. Hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.

TIME WITH CHILDREN OF ALL AGES

SCRIPTURE                                John 11:1-45

  John 11:1-45 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Death of Lazarus

            11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister             Martha. ² Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with     her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. ³ So the sisters sent a message to Jesus,^[a] “Lord, he       whom you love is ill.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to          death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through        it.” ⁵ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, ⁶ after having            heard that Lazarus^[b] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

                    ⁷ Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” ⁸ The disciples said to             him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there    again?” ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk             during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. ¹⁰ But those who     walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” ¹¹ After saying this, he told them,   “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” ¹² The             disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” ¹³ Jesus,             however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring             merely to sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ For your sake I am       glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶ Thomas, who was      called the Twin,^[c] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus the Resurrection and the Life

                    ¹⁷ When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus^[d] had already been in the tomb four             days. ¹⁸ Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles^[e] away, ¹⁹ and many of the       Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. ²⁰ When Martha            heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at             home. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have    died. ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise           again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and    the life.^[f] Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, ²⁶ and everyone who       lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes,      Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,^[g] the Son of God, the one coming into the    world.”

Jesus Weeps

                    ²⁸ When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her             privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹ And when she heard it, she got       up quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ The Jews who were with her in the house,             consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they             thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³² When Mary came where Jesus   was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my       brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came   with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴ He said,    “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus began to         weep. ³⁶ So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not      he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life

                    ³⁸ Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was      lying against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man,    said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus             said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of           God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I         thank you for having heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for     the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came       out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus     said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

                    ⁴⁵ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did,      believed in him.

 PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.  Amen.  

SERMON             “Bound”                           Pastor Paul Eyer

A PRAYER FOR HEALING

One:     Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.”           At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the    global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.

All:      Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health             through quality medical care.

One:    Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from    helping one another.

All:      Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that             knows no borders.

One:    Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

All:      Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your             eternal peace.

One:    Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend             them from illness and despair. May they know your peace…

All:      And for all of us, in place of our anxiety, give us your peace.  In the name of the             Great Physician, Jesus Christ, we pray.  Amen.

CELEBRATIONS  AND CONCERNS/ PRAYER REQUESTS

Your prayer requests can be sent through Williston Federated Church Facebook page at Facebook.com/WillistonFederatedChurch to send that request via email to WillistonFederatedYouth@gmail.com.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE                  

Pastor:      Lord of Life and Love,

Congregation:  Hear our prayer.

SILENT MEDITATION

THE LORD’S PRAYER (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 who 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.

OFFERING   

(mail in your offering or get started with our online giving it’s easy!  If you’re interested in setting up automatic withdrawals to make your gifts, please contact Matt Bliss who can invite you to set up an account with our online church membership software called Realm.  When logged in, select the “Giving” menu on the left hand side and the “+ Give” button on the next screen.  Then, enter your giving details and payment information to set up automatic withdrawals from your bank account.  Select one of the pledge accounts (e.g. Pledge Jul xxxx to Jun xxxx).  Frequency should be set to monthly on the 15th.  You can follow the same process to make one time contributions too.  If you have any questions, contact Matt Bliss at blisswm@comcast.net.  Thank you for your generosity!)

OFFERTORY

“Leaning In:  A Prayer of Intention” by Christopher Grundy

(pre-recorded music shared with permission © 2018 Christopher  Grundy, all publishing rights reserved. Permission given to congregations to play this recording during worship or education programs, and to stream online.)

                                                                                                                                                       *Presentation of Gifts:                                                                            

We give thee but thine own, What e’er the gift may be:
All that we have is thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from thee. 

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

O God, may our gifts bring hope and healing, peace and plenty, in your name and in your love. Amen.

THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH (visit us thru ZOOM)

          –“virtual” coffee hour/fellowship time via Zoom following worship  today

—  remote meeting of Music and Worship Committee via Zoom on Wednesday, April 1 at 5:30 p.m.

—  congregation-wide check-in via Zoom on Thursday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m.

CLOSING HYMN “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”  

(led remotely by Martin and Donna Sue Hain)

BENEDICTION

Liturgical resources:  The Prayer for Healing is adapted from “A Coronavirus Prayer” by Kerry Weber, America:  The Jesuit Review, March 30, 2020 issue, found at https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/02/coronavirus-prayer?fbclid=IwAR2X3JutwA-U8xeOfrC38ihieWH6m-z5jv7SwG-0G0tJW-ITAZFF9Zcpf4E, accessed on 20 March 2020.  “Leaning In:  A Prayer of Intention” by Christopher Grundy shared with permission © 2018 Christopher  Grundy, all publishing rights reserved. Permission given to congregations to play this recording during worship or education programs, and to stream online.  The Prayer of Dedication is adapted from  “A Liturgy for worship in a time of pandemic (Lent 5-A)” by Thom Shuman, “ Lectionary Liturgies” found at http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/, accessed on 26 March 2020.

Sermon ~ “Angry?”, Pastor Paul Eyer

Anthem ~ “Headin’ for the Promised Land”, Senior Choir

Sermon ~ “Light Shall Break Forth”, Pastor Paul Eyer

Anthem ~ “Praise Song”, Senior Choir