Pastor: Good morning boys and girls! Welcome! Let’s say good morning to our friend Sammy. Ready? One, two, three: Good morning, Sammy!

Sammy: Good morning, everyone! Pastor, this Gospel reading was a long one today.

Pastor: Yes, Sammy. The Gospel reading today is all about the Passion of our Lord Jesus.

Sammy: So much happened while you were reading the Gospel. Jesus shared communion, he prayed in the Garden, and he was put on trial several times.

Pastor: Several people did not like Jesus. We meet some of them in the reading today. One of the things we have to remember is that Jesus committed no sin. He lived a perfect life. Boys and girls, have you ever been blamed for something you didn’t do?

[Allow time for responses]

Sammy: Jesus did not deserve death, but he chose to die because we deserve death. We are sinful, and the price for sin is death.

Pastor: Jesus went willingly to the cross, and he knew what he was going to suffer.

Sammy: You know, Pastor, as I listened to you read the Gospel today, I wondered who I would be if I was there to witness Jesus on the cross.

Pastor: What do you mean, Sammy?

Sammy: Would I betray Jesus, like Judas? Would I deny Jesus, like Peter? Would I be one of the ones who wanted Jesus to die, like the crowds or priests or Herod? Would I be willing to carry the cross like Simon? Would I mock Jesus like the soldiers? Or would I ask for forgiveness like the thief on the cross? Or would I stand at a distance and watch like Mary and the other women? Who would I be?

Pastor: I think each of us plays all of or many of these roles during our lives. God knows our hearts. He gives us faith and teaches us through the trials and challenges we face.

Sammy: But, Pastor, I worry that I am not good enough to deserve what Jesus did for me. He took my sin so that I could eat at his table with him forever.

Pastor: Sammy, none of us deserve the gift that Jesus gives us. None of us our worthy. We are broken and made new in Jesus. And he asks us to go and love as he loved us.

Sammy: I will try, Pastor. I will try.

Pastor: Boys and girls, this week, I want you to think about how you can better love someone. What can you do to show Jesus’s love to someone else?

[Allow time for responses]

Pastor: Great answers! Let’s close with prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for your great love. Thank you for taking our sin so we could eat at your table. Thank you for your goodness and grace. We love you. Amen.

Sammy: Bye, everyone!

Pastor: Bye, Sammy!

THE PRAYERS

Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion, Cycle B (March 25, 2018)

Let us humbly beseech God for his mercy upon the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Holy God, your Son was acclaimed Son of David and Son of God by the pilgrims in Jerusalem. Fill your pilgrim Church with faithfulness, boldness, and compassion; so that, through its witness, many may join it in singing, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!”

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Your Son was met by people crying “Hosanna,” – Lord, save! Grant his salvation to the Church wherever it is persecuted for his sake. We pray also for our companion synods and for your missionaries throughout the world.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Your Son accepted the praises of the crowds who worshipped in Jerusalem. Fill this congregation with such love and zeal that we may eagerly worship and praise our Savior, humbly do your will, and lovingly serve our neighbor in His name.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Your Son was greeted with sweet Hosannas by infants and children.  We pray for our little ones, and for children throughout the world, that their mouths might be made perfect in praising your name.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Your Son entered Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace. Fill the leaders of the nations with a hunger for peace, a thirst for justice, and a love for the people entrusted to their care. Teach us all to do your will and to long for the day when Christ shall return in glory as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Your Son entered Jerusalem on a donkey, not a war horse.  Fill all places of warfare and violence with his peace; and protect and bless those who must stand in harm’s way. Bring them home in safety to their loved ones.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Your Son was greeted with joy as he entered the Holy City. Fill with joy the hearts of all who suffer in mind, body, or spirit, especially: {List}.  Turn their sorrow into joy; their suffering into health; and their cries for help into shouts of praise.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Most gracious heavenly Father, your Son opens the gates of the New Jerusalem for all who die trusting in him. We thank you for receiving them into that glorious city. Bring peace and hope to all who grieve; and fill us with imperishable hope, so that we gladly follow where our Savior leads us – until he leads us safely home.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For these things, and for whatever else is needful, dear Father, we pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.