Order of Service, April 14, 2019

Introduction

This Lord’s Day we mark the anniversary of Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of his Passion Week. On that day, he “came to his own” (John 1:11), that is, he presented himself to Israel as her long-awaited King. The crowds in the city understood the significance of his entry (Zechariah 9:9) and honored Jesus by spreading palm leaves in his path, thus we call this Palm Sunday. But by the end of that week, “his own people did not receive him.” Instead, they nailed him to a cross.

We who know him love to call him our King. Indeed, this same Jesus, crucified and risen again, is King of Kings and Lord of lords. For this reason, we serve him side-by-side with shared devotion. It is this mutual commitment to King Jesus that binds the Christian community of faith together with deepening affection. This is the theme of the sermon text.

In the worship service we will sing hymns that declare our worship of Christ as King. The concluding hymn will express our mutual affection that comes from our common commitment to Christ.