Here is the devotion page for Palm Sunday – Year B. (Click on the words!)
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Tag Archives: Holy Week
WEEKLY DEVOTION PAGE FOR Palm Sunday, YEAR C
Here is the devotion page for Palm Sunday – Year C. (Click on the words!)
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Holy Week Household Devotion
Check out these fun household devotions for every day of Holy Week!
You are welcome to download them and print them and hand them out to your congregation!
Weekly Devotion Page for March 20, 2016
Here is the devotion page for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 13, 2016. (Click on the words!)
Just click on the picture to download the PDF file!
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Children’s Sermon, Palm Sunday – March 29, 2015 – Matthew 21:1-13
Prepare: If your church uses palm branches or crosses make sure that the people have them before Children’s Time or the Worship Station Time. If you do not use either palms or crosses don’t worry, they are not necessary.
Have any of you ever been to a big sporting event, or seen one on TV? Have you ever seen when they have the players run our through a tunnel or balloons or flowers? Why do you think they do that?
Today is Palm Sunday! Today we remember a different entrance. This is the day that we remember Jesus going into Jerusalem and the people shouting “Hosanna!” See, kind of like that big sporting event, Jesus was coming in like a hero. The people lining the streets and shouting were hoping the Jesus would be their champion, so they cheered and shouted.
As they got to know Jesus, and see what he was doing in the city, they changed their minds. They wanted Jesus to be a new king over the city, but that is not what Jesus was there to do. They lost hope in their champion, kind of like we might lose hope if our team is losing that big game.
The difference is that Jesus was winning, and it wasn’t a game. Jesus was in Jerusalem to reconnect to the people in way that they could never imagine, and didn’t understand. Jesus was there to help us return to God.
So, to help us celebrate, we are going to have a fancy entrance right here, and we need the help of all the people here!
Ask all the people to line up on the aisles and hold their palms (or crosses or hands) up to make a tunnel. Then invite children and adults to go through the tunnel while people cheer and shout “Hosanna!” Once everything calms down a little invite everyone to pray.
Hosanna! Lord, we praise you for saving us through Jesus. Today we remember your entrance into Jerusalem, and we proclaim you as our Lord and savior. Be with us this week as we remember the events of Holy Week and prepare to celebrate your resurrection and our promise of new life. Amen
Jesus remembers you.
Weekly Household Devotions – March 29, 2015
Here is the devotion page for Palm Sunday, March 29, 2015.
Just click on the picture to download the PDF file!
Did you miss a week? Go to the Weekly Devotion page to download past weeks!
Holy Week Daily Devotions
Daily Devotions for Holy Week! Print back to back and make booklets for people to take home!
Click on the picture to download the PDF.
Children’s Sermon March 24, 2013 Palm Sunday John 12:12-16
Preparation: Palms for the kids and/or whole congregation and a hymn or song with Hosanna
Scripture: John 12:12-16
Gather the children–you may want to do this at the beginning instead of at the tradition time but either way will work. Give each child a palm branch and show them how to wave it in the air.
“Today is Palm Sunday! Does anyone know what you are holding? Yes, a palm branch. We have palm branches today because in our scriptures today we are told about when Jesus came into Jerusalem. Does anyone know what he was riding on? Yes, a donkey. And the people who knew who he was were excited to see him and welcomed him into Jerusalem by waving palms, putting their coats on the ground as a sign of honor and by saying the word Hosanna! Do you know what this word means? It is a way of showing honor and calling Jesus God–saying Save us Jehovah or save us God. The people where saying they believed Jesus was the son of David and the son of God. So we can shout today also Hosanna! Every time you hear that word I want you to shout i back and wave your palms.” Lead the children on a parade through the church. If your choir has a song they are singing with Hosanna do this then or have the congregation sing a hymn with Hosanna and lead the children around the sanctuary waving palm branches. End at the altar and invite the children to lay their palms at the altar.
God, we thank you for sending Jesus to save us, to love us, to show us how to live in your world. Amen
May you know the love of God. Hosanna!
Children’s Sermon Easter Sunday Year B Mark 16:1-8-or-John 20:1-18
Scriptures: Mark 16:1-8-or-John 20:1-18
Preparation: Get a big piece of paper, like off an art roll, and write/paint/color “Alleluia” on it as big as you can. Have it all rolled up so that no one can see what it says, but so that it will be easy to unroll like a banner.
Faith+Open: Enter into the space as excited as you can. Say things like, “Children, come quickly! The most amazing thing has happened! You’re never going to believe this!”
Faith+Share: : Do you know what has happened? Have you heard the news? Jesus isn’t dead! He’s alive, ALLELUIA!
Unroll your banner, you need to be really over the top about this, super excited, far beyond anything that the children are going to give back.
Wait, why am I so much more excited than you? Have you heard this story before? Oh, you have, well, it’s still exciting, don’t you think? Maybe we need to look at this a different way. Have you ever lost a special toy, and then found it again? It’s pretty great when that happens. Or, maybe more for your parents, putting on a pair of pants and finding $20 in the pocket. It just makes your day so much better. Now think about Jesus friends, they didn’t lose a toy, they lost their best friend, their teacher, the person they thought was God in human form. He was gone. Then, suddenly he’s not! He’s alive and with them! Now that would be an amazing day, don’t you think?
The story gets better, too. Jesus came back with an unbelievable gift for everyone. Jesus forgives us all for everything, and opens the gates of heaven. So, when you think about it that way, even if you’ve heard the story before, it’s pretty exciting, isn’t it?
Ok, now that we’re all excited about the story, let’s try this again. I’m going to shout, “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!” Then you say, “Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
Here we go:
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Faith+Prayer: Amazing God, WOW! Your live and with us! Help us to celebrate the good news of Christ risen and share the Easter blessing with everyone we meet. Amen.
Faith+Blessing:: You say, “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!”
They say, “Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
Children’s Sermon Maundy Thursday Year B John 13:1-17
Scriptures: John 13:1-17
Preparation: Find a crown, or some other object that will make the children think of a classic fairy tale king, and a towel. Put both the crown and towel into a bag with crown on top so you can get it out first, without showing the towel.
Faith+Open: Start by reminding the children of the Palm Sunday chant, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” Remember that great king we welcomed into Jerusalem on Sunday? Now pull out the crown.
Faith+Share: : I was thinking about that king, too, so I brought a crown. What do you think about when you see a crown, or hear about a king? (wait for a few answers – since you are in “church mode” you might get a few answers of “Jesus!” Try to get them to talk about the more fairy tale image of a mighty king.) Yeah, kings are powerful and proud! Do you think a king like that would come to your house and make your bed? Clean your room? What about cleaning your bathroom for you? No, probably not.
Well, listen to this, I know a story where a king sat down with his friends, then he washed their feet! No kidding, he got a towel and a bowl of water and washed a bunch of stinky, dirty feet. How would you feel about that? A king washing your feet? Well, by now you’ve probably figured out that I’m talking about Jesus. That might be even more strange, don’t you think? Jesus washing your feet!?! I mean, he’s God’s son, he can do anything, and he chooses to wash a bunch of feet! One of his friends, Simon Peter, feels the same way, he tried to get Jesus to stop, but Jesus says you must let me wash your feet, the smelliest, dirtiest part of you so that you can be really clean. I think Jesus is talking about more than feet here. Jesus cleans out all the bad things that we do, all the stinky parts of our life and forgives and loves us, even when we have stinky feet. Come back on Sunday to hear the rest of the story!
Faith+Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for washing away the stinky things that we do, and for forgiving us when we make mistakes. Keep us ever in your love and forgiveness. Amen.
Faith+Blessing: Make the sign of the cross and say:
God be in my head
God be in my heart
God be on my left
God be on my right