So we light this candle as a symbol of hope that the light of Christ will service. continue to shine in our world, bringing justice, peace and compassion. Our Hymn: VU 123, Hosanna Loud Hosanna (continued) Prayer of Approach and Confession Assurance of Pardon Passing the Peace Our Hymn: VU 123, Hosanna Loud Hosanna (continued) Scripture: Luke 19:28-40 Sermon: "Hosanna! Blessed is the One Who Comes in the Name of the Lord" Our Hymn: VU 123, Hosanna Loud Hosanna (

1. MINUTE FOR MISSON
Across the country, Mission and Service supports those who are living in poverty
and who face a multitude of challenges in their lives.
“Can I stay here? I don’t want to go home.” Eleven-year old C. had fled a chaotic Order of Worship for
home where addictions sometimes dominated the lives of her mother and stepfa-
ther. She needed to save herself, so she sought refuge in the Southdale Chaplaincy
OROMOCTO & PINE GROVE
in London, Ontario. UNITED CHURCH
Working in a large public housing complex, Southdale Chaplaincy helps connect peo-
ple with resources and acts as an advocate for Southdale families. The chaplaincy
We welcome everyone to this time together in worship. We gather in this church in
runs afterschool programs that may include a hot meal, a free store, and Internet
the belief that we are all equally God’s guests whether we’ve been here all our lives
access for job searches and homework. The chaplaincy established a community
or this is our first time. We welcome everyone in this spirit of Christ as it is our belief
garden and a dental clinic, and advocated for the re-establishment of a family health
that this is how we are to live. Everyone, without exception, belongs equally at
clinic. Southdale Chaplaincy has an emergency food cupboard and babyfood bank
God’s table.
and also sponsors kids at camp.
If you are visiting with us please sign our guest book opposite the usher’s table. If
But sometimes even all that isn’t enough. Sometimes the chaplaincy becomes a safe
you are new with us and wish a follow up contact please fill out a ‘Guest/New
haven as it did for C. She knew that at the chaplaincy she would receive care, love,
Member Card which can be found with the guest book. As well you may pick up an
support, and, most of all, safety. She knew this, because she had been participating
orientation package on the table in the entrance. We invite visitors from other
in the chaplaincy’s programs for two years. Now in the care of Children’s Aid, C. is
churches to pick up one of our Peace Candles to take home with you. An
doing very well.
explanation of this symbol accompanies each candle and these can be found on the
usher’s table.
The financial support of Mission and Service helps make all
this work possible. Thank you for your continued generosity.
Should you require a rest room it is at the end of the hall and it is equipped with a
baby change station. If you have young children who become restless there is a
nursery behind the back pew where they can play while you hear the service over
the speakers. You are welcome to bring a coffee into worship with you. The coffee
Rev Bob McDowell pot is in the entrance.
Office 357-3423; Cell 470-1155; Home 488-2154
Email: mcdowell@nb.sympatico.ca *While we stand for most hymns and at others times in our worship, please feel free
not to if for any reasons you can not or would rather not. VU stands for Voices
United and MV for More Voices. You are also invited to pick up a Bible version of
Minister Rev Robert McDowell your choice at usher’s desk. Should you have any concerns please speak to an usher.
Accompanist/ Choir Director Joyce Andrews
Office Administration Jennifer Chiasson
VU: Voices United – our hard cover red hymn book
MV: More Voices – our soft covered hymn book
Oromocto United Church
144 Winnebago
Oromocto
oromoctopinegroveunitedchurch.ca
April 1, 2012
10:30 am

2. SERVICE Announcements
Welcome and Announcements
Reverse Offering papers are in the offering plates. These are items the food bank
especially needs. If you wish you can select one and bring that item next week.
A Time of Silence To Begin
Please sign up to help lead in worship by lighting the candle, reading scripture or
Introit: Pave the Way With Branches some of the other roles. Signup sheets are in the Narthex [entrance].
Our Hymn: VU 123, Hosanna Loud Hosanna
OUC Board of Stewards update. At the AGM, some points were raised about in-
Our Palm Sunday Procession creasing communication from the Church Council and other bodies that oversee
the running of the church to the congregation. To that end, the Stewards will try to
Lighting our Resurrection Candle: provide regular updates in the bulletin and in the Narthex. As well, we will look to
sending more letters so those members of the congregation who are unable to
Leader: God of Palms, we begin this week we call Holy Week acknowledging that attend regularly are kept informed of church business.
our world is not greatly different from the world Jesus tried to reform. As you may be aware, the church finished 2011 with a deficit of almost $8000.
This was due largely to the increase in the cost of heating oil and a decline in offer-
People: We begin by admitting ours is still live in a world of self-interest, fickle ings and has severely impacted our cash holdings. At the end of February, we had
positions and easy death. Yet we also dare to cry hosanna to the Christ with hope received year-to-date offerings of $11078.75, but had year-to-date expenses
in justice. $15,729.35. We finished February with less than $2,600 in the bank account, as our
monthly contribution to the Pastoral Charge is $4,800, this leaves us in a very tight
Leader: We shout freedom but we pause when we see the humble and downward position that also impacts the Pastoral Charge.
way.
As Stewards, we look to the congregation for support at this time. Not just finan-
cially, but if you are willing to contribute your time or see areas where we could be
People: In a world that worships fame and popularity, Christ died on an execu-
tion gallows. making savings, let us know.
Leader: In a world that admires and worships power he spoke for the least and
asked us to be last. Easter Flowers—Anyone wishing to put flowers in church for Easter please fill in
the sheet in the narthex. You may wish to take the plants home after our Easter
service.
People: In a world that values wealth above everything he offered costly sacrifi-
cial love.
Leader: Let him ride into our hearts again this week – the week we call Holy
People: The one Lord Jesus Christ, yesterday, today and forever, the same faith-
ful servant friend and servant King.
Leader: Blessed is the One who comes in God’s Name. Let our candle symbolize
him.
Hymn: VU 124, He Came Riding on a Donkey – and the food collected
Our Prayer for today:

3. Dates To Note SERVICE
Our Invitation to God’s Table
Apr 1, Palm Sunday
Our Words about This Table and What We Do Now
Apr 5, Bible Study, 1:30-3pm
Leader: Eternal God, our judge and our Redeemer, we confess the times we have
Apr 6, Good Friday, Joint Service, 10 am, Oromocto tried to hide from you.
Apr 19, Session, 7pm All: At many times we have chosen to live for ourselves and apart from you. We
have at times turned from our neighbours, or refused to share another’s burden.
Apr 24 6:30 pm, church council
Leader: We may have ignored another’s pain and certainly the pain of our planet.
May 5, Sat, 4-6pm, Spring Church Supper
All: We may have ignored the hungry on a street and certainly the hungry of the
May 10, 7pm, Special Meeting of Session- Remit Vote world.
June 23, AGM, OVCL, Hazen Park Watling Room, 1pm Leader: We may have allowed injustice to fall on those beside us and absolutely to
fall on those beyond us.
All: In your great mercy God we know you forgive our failures as human beings.
Leader: Yet more than this God- free us from selfishness.
All: Fill us with that spirit that we may choose your will and obey your com-
mandments, even as we claim to live within the faith of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Leader: Lord God, as we come to share the richness symbolized by this table, help
us not forget the rawness of this earth. Help us not to take bread and ignore the
hungry. As we break this one loaf remind us of this one world and that we are stew-
ards for its nourishment.
All: God help us to lift this cup and remember those who are thirsty, remember
the dry ground of drought and our responsibility to care for ground water. As we
lift this cup help us remember the gift of fresh water to all and let us hear the cry
of those who thirst for real justice as well as and those who simply thirst.
Leader: God, as we share the peace symbolized by this table of fellowship, remind
us we are not at peace in this world. We are at war and that is darkness to us all.
We share in its evil and we are called to step back from it. God remind us that we
need to work to deliver ourselves from evil.
All: God as we share the symbolic feast of your family let us not forget our divi-
sions. We are not one in spirit. We still contribute to hurt and still choose to act
towards the dismemberment of your Body.

4. SERVICE SERVICE
Leader: Lord heal our brokenness even as we break the bread of this table. Share
your healing spirit with us as we share the cup of peace in of our Lord Jesus Christ. All: It is perverted theology which can sing romantically about the old
Bless us on our way as we continue to walk the way Jesus began for us many years rugged cross and say “I love that old cross”
ago.
Leader: God loves his son and God loves us, but does not love the cross.
Taking Blessing Breaking and Eating: As the elements are distributed we sing MV
194 and MV 195 All: The cross represents what sin does to God and to God’s people. Sin
ultimately tortures and kills in ugliness and cruelty.
Our Prayer of Thanks and Our Lord’s Prayer
Leader: We can love the crosses we have made – the ones we wear on brace-
lets, around our necks, on our dashboards, plastic, silver and even
Our Hymn: VU 468, Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ chocolate – all are smaller than life size, easy to handle, cheap to ac-
[and the children go downstairs] quire.
All: The cross of Good Friday is a life-sized, bloody instrument of torture
Lighting our Candle of Concern: and death. This cross is not God’s will but the will of the cowardly,
treacherous, group of elders, priests and the rich protecting their
Psalm 118: page 837 VU interests.
Leader: Look at the one who hangs on the cross – there is God’s will.
Our Reading for Today: Mark 11:1-11
All: It is our faith that he is the highest expression of God’s love in action,
Our Hymn: VU 224, Sing a Happy Hallelujah a love that does not stop even in cruelty, torture and death. A love
that cannot be stopped by death.
Our Message for Today
Leader: On the cross all that alienates us from each other and God – is crossed
out in Christ.
Our Anthem: Hosanna We Sing, Stan Pethel
All: Our hope, joy and faith are in Christ who died on the cross. May the
*Our Words of Faith: page 918 VU, A Contemporary Creed cross always point to Christ and never be an attraction in itself for
then it becomes an idol. God’s gift to us and not to a cross – the cross
is our rebellion against God.
Our Offering Presented Offering: [tune 542]
These Lenten gifts we bringing, our living faith express. Leader: When we sing, let our voices be in gratitude to Christ, God’s gift to us.
We offer them most lovingly, and thus our hearts are blessed.
O loving God, receive these gifts we gladly give
Our Hymn to Leave With: VU 127, Ride On, Ride On in Majesty [tune #20 VU]
That show our faith and hope and trust;
Your way we seek to live.
Our Choral Benediction
My Peace I give unto you
Our Prayers of Gratitude, Concern & Our Lord’s Prayer
It’s a Peace that the world cannot give
It’s a Peace that the world cannot understand
Our Words to Leave With:
Peace to know, Peace to live
Leader: The cross itself is not the will of God My Peace I give unto you.