Palm Sunday
9:00 a.m. (Order of Worship) in Old South Church Chapel
&
11:00 a.m. Service in Santuary
(Order of Worship below)
A Congregation of the United Church of Christ
The Old South Church in Boston
Gathered 1669
THE GATHERING
PRELUDE Valet will ich dir geben, BWV 735 J.S. Bach
The Palms
Jean-Baptiste Faure
Owen McIntosh, tenor
O'er all the way, green palms and blossoms gay
Are strewn this day in festal preparation;
Where Jesus comes to wipe our tears away,
E'vn now the throng to welcome Him, prepare;
Join all and sing, his name declare
Let ev'ry voice resound in acclamation.
Hosanna! Praise ye the Lord!
Bless Him who cometh to bring us salvation!
Sing and rejoice, O blest Jerusalem,
Of all thy sons sing the emancipation.
Through boundless love the Christ of Bethlehem
Brings faith and hope to Thee forevermore.
INTROIT Fanfare Phil Stern
Children's Chime Choir
All Glory, Laud and Honor arr. Margaret R. Tucker
Old South Ringers
*CALL TO WORSHIP
Emily Kate O'Brien
One: He comes! He comes! In the name of the Lord, he comes!
Many: With palms, with cheers, with brimming hearts, we come to see.
One: He's here! Here in our city, here in our midst!
Many: Poor and glorious,
Ragged and majestic.
One: Despised by the powerful,
Beloved of God.
Many: Surprising grace,
glorious, incongruous,
vision of God on a colt.
One: We come! We come! In the name of the Lord, we come!
Many: With palms, with cheers, with brimming hearts, we come to see.
Glorious, incongruous,
Ragged and majestic,
We gather to worship the God in our midst.
One: Let us pray:
Many: Gracious God, we seek to know and to worship you among the
palm-bearing crowds today. We have been the Maundy Thursday crowds, the Good
Friday crowds. We will be again.
But today we welcome your coming with joy, with shouts, with palms
and elation. Come to us, God, for we will worship you today! In Jesus'
holy name, Amen.
ORGAN FANFARE Jesus Enters Jerusalem
Calvin Hampton
*HYMN 216 All Glory, Laud and Honor vv. 1 & 2 St. Theodulph
*THE PALM SUNDAY GOSPEL Matthew 21:1-11 Daniel Makholm
*HYMN 216 All Glory, Laud and Honor vv. 3 & 4 St. Theodulph
*A SIGN OF OUR UNITY AND RECONCILIATION Robert W. Brown
We invite you to greet those around you, wishing them
"the peace of Christ" or a warm "good morning."
WORDS OF WELCOME
*HYMN 214 Mantos y Ramos (Filled with Excitement) Hosanna
We will sing the two verses in English.
(Children and teachers may leave for their Church School classes.)
SERMON Quinn G. Caldwell
*HYMN 215 Ride On! Ride On in Majesty St. Drostane
*CALL TO PRAYER Nancy S. Taylor
One: God be with you
Many: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts.
Many: We lift our hearts to God.
One: Let us pray. (The congregation may be seated.)
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION
All are invited to sing the response as indicated. Greek for "Lord have
mercy," Kyrie eleison is an ancient prayer by which Christians have
approached Jesus since the earliest days of the church.
One: O God, if we have not loved you with all our hearts and all our minds
and all our strength, and our neighbors as ourselves,
Many: Sung response
One: If we have not heard your call to serve as Christ served us;
If we have been full of pride, or hypocrisy, or impatience,
Many: Sung response
One: If we have been self-indulgent; if we have exploited another;
If we have loved worldly goods and comforts too much;
If we have been dishonest in thought or expression,
Many: Sung response
One: Holy God, if we have failed to notice human suffering,
or if we have caused it;
If we have failed to notice the waste and pollution of your creation,
or if we have caused it,
Many: Sung response
One: If we have trusted violence rather than peace,
and the rulers of the earth over your rule,
Many: Sung response
SILENT PRAYER OF CONFESSION
PASTORAL PRAYER
THE LORD'S PRAYER
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 debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into
temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
PRAYER RESPONSE Love's Reflection Kathleen Wissinger
Old South Ringers
OFFERING OURSELVES AND OUR GIFTS
CALL TO THE OFFERING
Abigail G. Henderson
OFFERTORY ANTHEM Lift Up Your Heads from Messiah
G.F. Handel
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and
the King of Glory shall come in! Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong
and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even
lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in! Who
is this King of Glory?
The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.
-Psalm 68:18
*SONG OF PRAISE
Old Hundredth
Praise God whose many names abound,
Our Judge, our Rock, our Holy Ground.
Our Home, our All, earth's Majesty
Love, Spirit, Light and Mystery. Amen.
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
*HYMN 616 I Want to Be Ready
I Want to Be Ready
*BIDDING TO MISSION AND BENEDICTION
Quinn G. Caldwell
POSTLUDE Processional William Mathias
Today, immediately following worship, all who are interested in a tour of
the Sanctuary are invited to meet Docent Dick Yeo at the front of the
Sanctuary.
The Old South Ringers will be led in procession this morning by Diane
Gaucher, tolling a new bass chime (G2), which was purchased from memorial
funds in memory of Marc Gaucher.
The new Lenten pulpit hanging is given by Elizabeth and Betty Pitcher
in loving memory of Jean M. Jackson, M.D.
TODAY AT OLD SOUTH
Welcome to Old South Church in Boston. Our faith is over 2000 years old, but
our thinking is not! Old South opens its doors to the city, to tourists from
near and far, to the needy, to an array of building users, and to a
congregation (of members, friends, and family-both the curious and the
committed) who call this their church home. Join us for fellowship and
refreshments in Gordon Chapel immediately following worship.
Today's ASL Interpreter is Aaron Malgeri.
More than thirty volunteers are extending hospitality to visitors and
parishioners. In addition, over twenty volunteers sing in the choir, while
others teach in the Church School. If you're interested in volunteering for
hospitality tasks, please call Betty Smith at 781/721-7777; to sing with the
choir, call Harry Huff at 617/425-5146; to learn about the church school,
call Tricia Hazeltine at 617/536-1970.
Wearing name tags is a great way to facilitate community and make newcomers
feel welcomed. If you don't see a tag with your name on it, let us
know-there will be one waiting for you next Sunday!
CD recordings of today's service may be obtained by calling Jessica
Goodknight at 617/536-1970 or emailing <reception@oldsouth.org>. Sunday
sermons and worship services are also available on the Web and as podcasts
at <www.oldsouth.org>.
NOTES ON TODAY'S MUSIC
Today is Palm Sunday-the Christian Church's annual reenactment of Christ's
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an ironic prologue to the events culminating
in his passion and crucifixion. The hymn All Glory, Laud and Honor is above
all others associated with this festival. Theodulph, Bishop of Orleans, is
said to have written the text while imprisoned in the early 9th century for
an alleged role in a plot to overthrow King Louis I of France. Legend has it
that he was inspired to compose the hymn as a Palm Sunday procession passed
his dungeon window; upon hearing Theodulph's singing of the hymn to the
assembled congregation, the king freed him at once. Its ritual use
throughout Europe has been in connection with processions with palms; in
Hereford, Tours and Rouen, it was sung at the gates of the town; elsewhere
at the church door, with choir and congregation singing the refrain
antiphonally.
For over three centuries this beloved text has been paired with Michael
Teschner's 1615 tune, "Valet will ich dir geben," or "St. Theodulph." Our
singing of the hymn this morning will be prefaced by three different
settings of the tune: first, during the prelude, in a Bach fantasia, with
the melody in the pedals; then as an introit, played by the Old South
Ringers; and finally, as an organ fanfare by Calvin Hampton, which will
serve as the introduction to our singing of the text. In Hampton's fanciful
setting, one can almost come into contact with the sights, sounds and smells
of that remarkable occasion. The organ score is even marked with the
following programmatic notations: "Hosannas," "street musicians in the
marketplace," "Jesus' followers sing a hymn," "vendors, barkers and
entertainers," "the sight of Jesus inspires the crowd," "the crowds begin to
shout," etc.
The prelude this morning will also feature the singing of another musical
work long associated with Palm Sunday. Jean-Baptiste Faure (1830-1914) was a
celebrated French opera singer and composer. His Les Rameaux (The Palms) was
recorded by Enrico Caruso, but owes its great popularity in this country to
the perennial singing of it by the great African-American baritone, Harry T.
Burleigh, who for 50 years was soloist at New York's St. George's Episcopal
Church. It was said to have been a frequent request of J.P Morgan, Senior
Warden of the church.
The offertory anthem is Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates! from Handel's
immortal oratorio, Messiah. It is crafted in the form of a French overture,
a musical device used in the Baroque era to signify royalty-a fitting
soundtrack for a King to enter the Holy City!
–Harry L. Huff, Minister of Music
OLD SOUTH CHURCH IN BOSTON
MINISTERS, OFFICERS AND STAFF
Nancy S. Taylor, Senior Minister v Quinn G. Caldwell, Associate Minister
Harry L. Huff, Minister of Music v James W. Crawford, Senior Minister Emeritus
Calvin Genzel, Wedding Outreach Minister v Janet Butler, Wedding Coordinator
Ken Orth, Healing Prayer Service Minister
Robert W. Brown, Ministerial Intern v Abigail G. Henderson, Field Education
Intern
Mark S. Burrows, Theologian in Residence
Patricia Hazeltine, Church School Director v Rolanda Ward, Youth Worker
Carolyn Davis, Director, Old South Preschool
George Sargeant, Assistant Organist & Choir Director
Willie Sordillo, Jazz Service Music Director
Peter Coulombe, Director, Old South Ringers
Amy Budka & Phil Stern, Children’s Music Directors
Wayne Davis, Moderator v Pamela Holland, Clerk v James Monsma, Treasurer
Phil Stern, Chair, Board of Trustees v Susan T. Campbell, Historian
Diane Gaucher, Senior Deacon v Vicki A. Newman, Pledge Secretary
Helen McCrady, Senior Church Administrator
Amy Perry, Administrative Assistant v Rosemary Clarke, Accountant
Elias Perez, Senior Sexton v Ozo Nwodo & Robert Blenman, Sextons
Jessica Goodknight, Rubia Reyes & Jim McDonnel, Receptionists
www.oldsouth.org 617/536-1970
A NOTE ON THE INCLUSIVE DIMENSIONS OF GOD’S GRACE
Old South Church in Boston, in the name of its host, Jesus Christ, and in the spirit of Christ’s invitation carved into the stone of this church’s portico, “Behold I Set Before You an Open Door,” welcomes all who seek to know God.
Following the One who we believe is Sovereign and Savior, we affirm that each individual is a child of God, and recognize that we are called to be like one body with many members, seeking with others of every race, ethnicity, creed, class, age, gender, marital status, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to journey together toward the promised realm of God.
We invite everyone to join in the common life and mission of our reconciling community through participation and leadership in this congregation, and by fully sharing in the worship, rites and sacraments of this church.
As we all move forward with the work of this church, we commit ourselves to making justice and inclusivity a reality in this congregation and in the world. On the threshold of Christ’s open door, we rely upon the healing, unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and guide.