Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church
Worship Focus for April 5
Rev. Karin Kennedy Hejmanowski, preaching
Greetings!

Never before have we prepared week after week to gather online, nor did we expect to or want to do so. But on a week such as Palm Sunday, we remember that it's not about us, but about the One Whom we worship. And yet our hearts long to celebrate together. So please do gather with us online this Sunday. Be prepared to wave your palm in spirit. And let us continue this lenten journey together, now shouting, "Hosanna!"

This week we'll be dedicating our One Great Hour of Sharing offering, so please put that in the mail or give online, designating OGHS. This is one way that we can make a difference close to home and around the world.

And, as we keep saying, continue to be in touch with others via text, phone, or other ways to stay in community even while we practice keeping physical distance and observing all the CDC and county guidelines to serve one another.

Join us live at 2 p.m. I look forward to worshiping together!

Peace,
Karin

P.S. I invite you to watch this contemplative reading of this week's scripture.


SVPC RESPONSE TO COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) HEALTH CRISIS: The session of Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church has decided to cancel all large church gatherings, including worship. We will update you about when regular services will resume.

Although we will not be worshiping together in the sanctuary, please plan to worship with us "virtually" at 2 p.m. on Sunday when we will livestream our service on Facebook or the church website. The worship service can also be viewed on the church website during the week.

For other church programs and events, please check the church website frequently for updates.

Image: "Daughter of Zion," by Hannah Garrity, A Sanctified Art
Theme for Sunday
The wilderness road can feel like a labyrinth—writhing and turning, but the truth is that the path of Lent leads here: to this week, where all that has been set in motion finally unfurls.
—Slats Toole
Questions for Reflection
  • These recent weeks have been labyrinthian in feel. In what ways have you felt off kilter or unsure of what is to come?
  • What has helped you in your efforts to stay centered and non-anxious?
  • What practices have you added or would you like to add that might become part of a non-anxious (or at least to add to tamping down anxiety) lifestyle?
Matthew 2:1-11
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”