Dear friends,

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week with both joy and solemnity. We go up with Jesus into Jerusalem, crying out, “Hosanna,” and we also follow Him to His Passion. The King who comes in humility comes to bear our sin, suffer in our place, and redeem us by His blood. This Sunday, let us prepare to greet Him with faith, hear His saving Word, and follow Him through the week that leads to the cross and the empty tomb.

This Sunday

• Grace Lutheran, Gordon: 8:30 AM
• Our Savior’s Lutheran, Chadron: 11:00 AM
• Grace Lutheran, Merriman: 4:00 PM
• The children will be singing at Our Savior’s in Chadron on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter.

The Theme of the Day

Palm Sunday holds together two truths that belong together: Jesus is the true King, and He reigns by going to the cross. In the procession Gospel, He enters Jerusalem in humility, just as the prophet promised. In Zechariah, He comes “just and having salvation,” lowly and riding on a donkey. In Philippians, we hear that the eternal Son humbled Himself even to death on a cross. And in the Passion according to St. Matthew, we see what that humility costs. The One hailed with palms and hosannas is the same One mocked, condemned, crucified, and buried for us. The glory of this King is not worldly power, but mercy. His throne is the cross. His victory is our salvation.

Readings

• Procession Gospel: Luke 19:29–40
• Old Testament: Zechariah 9:9–12
• Epistle: Philippians 2:5–11
• Holy Gospel / Passion: Matthew 27:11–61

Collect of the Day

Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymns for Sunday

• LSB 442 — All Glory, Laud, and Honor
• LSB 438 — A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth
• LSB 444 — No Tramp of Soldiers' Marching Feet
• LSB 450 — O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
• LSB 420 - Christ the Life of All the Living
• TLH 150 — Lord Jesus, Thou Art Going Forth

A Devotion from This Sunday’s Hymns

Palm Sunday teaches us to welcome Jesus as King, but the hymns teach us what sort of King He is. We begin with praise and procession, but very quickly the Church leads us deeper. The Lamb goes forward willingly. The Lord’s heart is grieved. His sacred head is wounded. And yet all of this is for us.

This Sunday’s hymns teach us to follow Jesus from the shouts of “Hosanna” all the way to the cross. We sing, “Ride on, ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die.” That is the mystery of Palm Sunday. Jesus enters as King, but not to seize an earthly throne. He comes in humility to give Himself up for sinners.

Then the Church puts before us the heart of His saving work: “A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth, the guilt of all men bearing.” Jesus does not suffer by accident, nor only as an example. He goes willingly, carrying our sin, our shame, and our judgment. What we could not bear, He bears for us.

So we stand beneath the cross and sing, “O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down.” The suffering of Christ shows us both the seriousness of our sin and the greatness of His love. As another hymn confesses, “What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners’ gain.” His wounds are not meaningless. They are the price of our redemption.

And so our response is repentance, faith, and gratitude. “But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe.” We cannot repay Him, but we can receive His mercy, trust His promises, and follow Him through Holy Week with humble hearts. This is the King who comes to save. This is the Lamb who was given for us.

Prepare Your Heart

Palm Sunday is a good time to slow down and enter Holy Week deliberately. Read the Passion account ahead of time. Pray the collect during the week. Examine your life honestly before God. Consider where pride, impatience, lovelessness, bitterness, or fear have taken root. Then bring those sins to Christ, who enters Jerusalem not to condemn you, but to bear your guilt and save you.

Looking Ahead to Our April Mission: Bethesda Lutheran Disability Ministries

As Holy Week leads us toward Easter, we are also looking ahead to our April mission focus at Grace: Bethesda Lutheran Disability Ministries. Bethesda shares the love of Jesus with people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities and helps congregations serve them more faithfully through resources, grants, scholarships, and encouragement.

One recent Bethesda story makes that mission feel very concrete. They tell of a pastor and congregation who kept showing up with devotions, prayer, song, and patient friendship among people with disabilities. Over time, this was not just a program, but a real Christian community. The work began very simply: by becoming part of people’s lives. One line from that story stays with you: “Thanks for not giving up on me.”

That makes Bethesda a fitting mission focus for Easter season. The risen Lord gathers all kinds of people into His Church. He does not cast off the weak, the overlooked, or those whom the world too easily sidelines. He serves them, speaks to them, and makes them His own. As we prepare to support this mission, let us pray that the Lord would help us become the kind of congregation that sees people clearly, receives them gladly, and shares Christ’s love with patience and joy. The proceeds from our Easter Breakfast at Grace, and our special offerings this month, will support this mission.

Holy Week Notes

• Maundy Thursday: Divine Service at Our Savior’s, Chadron
• Good Friday: Chief Service at Our Savior’s, Chadron; Tenebrae at Grace, Gordon
• Holy Saturday: Easter Vigil at Grace, Gordon
• Easter Sunday: Divine Service at Grace, Gordon and Our Savior’s, Chadron
• The children will be singing in Chadron on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter.

In Christ,
Pastor Sherman

Extras

If you're looking for some music to listen to as we enter into Holy Week, you can give this playlist a listen on Spotify. You can also listen to a beautiful setting of St. Matthew's Passion by J.S. Bach here on Youtube.