April 13

Palm Sunday

Lessons

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Who Is This?

Gordon A. Turnbull

Hymns

All Glory, Laud, and Honor

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

Anthems

Prepare the Royal Highway

Comes Riding Jesus

Sanctuary Choir

Hosanna to the Son

Savior's Singers Children's Choir, Cherub Choir, Youth Bells

Worship Count

April 6: 8:30: 161; 11:00: 100

The men of the church and their friends are invited to the monthly Men's Breakfast, to be held at 8:00 a.m., this Saturday, April 12. Join us for breakfast, Bible study, and good fellowship at Perkins Restaurant, 102 Bristol East Road, Bristol, Virginia.

We are collecting boxes of vanilla wafers this month for our Fairmount students' snack program. Simply by bringing in a box or two of vanilla wafers to the little red schoolhouse in the Fellowship Hallway, you can perk up neighborhood schoolchildren who cannot afford to bring their own for snacktime. Thank you for your kindness!

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir, Cherub Choir, Savior's Singers Children's Choir, Youth Bells.

Sunday's music: The first of the two Sanctuary Choir anthems, "Prepare the Royal Highway," uses as its text a 1978 translation of an early nineteenth-century hymn text written by Swedish Lutheran pastor and poet Frans Mikael Franzén (1772-1847). (An earlier translation of the same text appears in our hymnal as "Prepare the Way, O Zion.") Drawing inspiration from Isaiah 40 and Psalm 24, the song joyously anticipates the coming Messiah. The musical setting is by Allen Pote (b. 1945), a native of Kansas who served for many years as a church musician and now is a full-time composer and the artistic director of the Pensacola Children's Chorus. Pote's setting fully reflects the joy and excitement of the words.

The second anthem, "Comes Riding Jesus," has words and music by David Bridges (b. 1946). A teacher at Belmont University, Bridges has served congregations in Nashville and taught at MTSU. He has an extensive library of published compositions for a number of different musical formats. He has most recently served as Director of Music at Second Presbyterian of Nashville, a position he is retiring from after Easter. This anthem, both musically and textually, captures the paradox of Palm Sunday, and of both joy and tension, as Jesus was well aware of the way the celebration would soon turn to tragedy.

Jody Lindh (in front) plays a duet at his retirement celebration last May.

The anthem sung by both children's choirs, "Hosanna to the Son," is based on the Palm Sunday narrative as found in the Gospel of John. Accompanied by bells and piano, the text and music are by Jody Lindh. Lindh, a native of Kansas, recently retired after serving as music director of University Park United Methodist Church of Dallas, Texas, for 45 years. The music captures the excitement of the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

In Our Prayers

Mack Blevins

Sue Cannon

Dorothy Dollar

DeeDee Galliher

Harrison Gilley

Will Hankins

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Ann Holler

Carolyn King

Ruth Musser

Nancy Preston

Mary Rice

Virginia Rutherford

An extensive list of prayer concerns, "Pray for One Another," is available for pickup at the church each week.

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

April 13         Vivian Hill, George McClellan, Spencer Pruner

April 14         Wes Buckles, Wade Witcher

April 15         Rett Miller

April 16         Adam Abel, Dorothy Dollar, Joel Kreiss, Maddie Singleton

April 18         Julianna Sharrett

April 19         Betty Kirksey, Jeff McMillin, Barb Thompson

Memorials and Honoraria

Palm Sunday, April 13

8:30 a.m.      Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:00 a.m.      Cherub Choir

9:45 a.m.      Sunday School

11:00 a.m.   Worship, Sanctuary

5:00 p.m.     Jubilate Youth Choir

6:00 p.m.     Student Ministries Fellowship

Monday, April 14

5:45 p.m.     Sanctuary Handbells

7:00 p.m.     Building & Grounds Committee, Room 117

7:00 p.m.     Worship Committee, Room 123

Tuesday, April 15

9:00 a.m.      Staff Meeting, Room 123

10:00 a.m.   Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room

7:00 p.m.     Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Wing

Wednesday, April 16

9:30 a.m.      Lynette Wallen's Heart to Heart Bible Study, New Mothers' Room

9:30 a.m.      Lorri Looney's DVD Bible Study, Friendship Classroom

7:15 p.m.     Sanctuary Choir

Maundy Thursday, April 17

7:00 a.m.      Men's Bible Study, Parlor

12:00 p.m.   Noon Bible Study, Room 117

7:00 p.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

8:15 p.m.     Praise Team Rehearsal

Good Friday, April 18

7:00 p.m.     Worship, Sanctuary