Worship Elements — When the King is Crowned
John 19:16b-22 (CEB) · Witnesses: Encountering Jesus When It Matters Most (Palm/Passion Sunday)
These worship elements are an early draft being shared as a preview for the upcoming service. The final version used in worship may be adapted or revised. Pastors and worship leaders are welcome to use and adapt these for your own context.
Welcome
Today we wave palm branches and walk toward a cross—and somehow both belong to the same story.
Welcome to worship at McPherson First United Methodist Church! I’m [NAME], and I’m delighted you’re here this morning.
At McPherson First, we aim to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Whether you’ve been part of this congregation for decades or this is your very first Sunday, you belong here.
We grow as followers of Jesus through five practices: prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. You’ll hear each of these named as we worship together today.
If you’re new or looking for your next step, visit mcphersonfirst.org/next or download the Church Center app—you can check in, request prayer, find ways to serve, or give. You can also text CONNECT to 620-241-3626 to stay in the loop.
Call to Worship (Responsive)
I invite you to join in our responsive call to worship as you see the words on display.
Leader: We come waving branches, ready to celebrate.
People: Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in God’s name.
Leader: Yet this road leads somewhere we didn’t expect.
People: We follow a king whose throne is a cross.
Leader: Pilate posted a sign for all the world to read.
People: In every language, the truth was proclaimed: Jesus is King.
Leader: Come, worship the one whose crown is made of thorns.
People: We bow before the king who reigns through love.
Welcome Your Neighbor
In a moment, I invite you to greet those around you. If you’re worshiping online, say hello in the comments.
This is one way we practice witness—showing others they’re seen and they belong here. And as you greet your neighbor, think about who you might invite to join us for Easter next Sunday.
Please greet your neighbors now.
Opening Prayer
God of palms and passion, we gather on this road that leads from celebration to sacrifice. Open our eyes to see your kingdom revealed in unexpected places. Give us courage to follow where your Son has gone. Amen.
Invitation to Prayer and Pastoral Prayer
One of our five practices as disciples is prayers—bringing our honest words to God and listening for God’s response. Whether your heart is full of praise or heavy with burden, God receives it all. Will you pray with me?
Creating God, on this day of palms and paradox, we pause to center our hearts in your presence.
[Brief pause]
We come with hearts pulled in different directions. We want triumph, but you offer a cross. We want a king who conquers, but you give us a king who serves. Meet us in this tension and teach us what it means to follow.
We confess that we prefer comfortable faith. We wave palms gladly but hesitate at Golgotha. We celebrate the parade but avoid the passion. We want resurrection without the cross that comes first.
[Moment of silent reflection]
Forgive us, gracious God, and give us courage for the road ahead.
We thank you for those who’ve walked this path before us—the witnesses who stood close when it cost them everything. We’re grateful for this congregation that gathers week after week, for those who first invited us into faith, for every person who made space for us to belong.
We pray for those who feel invisible today—the ones overlooked, dismissed, or pushed to the margins. You see them. Help us see them too. We lift up the sick and those who care for them, the anxious and those who sit with them, the grieving and those who mourn alongside them. Bring healing, peace, and comfort where they’re needed most.
We pray for our community—for McPherson and the surrounding towns, for those making difficult decisions, for anyone searching for hope. We pray for your church everywhere as we enter Holy Week together.
[Brief pause]
Gather these prayers, spoken and silent, as we prepare to walk with Jesus from palms to passion to empty tomb. We pray in his name, joining our voices in the prayer he taught us, saying together: Our Father…
Invitation to Give and Check-In
Pilate’s sign proclaimed the truth in three languages so everyone could read it. Our giving is another kind of proclamation—it declares what we believe matters most.
As we practice gifts, we trust that God multiplies what we offer. You can give through the Church Center app, at mcphersonfirst.org/give, or by texting GIVE to 620-241-3626.
We also practice presence by telling us you’re here. Use the Church Center app, the form at mcphersonfirst.org/next, or if you’re in person, the sign-in sheet on the welcome table outside the sanctuary or the blue attendance pads next to the center aisle.
Prayer of Thanksgiving / Sending
We’ve been fed by your word. Now we’re sent to practice service—to be God’s hands and feet in our community.
Sending God, you posted the truth where everyone could see it. Now post that same truth on our lives. Send us from this place as witnesses to your upside-down kingdom—where the cross becomes a throne and love defeats every empire. As we go, make us living signs that point others to Jesus, the king who reigns forever. Amen.
Benediction
Go and tell what you’ve seen here today. The king has been crowned—not with gold, but with thorns. Not on a throne, but on a cross. Go and love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.
And now, may the God who writes truth in every language, the Christ who reigns from the cross, and the Holy Spirit who empowers our witness, bless you and keep you, this day and always. Amen.
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These worship elements are part of the Witnesses: Encountering Jesus When It Matters Mostseries at McPherson First United Methodist Church. New worship resources are published every Tuesday.
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