Sunday of the Passion / Palm Sunday
Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am

All are invited to join the Palm Sunday procession into the sanctuary. Gather in the atrium a few minutes before the beginning of the 8:30 and 11am services.
(Or if you prefer, take your seat in church.)

Prayer of the Day
Everlasting God, in your endless love for the human race you sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take on our nature and to suffer death on the cross. In your mercy enable us to share in his obedience to your will and in the glorious victory of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Scripture readings
Processional gospel: Mark 11:1-11
Isaiah 50:4-9 
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 15:1-39 

Sermon
Today we process much like the crowd that gathered to celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem — and perhaps it's a little chaotic and a little confusing. It's certainly out of the ordinary, which sets us on an appropriate path for the rest of this Holy Week. In the span of less than one hour this morning, we will have shouted, "Hosanna!" and waved palms ... only then to hear the stone rolled against the door of Jesus' tomb. From popularity and praise to great grief, the pendulum of the story swings today to invite us into every single event and emotion of Holy Week. And today is just the beginning ... but thanks be to God, we know how the story ends.

Hymns

In our prayers we remember the food pantry at Harmony Community Church in North Lawndale. 

Education hour at 9:45am

Sunday School and Pre-Confirmation students and their families gather in Fellowship Hall for a presentation on First Communion white garments and other activities. Confirmation classes meet  in their usual classrooms.  Teen Talk meets in the Youth Room. 

Download the 2017-2018 Sunday School and Confirmation Schedule.

Adult Education

March 18 and 25
Frankenstein at 200: Remaining Human in a Post-Human World
Dr. Christina Bieber-Lake, Clyde S. Kilby Professor of English at Wheaton College
In 1818 a nineteen-year-old woman named Mary Shelley invented a new genre that would become known as science fiction. At the heart of her tale was a character so arrogant and destructive that his name has become synonymous with the monster he created. But in the 200 years since the publication of Frankenstein, have we learned anything? In the first session we will investigate how Victor Frankenstein’s sins continue to propagate in our culture today. in the second we will discuss how to remain human in a post-human world.  
In the Seminar Room. 

The Sunday morning Bible study group meets in the lower-level conference room.

The Grace Church Library is open and staffed on Sundays from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Look for books related to Adult Ed topics as well as many other subjects. The library is also open for self-service during the week.