5th Sunday in Lent (Year A)

Worship Ideas

• Most of us think of the Ezekiel 37:1-14 passage being read on Pentecost Sunday, but the life-giving work of the Spirit is not limited to only one day per year. You may want to teach the children the song “Dem Bones” during the Children’s Moment.
• Psalm 130 could be read aloud in unison, serving as the Prayer of Confession.
• John 11:1-45 is a wonderful passage that can be presented as a dramatic reading. You may want to consider and discuss how each featured character may have felt a key points in the narrative (Jesus, the disciples, Mary, Martha, the crowd, Lazarus, etc).
• You could use unrolled gauze bandages in your worship display (inspired by the strips of cloth that bound Lazarus).

Liturgy Suggestions

Call to Worship (inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Can your people live, O God?

Yes! The Lord gifts us with the Spirit and raises us to new life.

Do we have reason to hope, O God?

Yes! The Lord lifts us up and restores us and makes us secure.

Prayer of Confession (inspired by Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Spirit of God, we confess that we have cut ourselves off from you. Gather us together once again, O Lord. Reconnect us and resurrect us to be filled with the breath of new life, that we may dance and sing your praises with joy.