For the student: Read along, fill in the blanks, and write your answers on the lines. Your parent has the answers.
Step 1 · Understand the Collect
A collect is a short prayer the pastor prays for the whole church. Here is today's collect:
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Words to know. Stir up: wake up and put to work. Protection: keeping us safe. Perils: dangers. Deliverance: rescue.
1. We are talking to the ______________.
2. We ask the Lord to stir up His power and ______________.
3. We ask to be rescued from the dangers of our ______________.
Step 2 · Understand the Gospel
Matthew 21:1-9
1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
1. What animal did Jesus ride into Jerusalem?
2. What did the people spread on the road?
3. Who does verse 5 say is coming?
4. What did the crowds shout?
Step 3 · Find the Collect in the Gospel
Our prayer asks Jesus to come and save us. In the story, Jesus comes. Let's find our prayer in the story.
1. The collect asks Jesus to come. Find the words in verse 5 that say someone is coming.
2. The collect asks to be saved. The crowd shouts a word that means "Save us, we pray!" What is that word?
3. The collect asks Jesus to use His power. Kings usually rode big war horses. What did Jesus ride, and why?
Step 4 · The Small Catechism
The Second Petition. Thy kingdom come. What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also. How does God's kingdom come? God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.
1. Jesus came into Jerusalem as the King. In the Second Petition, what do we ask for?
2. How does God's kingdom come to us?
Step 5 · Wrap It All Up
Pray today's collect together one more time. Then ask:
1. What does Jesus do for you when He comes?
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible. Small Catechism quotation from Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation, © Concordia Publishing House.