A Palm Sunday celebration for all ages together
Call to worship
Today as we approach Easter our worship celebrates God's great love for us.
The story of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, and of
his arrest and execution, shapes our faith. It makes us who we are.
So as we gather in God's presence, we remember that we are God's people
and the building of the kingdom is in our hands through his love and through
his immeasurable gift of life.
God is here.
Let us open our eyes to His glory.
God is here.
Let us open our ears to His word and Spirit.
God is here.
Let us open our lives to peace.
God is here.
Let us open our hearts and offer welcome.
Hymn 367 – Hosanna loud hosanna
Prayer
Maker of all things, you shaped your creation in love, and in love you shared
our human life.
Help us to see your hand at work in everything around us. Lord Jesus Christ,
on this day you entered Jerusalem in triumph
but riding on a colt, a sign of humility.
As we hear this story and as we seek to follow you,
help us not only, not just to shout 'Hosanna' and 'Blessed is the coming
kingdom'
but also to remember that we too are called to humble service
and to work for the coming of your kingdom of justice here and now.
Let us continue in the words of the Lord’s Prayer
Amen.
Well of course, this is Palm Sunday and our service is going to be based on
two sets of readings: the 'Liturgy of the Palms' which focuses on Jesus' entry
into Jerusalem; and the 'Liturgy of the Passion' which continues through to the
death and burial of Jesus. This morning we will not use the complete set of
readings from the Liturgy of the Passion but will focus on readings that record
and reflect the events of Holy Week.
Palm Sunday is sometimes called Passion Sunday and celebrates Jesus'
arrival in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. It is the day of Jesus’
"triumphal entry" into the city - a week before His resurrection.
We read in the bible that 450-500 years earlier, the Prophet Zechariah had
prophesied, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having
salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey”
This prophesy was fulfilled in Jesus triumphal entry… I’m sure you have
envisaged this before - Great crowds of people lined the streets waving palm
branches to welcome Jesus lowly and riding on a donkey. The people were
very excited. They spread branches on the road – and even laid down their
cloaks. They shouted 'Hosanna!' as in the hymn we sang hosanna loud
hosanna - and hosanna means 'Save us Now!'
And we are going to reflect on this through the Liturgy of Palms
Psalm 118.1-2, 19-29
(Wilma)
Now as Jesus entered Jerusalem the words of psalm 118 were used in
praise. V 26 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” And there
are further links - Psalm 118 proclaims God's steadfast love, it talks about the
'gates of righteousness which originally referred to the Temple entrance, but
could be a metaphorical gate for entering God's presence which was made
accessible through the events of Holy Week and Easter. The well known
Easter hymn says “There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin,
He only could unlock the gate of Heaven and let us in”
Also in Psalm 118 we read of a procession that has branches. And it’s
recorded in Matthew, Mark and John, the crowd welcomed Jesus waving
branches. The psalm highlights that all of this is 'the Lord's doing' and that
“His love endures forever.
The second reading in the Liturgy of Palms is Luke 19.28-40
(Alan)
This story is quite rich with symbolism and I have been interested to read
reflections on the triumphal entry
There are the palms. Palms were signs of victory and of military achievement.
The Romans gave palms to the victors in the Roman games and emperors
gave them to their subjects following their military conquests. The crowd
wanted a Messiah who would be their King, who would be their political hero,
who would liberate them from Rome. But Jesus’ “triumphal entry” was not that
of a militant King - men of military importance rode stallions and had material
splendour.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. This symbolizes that Jesus came as
a humble saviour on a mission of peace. He came as both servant and King..
As we sing in ‘The Servant King’
From Heaven you came helpless babe
Entered our world your glory veiled
Not to be served but to serve
And give your life that we might live
The donkey carried not only the servant King, but the very Son of God. I read
an article that remarked - it was a donkey that had carried Jesus and Mary
just before he was born as they rode into Bethlehem. And a donkey that
carried him into Jerusalem just before his death.
How significant that it was a lowly donkey.. (expand)
I want to read to you a poem called The Donkey by GK Chesterton a poet at
the turn of last century
The poet G K Chesterton wrote,
When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood,
Then surely I was born;
With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.
Jesus shows us that those things which we often deride or devalue, have
tremendous value in God’s eyes. (expand)
I’d like to finish the Liturgy of Palms with a quote from
gotquestions.org
“The story of the triumphal entry is one of contrasts. It is the story of the King
who came as a lowly servant on a donkey, not a prancing steed, not in royal
robes, but on the clothes and cloaks of the poor and humble. Jesus Christ
comes not to conquer by force but by love, grace, mercy, and His own
sacrifice for His people. He conquers not nations, but hearts and minds. His
message is one of eternal peace with God, not of temporal peace. If Jesus
has made a triumphal entry into our hearts, He reigns there in peace and
love.”
365 – Ride on Ride on in Majesty
This morning we will look at one reading from the Liturgy of the Passion
that reflects this mix of both humility, power and glory in Jesus sacrifice
on the cross
Philippians 2.5-11 (Carol)
In this letter to the Philippians, Paul is thought to be quoting from a Christian
hymn and the contrast between humility and lordship is the key to this 'hymn'
about Christ. Again we see the contrast between self sacrifice and King that
is alien to our human logic but is central to the divine purpose of Easter.
Paul is encouraging the Philippians to be more Christ-like by writing in v5
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”. This theme runs
through Paul’s letter, and the hymn indicates what it is to have an attitude like
Jesus; to have humility, to allow self-emptying and not hang on to one's
status. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on
the cross. In becoming human and dying, Christ shows the self-giving that is
the very nature of God. Verses 9-11 remind the Philippians of their primary
confession, that Jesus is Lord, even over the most powerful 'lords' in their
world.
I will read two short poems that reflect the self giving we remember and reflect
on through Holy Week.
Gethsemane
Even those who love me sleep.
The night is long and
Through these red hours of agony
My body trembles
And my heart is heavy at the thought
Of what the day will bring.
But Father, I am here to do your will,
And though my mouth is dry with fear
And although I cry and cry,
It is Thy cup I now take up,
I will not pass it by.
Good Friday
An impassioned mist enveloped those
Who stood beneath the Cross
While Jesus’ suffering endured
Until His last breath was exhaled.
No ordinary man was this A veil of mourning covered the sun,
The temple curtain was torn from top to base,
The cold earth quaked as
All were plunged into an ecliptic night
When even the wood of Calvary stood
Bereft of heaven’s light.
Luke 23 v 47 reads “The centurion seeing what had happened praised God
and said “Surely this was a righteous man” (expand)
John 3 v 16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever
believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (the gift)
JP 22 – Be Still and Know
Intercession
Lord Jesus Christ,
We reflect on the story of your last week on earth,
the story we call the passion story.
And we ponder all that you did and said
and all that you chose not to do and not to say.
We reflect on the meaning of the events for us today,
for we know that it is by your cross and your passion
that humankind is freed from guilt and sin
and set right with God, your Father and our Father.
You, who were sinless, were content to live our life
and to die not just any human death, but an awful form of capital punishment.
Help us to understand more of this great mystery that God incarnate should lay down his life for us and for all people.
Give us also a care for all those who suffer in today's world
from cruelty, from vicious political regimes and from neglect.
Help us to understand how we should respond to the challenge of this story
as we seek to be faithful to you this Holy Week and every week.
You share our lives. You know the worst in us and see the best in us. We are
your church, help us to grow in your vision. Help us to see how you want us to
be..
You live within us and want us to be free from fear.
You live within us and want us to share your love for the world.
Help us to trust each other and to value each other as you value us.
Fill us with love for the powerless and give us grace
to use our strength and energy to help the helpless.
Let us be wary of whatever power we have. Help us to put you at the centre of
the choices we make.
Amen
402 – Take up your cross
Whole Church Address – Olivia
JP 139 – Jesus Love is Very Wonderful
Poetry for Palm Sunday
will I lay my cloak before you,
when they arrest you on olive mountain,
or pull it tighter around me,
fading into the ranks of the deserters;
will I shout
'Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord!'
when they parade you
before the authorities,
or will I tell any one - and every one - around me
I never met you in my life;
will I lay my palm branches at your feet,
as they march you to Calvary,
or use them to put more stripes
on your bloody back;
will I run behind you
when they carry you to the tomb,
or turn away
as the ashes of my hopes
are rubbed into the
wounds in my heart?