Palm Sunday 5th April 2020
Croeso or Welcome !
Today Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy week is being marked differently. Obviously on a blog we cannot have the full litany of the palms and so we stop and remember and pray as we worship in a slightly different way.
Hosanna to the Son of David
Blessed is he in the name of the Lord.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Christ enters His own city to complete his work as our Saviour
To suffer, to die and to rise again.
Let us go with him in faith and love, so that,
United with Him in His sufferings,
We may share in His risen life.
Hymn All glory laud and honour.
Prayer:-
True and humble King,
Hailed by the crowd as Messiah
Grant us the faith to know you and to love you,
That we may be found beside you on the way of the cross
which is the path of glory. Amen
Collect for Palm Sunday.
Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Reading
Matthew 21. 1-11
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
This took place to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Reflection
This week I am please to say that Rev Catherine Reynolds from The Gathering Place (Methodist church) offered to share a Palm Sunday reflection with us. We pray for Catherine, John and our friends at the Gathering Place.
The gospel for Palm Sunday tells of Jesus’ last pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The crowd who welcomed him cut down branches from trees to lay in his path; people hailed him ‘Son of David’, one uniquely favoured by God; ‘the whole city was in turmoil,’ according to one translation.
‘Turmoil’ seems like a good description of the situation we now experience. So much of normal life is disrupted, uncertainty and confusion hang over the future, it is difficult sometimes to know where to turn or who to go to for a sense of stability and direction.
Palm Sunday invites us to keep our eyes on Jesus in the turmoil; to keep turning our attention towards him, not simply through Holy Week but through the days and weeks beyond; to watch and learn from his courage, compassion and endurance; to see how the experience of suffering deepens his trust and confidence in God.
‘All shall be well,’ said Julian of Norwich. This is, I think, a conviction Jesus shared: it is one he invites us to share. ‘All shall be well’ - with God at our side. And so we might pray (in the words of Sydney Carter):
‘Give us courage when the world is rough,
Keep us loving though the world is tough;
… Keep us travelling along with you.’
Prayers
In the power of the Spirit, let us pray to the Father, through Christ the Saviour of the world.
For forgiveness for the many times we have denied Jesus.
Let us pray to the Lord Lord, have mercy.
For grace to seek out our sinfulness
And in prayer and self discipline to be able to overcome them.
Let us pray to the Lord Lord, have mercy
For Christian people, that through the suffering of disunity
There may grow a rich union in Christ
Let us pray to the Lord Lord, have mercy
For those who make laws, interpret them and administer them, particularly remembering all leaders in this pandemic and their decisions. May our common life be ordered in justice and mercy
Let us pray to the Lord Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray for Jerusalem, and all who make it a spiritual home.
For the coming together of all faiths, as they try to battle Coronavirus.
Let us pray to the Lord Lord, have mercy.
For all who work for justice and honesty
And openly work for peace and justice for all.
Let us pray to the Lord Lord, have mercy.
For those who are sick, frightened and fearful, those who feel they have failed.
Those in the darkness of isolation.
For those who care and try to heal broken bodies and minds. Pray for Ian, baby Oscar, John Wishart, Christine Campbell and Kerry Veale
For the dying, those who have died, praying David Bounds, Ken Jones, Leslie Davies and Brenda Hiscock. And for the grieving, Mary and Joan Davies.
Let us pray to the Lord Lord, have mercy
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hymn - Ride on, ride on in majesty
The grace of our lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and evermore.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen