St Clement Church Palm Sunday Community Service
Good morning
It is Palm Sunday.
I am struggling to accept that we are already at the beginning of Holy Week.
Where has Lent gone?
I had such good intentions – at least one good deed every day.
Did I succeed? I hope so.
How has Lent gone for you?
With love to you all
Liz
Let us pray
Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See your king comes to you; righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. As the people spread their coats and palm branches on the ground to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, so we welcome him into our lives this morning.
Amen
Litany from Psalm 118
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever.
Hosanna to God, Hosanna in the highest!
Let Israel say, “His love endures for ever!” and all who fear God say, “His love endures forever!”
Hosanna to God, Hosanna in the highest!
With the Lord on our side, what can we fear? What can mankind do?
Hosanna to God, Hosanna in the highest!
We shall triumph over those who surround us and stand in confidence in the Lord, our God!
Hosanna to God, Hosanna in the highest!
The Lord is our strength and our might. The Lord has become our salvation!
Hosanna to God, Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna to God, Hosanna in the highest!
Hymn: 511 Ride on, ride on in majesty
Passion – Mark 14. 1 – 15. 47
Prayer of Penitence
Seek the Lord while he may be found,
Call upon him while he is near.
The wicked abandon their ways
And the unrighteous their thoughts.
Turn back to the Lord, who will have mercy;
To our God who will richly pardon.
Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent.
Have mercy on us according to your love.
Wah away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin.
Renew a right spirit within us and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 for ever.
Amen
Readings:
Isaiah 50. 4 – 9a
Philippians 2. 5 - 11
Hymn: 92 There is a green hill far away
Gospel: Mark 11. 1 - 11
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord’)
When Jesus and his disciples were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie and bring it.
If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” just say this, “The Lord needs and will send it back here immediately.”
They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’
They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it.
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their coats on it; and he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.
Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna!’
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.)
Reflection
Today’s liturgy – it’s a very long reading – puts Jesus at the very centre of everything that happens. It’s very hard to listen to, isn’t it – the betrayal, the pain, the death?
The hosannas of the triumphal entry now seem to be but an echo in our memory, but that’s what I want us to think about, Mark’s version of that entry and why Jesus leaves the temple and goes to Bethany… no other Gospel writer mentions that.
Jesus is in a parade. He’s borrowed a colt which he is riding. It’s a march – we call it the triumphal entry. People are in front of and behind Jesus. They’re shouting their hosannas. They are throwing down palms and their cloaks for him to ride on. There’s excitement and anticipation. This Jesus movement is really going somewhere. Something big is happening.
Jesus rides into Jerusalem.
He enters the temple.
He looks around at everything.
He leaves.
He does nothing. He says nothing. He just leaves.
He goes to Bethany.
It’s a strange, anticlimactic ending to the triumphal entry. It sounds as though Jesus is retreating, getting out of town. Why?
Did Jesus need to be somewhere? Was He scared? Let’s face it, Holy Week is a very scary week. We’ve just heard everything that’s to happen. I wonder, is He wavering a bit, not so confident as when He began that entry. Maybe He is having some doubts, some questions and just wants to get away. Maybe He needs to start again. We’ve all done that, haven’t we? Haven’t you had to face really difficult conversations or situations. They are painful and scary. We make a start but don’t finish. We back up and try again. Could that be why He is leaving the temple?
Mark is the only Gospel that says Jesus enters the temple, looks around and leaves. So why does Jesus leave the temple and go to Bethany?
Wait a minute – it says … Jesus left the temple ‘as it was already late.’ Is that the reason why – Jesus is late going somewhere or doing something?
What could He be late for?
Could it be that He was late getting the colt back to its owner?
Mark’s Gospel is the only one to say that Jesus promised to return the colt to its owner. So, what if that’s why Jesus left the temple. Perhaps He left so that He could keep His promise and do what He said He would do. Maybe this is about Jesus bring true to himself and keeping His word.
What if returning the colt is a metaphor for us as we enter Holy Week?
What might ‘returning the colt’ mean for us throughout this week?
What do we each need to return this week? What do we need to release, or let go of, this week? We all have ‘stuff’ that we’ve carried around with us for far too long. It’s baggage that continues to weigh us down. It impoverishes life. It corrupts our hearts.
What do you need to let go of, release, and return this week? Is it a grudge or resentment? Anger? Fear? Disappointment or regret? Maybe you need to return being in control, having to be right, a need for approval, perfectionism. Whatever it is, I am absolutely certain that we all have our ‘stuff.’
Maybe Holy Week is the time for return and release it all to God, trusting that he can do something with this ‘stuff’ when we are never able to, ourselves.
What if returning, releasing, and letting go is about returning to ourselves. What if it is about returning to and reclaiming those parts of ourselves that have been lost, ignored, forgotten, or denied.
What if this week we return to ourselves? What if we returned to joy, hope, beauty, truth and honesty? What if we came back to justice, mercy and forgiveness? What if we reclaimed the dignity and holiness of each human life? What if we recentre ourselves in peace and courage?
What if we return to love of neighbour, self, and enemy?
Coming back to ourselves would be like a new life, wouldn’t it?
So, we begin this week by returning the colt. What do you need to return, and to what, do you need to return?
To answer, we must look around at everything. That’s what Jesus did.
It’s not just looking around at everything outside us, but looking around at everything inside us. Look at what’s there. Look at what’s missing. Look at what you need, what you feel, who you truly are, and who you want to be. Then, return the colt.
Take that image of returning the colt with you this week.
Take it wherever you go.
Bring it to whatever you do.
Hold it as you pray this week.
Let it be present as you live your life and as you engage in relationships whether in your family, at work, at the supermarket, in church, wherever.
Returning the colt is how Holy Week begins. Returning to God and ourselves is the promise of how this week will end.
Look around at everything and then go, return the colt.
Amen
We say together in faith
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
Hymn: 95 When I survey the wondrous cross
Intercessions by Helen Dunbar
As the Messiah Jesus enters Jerusalem, knowing that he rides towards rejection and death in order to save his people.
As we face up to the costly loving shown by our God, let us approach him in humility and pray to him now.
O Lord, give us in your Church undivided hearts to love you and one another, and, go on loving, through insult and praise, through acceptance and rejection, in the sure knowledge that you are Lord.
We ask your blessing on the Church throughout the world; that all those who trust in Jesus will be made able by your Spirit to follow his humility, to see and imitate his servant life, to welcome and not to condemn. Help your church to be like Jesus.
We pray for our own Church here at St Clement and all who worship here. We pray for our clergy, for Archbishop Justin; here in our own diocese we ask your blessing on Bishop Hugh. We also give thanks for our own Revd Diane and Ken and hope they have enjoyed a happy and restful holiday.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Let us pray for our community, for all who help to make it a better place: for our homes, families and friends For those who are suffering or struggling with any kind of need, that God may bring them the healing, peace, strength and comfort he knows they need from him. We pray for our teachers, doctors, nurses and all people working in a caring capacity with the continued extra burden of winter illnesses.
Bless and guide King Charles and Queen Camilla and all the royal family, give wisdom to all in authority; and direct this and every nation in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honour one another and seek the common good.
Lord Jesus, it was on a donkey that you came, not a warhorse. In all our interactions with people this week may we demonstrate the humility of the man on the donkey and be committed to the well-being of family, friends and neighbours. So we pray now for those who are sick and we carry in our hearts those who are facing particular challenges in their lives, we bring before you Ken and Revd Diane, May Susan, Lauren, Lynda, Angela, Barrie and Sandra, Pam and David, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Maureen, Linda and Rupert, Allison and Rob, Jan, Anita and Stephen, Michael and Patricia, Jeremy, Stella, Alison, Linda, William, Callum and Elaine, Jay, Andy and those who are alone and have no one to pray for them.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Dear Lord, we remember all those who have died recently, that they be brought to peace and everlasting joy. And we remember Canon Michael Geach and Revd Roger Nicholls, whose funerals took place this week.
We remember those whose anniversary falls at this time and we remember Enid Nightingale and Catherine Davies.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Clement and St Andrew and all the saints
Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
Gathering our prayers and praise into one, let us pray with confidence as our risen Lord has taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen
What have we learned by Loyd C. Taylor
They shouted with praises, reaching the sky,
Pushing and shoving to see Jesus go by.
Crying, ‘Hosanna, Hosanna, glory to the King!
He comes to us today, great joy he doth bring.’
They threw down palm leaves, covering the way,
Making a clear path for Him to travel that day.
Raising joyful voices, as praises filled the air,
Their day had come, God answered prayer!
But, in a short time they changed their chant,
From joyful noise, to a mob’s hate-filled rant.
From Hosanna, Hosanna, as when He was praised;
To crucify Him! Crucify Him, as their anger blazed!
In disbelief we might question why they turned?
But maybe the question is, ‘What have we learned?’
The Peace
God is love and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.
The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
Hymn: 509 All glory, laud and honour
Blessing
May the Father’s hand keep us from stumbling,
the footprints of Jesus give us confidence to follow,
and the fire of the Holy Spirit keep us warm and safe
in our walk with God this day and every day.
Amen