WELCOME/
Hello, welcome to our online worship today.
How are you doing? And how has your week been?
Whether you've been physically isolating - much nicer to say than 'social' isolating -
or out and about doing essential work, I hope you're well, you're doing what you need to do,
and you're keeping on keeping on.
I've caught up with a few of you over the week by phone and it's been really good to have a chat
and to hear how you're doing. If I've not yet quite caught up with you by phone, feel free to call
me [Nikki 01864 502139] - I'm always happy for a chat or just to be a listening ear.
Putting this together in my study, I'm looking across at a large plastic bag filled with palm
crosses that I'd ordered before we were all put into lockdown mode. Normally, on this Sunday of
the church year - Palm Sunday - you'd be receiving them during worship as a reminder both of the
day, and to take away and place somewhere at home as we then move through the events of
Holy Week and on to Easter Sunday.
This virtual time of worship will have to do for this year, and as for the palm crosses sitting a wee
bit sadly on the desk...well, they'll keep for next year when we are all physically gathered together
once more. After the blessing and notices at the end of this blog post , you'll find some 'at home'
activities for all ages. There's also an all-week, all-ages activity HERE or just check along the tabs at the top and look for 'all-age holy week activity box'
So, a recap/
We've been making our way through the season of Lent, and walking with Jesus towards Jerusalem.
And today, we arrive at Palm Sunday where we find Jesus, preparing to enter the gates of that great
city and those who have gathered for the Passover Festival have all heard the news... with no
COVID-19 restrictions in place, out they come in their throngs to see this man who has been
preaching, and teaching, and doing extraordinary things.
Could he be the Messiah?
There's a hope, an expectation in the air, and as he enters the city, they welcome him with cheers,
wave palm branches, through coats before him as he rides in.
Let's set the scene with a music clip:
GATHERING PRAYER/
As we gather, together - even though physically separate -
Let us bring our palms and branches,
our shouts and praise.
Hosanna to the Son of David!
Hosanna to the King of kings!
Let us journey to Jerusalem
to worship the king who came to save us.
As, in faith, we enter the city today in worship,
And sing hosannas to our king,
Let us turn our backs on the powers that grasp and control,
And open our hearts to the son of God riding on a donkey.
Let us join his parade,
Surrounded by outcasts and prostitutes,
the blind and the leper.
Let us follow the one who brought freedom and peace,
And walk in solidarity with the abandoned and oppressed.
Let us shout for joy at Christ’s coming and join his disciples:
Welcoming the broken,
healing the sick,
dining with outcasts.
Let us touch and see as God draws near,
Riding in triumph towards the Cross. Amen
HYMN/ All glory, laud, and honour to thee Redeemer King...
Our first hymn reminds us of just who we follow, and to whom we give praise...
the words of the hymn are in the clip - feel free to either worship by listening, or
by singing along...
PRAYER/God of steadfast love,
we praise your name.
Your love does not fade;
its strength endures,
stretching out across history,
beyond time and space.
Such love we cannot grasp;
we can only marvel at a love so big.
We praise for so great a love.
God of transformation,
we are reminded this day
that Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem
was more than a show,
more than a simple provocation,
more than the beginning of a cute celebration.
It was a signal that things are changing,
an unmistakably potent message
to the powers that be
that the world as we know it
is becoming the world as it should be.
It was a radical act of defiance
directed against those in his day
who wielded power
through violence, oppression, and tyranny.
It is no less radical, and no less tame,
for those who do the same today.
This simple ride reminds us—
and tells the whole world—
that you are indeed coming to make all things new.
You are coming to turn weapons of war
into instruments of peace.
You are coming to release those
who find themselves in all manners of bondage:
chains of injustice;
chains of addiction;
chains of conformity and apathy.
You are coming to provide for the poor:
food for the hungry
and shelter for the homeless.
You are coming to assure the dignity and equality
of all who are marginalized or oppressed.
You are coming to end violence and divisions,
to provide safe communities
and opportunities for education.
You are coming to offer healing and wholeness,
comfort, consolation, and hope.
You are coming to transform all that we know.
You are coming to save us.
But like humble Jesus riding into town on a lowly colt,
you aren’t coming in grandeur,
you aren’t coming with thunder and lightning,
you aren’t making an epic entrance.
You’re coming through the mystery of love incarnate,
through your church empowered by your Spirit,
through lives transformed and inspired,
through ordinary people like us,
blessed by you to do extraordinary things.
Come, gracious God
into a world that longs for change,
a world that needs your love,
a world full of your own children,
a world ripe with hope and potential.
Blessed are those who come in your name, O God.
And so we pray for your coming kingdom emerging all around us,
using the words Jesus taught us and praying...
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 debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever.
Amen
Let's read God's word for today:
Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,
‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.”
And he will send them immediately.’
This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt,
and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on
the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking,
‘Who is this?’
The crowds were saying,
‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’
REFLECTION/
On entering Jerusalem... two points of view:It was a triumphal entry.
The whole city was in turmoil.
There was a donkey.
And a colt.
There were crowds, cheering;
that would soon change.
Cloaks were spread on the road.
Blood would be spilt later.
There were branches from trees.
He was travelling toward a wooden cross.
The crowd cried out: ‘Son of David!’
Later, they’d cry: ‘Barabbas!’
‘Who was this man?’ some asked.
‘Jesus, from Nazareth, in Galilee,’ said others.
Amid the cloaks and branches,
below the cheers and fear,
some still ask, then turn away;
some see him and think they know.
Hope and expectation soars
but who are we really seeking?
Our King comes humbly,
upsetting the usual protocols of power.
It is always a triumphal entry,
and always causes turmoil.
HYMN/ Hail to the Lord's Anointed
SERMON/
or just read the text below...
Let us pray:
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, o Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
The whole city was in turmoil, asking
‘who is this?’
Some said ‘Jesus’,
Others said ‘the carpenter’s son’ –
or, ‘the Nazarene’,
One joked and said:
‘Can anything good actually come from Nazareth?’
There were grins at that.
Crowds lined the cloak-strewn streets
A crushing, jostling mass of people,
Waving palm branches in the shimmering heat,
Shouting ‘hosanna, hosanna!’
As he rode in.
The whole city was in turmoil, asking
‘who is this?’
Some called him ‘prophet’
Others said ‘the new Elijah’
I didn’t know what to think:
Couldn’t quite pin him down.
Something seemed odd
Out of place.
In amidst the crowds, the palms
the heat and noise and excitement –
the weight of the crowd’s expectations –
in amidst it all,
he seemed strangely alone,
a solitary man...
calmly riding into town for the passover,
listening to the roar of hosannas.
‘Hosanna, hosanna!’
I watched him, this man whose friends called him ‘teacher, rabbi’
And who even now, followed him along the processional route,
laughing,
joining in the cheers,
the excitement,
caught up in the moment
some of them singing the age old holy songs –
pilgrim songs of journeying to the temple to worship the Lord...
Their songs and cries mingling with the crowd:
‘hosanna, hosanna, hosanna!’
It was a crazy, busy, crowded time –
People thronging to the city carrying doves,
Tripping over stray animals
Being charged extortionate prices by the street vendors hawking dodgy looking meat,
or selling old vinegary wine warmed by the heat of the sun.
First-time pilgrims from the back of beyond
gawped in awe at the city,
suddenly stopping without warning
to have a closer look at this building,
or that market stall,
slowly plodding along the streets enjoying the atmosphere,
or anxiously hurrying, looking for a place to stay.
The whole city was in turmoil, asking
‘who is this?’
Some said ‘deliverer’.
Several shouted ‘healer – heal us!’
Some said ‘madman’
Some said ‘messiah’...
I ...held my tongue,
Listening to the cries:
‘hosanna, hosanna!
Watching the man who bore the weight of the crowd’s expectations.
Watching, as he rode in on a donkey.
A messiah...
On a donkey?
In the time of my grandfather’s grandfather
Another deliverer rode into Jerusalem
Palm branches waved
Cloaks covered the road...
Cheers sounded
Deliverance, victory, hung in the air:
Judas Maccabeus –
Judas ‘the hammer’ –
Rescuer of his people
Restorer of the temple...
But, he died,
And after an all too brief independence,
another empire filled the power vacuum.
Although free to worship
We were once again under the yoke of the oppressor.
Was it to lead us in an uprising against the Romans
that Jesus came to Jerusalem?
But what kind of uprising...?
The conquering hero,
the mighty longed-for,
hoped-for liberator
not riding proudly in to town on a horse dressed for battle,
but riding in, humbly, on a donkey.
It was an odd symbolism
A strange mis-match
Unexpected
And quietly challenging our assumptions.
‘Hosanna, hosannah!’
‘Free us!'
'Save us!’
Save us from what?
Ourselves,
burdened with a vast storehouse of needs....?
Needing healing of body, mind and soul;
Needing hope to replace despair;
Needing a renewal of spirit;
Needing to rise up and be freed from corrupt puppet kings
propped up by foreign occupying powers? ...
Needing to mould and make this man conform to what we wanted him to be?...
The whole city was in turmoil, asking
‘who is this?’
I wasn’t sure who he was
Or what to call him
How to label him...
But it seemed to me he already had enough labels to last beyond any one person’s lifetime –
Already had enough to carry along that road:
The hopes
The needs
The agendas.
And so, I remained silent, in the midst of it all
watching him pass by,
wondering,
waiting to see what might come of it all....
wondering if the salvation he offered was actually the salvation being expressed by the crowds –
the salvation they wanted.
‘Hosanna, hosanna!’
And he was gone... ... ...
In Jerusalem, so long ago, at the time of the Passover,
the whole city had been in turmoil, asking ‘who is this?’
But underneath the buzz,
behind the festive atmosphere
was a society splitting and fracturing,
ill at ease;
simultaneously colluding with its enemy
whilst surreptitiously stabbing them in the back.
Political factions,
Religious factions,
And people just trying to get on with their lives...
And it was into this particularly volatile mix that Jesus rode ...
A place where people jostled for position, prestige and power, whatever the cost.
He had already managed to offend the religious sensibilities of the Pharisees,
with his unfortunate habit of healing people on the Sabbath,
his seeming lack of concern for purity laws;
talking to the untouchables – the outcasts:
lepers, tax collectors
giving honour to the disregarded:
women, children, Samaritans.
As his popularity grew, and crowds listened to him,
he was also becoming a concern for the political power brokers of the day.
Was he yet another rabble-rousing rebel intent on bringing down the system?
As the self-interest of both the pious and the politicians began to merge together,
and the wheels of political machinations began to turn,
was it really such a surprise when the cheers turned to jeers,
when joyful shouts of ‘hosanna!’
became angry cries of ‘crucify him!’
The whole city was in turmoil, asking ‘who is this?’
And wondered what to do about this man in their midst. ... ... ...
Our whole world is in turmoil:
we live in a time of climate crisis
marked by untimely bushfires,
melting glaciers,
unprecedented floods washing people, towns and villages away.
A world in which people still cry out to be saved:
to be liberated from the oppression of tyrants;
for justice in the face of injustice, and for fairness in the face of corruption...
People crying out for security in the midst of instability -
to be spared financial ruin in the face of financial downturns,
government cutbacks, job losses...
People crying out to be spared from this strange new virus
that has changed the way we live, imprisoning us in our homes,
separating us from one another physically, socially...
bringing with it fear, anger, despair, confusion,
the raw grief of not being able to be with loved ones in their time of need,
nor to gather together to say a final 'farewell.'
Our whole world is in turmoil and perhaps in the midst of it all, we too wonder who Jesus is...
And how a man, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey 2 000 years ago could possibly have any relevance to where we are now;
how this man could possibly have anything useful to tell us about the politics of power,
or how to navigate our way through COVID-19,
or of where true security in an insecure world might just be found?
And yet...
The very act of riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a war-horse,
was a rebuke against a ‘might is right’ mentality –
a reminder that power in and of itself is not bad, but that rather, the way in which we
choose to use our power can have disastrous consequences:
on the planet, on other people, on ourselves.
Riding into town on a donkey was a subversive act that turned the definition of power onto its head: the all-powerful creator of the universe demonstrating that true power is to be found in service:
Service to God, and to others –
a power that has at its heart utter vulnerability –
That powerful vulnerability seen in the incarnation:
Of God made human:
emptying himself:
Becoming a tiny scrap of human flesh born in a stable,
dependent upon the hospitality of the human heart to take him in...
Of God, made human:
challenging establishment ideologies
and the politics of 'me first'
by emptying himself upon a cross
and overturning the horror and power of death in the process.
Our whole world is in turmoil:
and into this broken, messy hurting, and desperately ill world
Jesus rides still...
for, all who follow him are his body.
The sixteenth century mystic, Teresa of Avila,
put it best by noting:
Christ has no body now on earth but ours,
no hands but ours,
no feet but ours,
ours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ's compassion to the world
ours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
ours are the hands with which he is to bless all now.
As Christ’s hands, feet, and body,
We are called to challenge systemic structures of sin and injustice –
be it political, financial, or ecclesial;
As Christ’s hands, feet, and body,
We are called to be his compassionate community of care...
being at the margins with those dehumanised by the system
standing with the voiceless, the disregarded.
The overlooked.
Already, in the midst of the current COVID crisis,
there's a yearning, a wish to just get back to normal.
But even as that thought crosses our minds,
perhaps we're beginning to realise that what we thought of as 'normal'
was something that wasn't really working.
We are called to a new normal -
where those deemed 'low-skilled' are seen as valued and worthy
members of our communities...
where undercutting health facilities and resources
would be seen for the false economy that it is...
where the most vulnerable -
the elderly, the disabled, would not be sacrificed on the altar of prudent economic efficiency.
We are called to a new normal that works for all, not just the 1% -
the new normal that has at its heart the values of the kin-dom of heaven,
at the core of which is love.
That is the lesson of the man who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey nearly 2 000 years ago.
It’s easy to follow Jesus when we simply make him into the person we want to follow.
To mould him to fit around us,
around our needs,
around our expectations.
It‘s a different prospect,
a much harder task,
to follow the one who rides into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey
moving steadily towards his death –
a much more frightening task to empty ourselves of our own definitions of power
and allow ourselves to be powerfully and utterly vulnerable…
yet we don’t do it alone –
we follow the one on the donkey,
we walk the same path as those who have followed him down through the winding years –
a holy company of pilgrims bound together in and through and by his love,
committed to sharing that love with others.
The whole city was in turmoil, asking ‘who is this?’
Our whole world is in turmoil…
And in the midst of it all…
Who do we say Jesus is…
And what impact will that make on our lives,
the lives of others,
And the life of the world? Amen
PRAYER/
we pray for all who give of themselves sacrificially,
for those whose lives are dedicated to serving others:
all who are currently putting themselves at risk
as they fight to save lives -
and so we remember doctors, nurses, care workers...
we remember to, those at work on our behalf so that we may stay home -
lorry and delivery van drivers, supermarket and other shop staff,
volunteers delivering prescriptions and shopping to the most vulnerable,
all those helping at food banks.
Let us travel together and lighten the load.
We pray for those serving in war-torn countries
around the world:
medics, those who work in missions, the media,
NGOs and charities…
who bring food, shelter and healing to those in need,
sometimes putting their lives on the line.
Let us travel together and lighten the load.
We pray for those in our communities who feel vulnerable, afraid, unloved:
we remember those hurting from broken relationships, abuse, bullying, domestic violence…
children and adults whose lives are bereft of love and hope;
those living in the shadow of COVID-19 - fearful for loved ones or for themselves;
Lord, there are so many people and places and situations on our minds,
and so, in a moment of quiet prayer we offer up to you
all who are on our hearts and in our minds in particular at this time,
and we pray for our own needs...
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Let us travel together and lighten the load.
We pray that we might be Easter people,
laying down our lives to serve others,
bringing hope to hopeless situations –
the hope of the cross and resurrection.
And, as we pray,
may we travel together and lighten the load.
Amen.
HYMN/ Ride on, ride on, in majesty
REFLECTION/ Palm Sunday Parade
it is a strange thing at the end of a parade
silence
the echo of mayhem
the quietening murmurs of the small rebel crowd
now stealing into the shadows of alleyways
with whispered questions
of ‘what just happened?’
gather in a hush of silence
with the hope the stones no longer remain quiet
now that the hosannas have been stolen
something happened here
but no one can name it
and belief doesn’t dare name at what might have begun
a messiah arrived
but the kingdom did not
palm branches
and cloaks
were strewn in mock adulation
but heaven remains silent
faith tells us we must we wait longer
a different voice is coming
and another moment
to name love
and crush this ache
and break this ironic silence
with the sound of death
and the shutting of a tomb
~ written by Roddy Hamilton
BLESSING/
And with them we lay down our belief
that there is another way for you to be God.
As the last echo of the final alleluia fades,
so does our hope that this journey can end
in any other way.
The week stretches ahead
glory-less
and pain-full
Whether we walk with all faith or none
we look towards the cross,
knowing it is both the most human
and most divine
of all journeys
Travel the road with courage,
with love,
and with the uneasy peace that is the gift of faith
into this holiest of weeks...
And may the blessing of God
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
be with us all, evermore...
Amen.
NOTICES/
Food Bank referrals: just as a point of info - if you weren't aware, I'm able to do referrals for
folk who may be needing the services of the food bank. If you, or someone you know may
need help in this way, please get in touch with me [ph. no. at top of post], and I can process the paperwork for you and get you into the system for Clydesdale Food Bank.
Leaving comments on the blog: apparently, if you're using Chrome as your server, there's some difficulty with leaving comments, as I know some of you have tried. Sorry about that - I'm not sure how to work around that particular server.
Holy Week reflections: Normally on Palm Sunday, if we were gathered together in the church building, we would walk through the palms and on to the passion - the account of the events
on Good Friday. Given our change of circumstances, instead, I'm aiming to post up a reflection
in some form each day over the course of Holy Week for you to travel with as you wish.
I'm hoping that each will be up just after lunch each day... so, stay tuned to the blog, and
let's walk the way of the Cross together...
AT HOME FOR ALL AGES/
Where's Jesus? This LINK will [hopefully!] take you to a page that you can download and work on together as a family.
Have a look at the ‘Where’s Jesus?’ picture...
Can you find Jesus in the turmoil?
What else do you all notice in the picture?
Jesus was on a journey into Jerusalem through the turmoil of a city during festival season.
How do we walk together through busy lives and times of turmoil?
NB – the picture contains a number of rats/mice among the people.
Counting these could form an additional activity as could colouring the picture in.
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