The Sixth Sunday in Lent – Passion Sunday- Palm Sunday From the Reverend Noel Whale
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
Today, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. The most sacred and solemn period of the church year. The events of this week changed the world and continue to do so. At this very difficult and stressful time in our history, endeavour to spend some time reflecting on Jesus as he journeys from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem and the trials that he will endure.
WHAT TO DO
Find a Palm Cross from a previous year. If not, make one from some greenery or cut out a cross and place it on your worship focus.
THE WORSHIP SERVICE
The Lord be with you And also with you Let us Pray Merciful God, as we enter this holy week and gather together in prayer, turn our hearts again to Jerusalem, to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that, united with Christ and all the faithful, we may one day enter in triumph the city not made with hands, the new Jerusalem, eternal in the heavens, where with you and the Holy Spirit, Christ lives in glory forever. Amen
The Sentence At the name of Jesus every knee shall bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
The Prayer of the Day- The Collect Everlasting God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son to take our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross: in your mercy enable us to share in his obedience to your will and in the glorious victory of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
The First Reading: Isaiah 50 vs 4-9a
The Psalm: Psalm 31 vs 9-18
The New Testament Reading: Philippians 2 vs 5-11
St Matthews Gospel: Chapter 26 vs 14 to Chapter 27 to vs 66. The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (Hold your palm cross as your read the passion narrative)
The Homily
Alas, we are unable to take part in the Palm Sunday Procession which is an integral event on this day. But let us imagine the event with Jesus riding on a donkey with his eyes set upon the holy city of Jerusalem that he could see from the Mount of Olives. The crowds were jubilant excited beyond measure because their king had arrived and was about to be crowned their long awaited king and saviour. They shouted, waved, spread palm branches on his pathway and sang
their hearts out; “All glory, praise and honour to you, redeemer, king, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring”. But things did not go to plan and instead of a throne Jesus was arrested and imprisoned in Jerusalem.
The second part of the Palm Sunday Homily is the reading of the passion narrative, this year from St Matthew who proceeds to tell us the story from beginning to end.
Time of Reflection on the Readings and Homily
This week of all weeks our focus is on Jesus, so in the midst of our own troubled and wounded world set your eyes on Jesus his passion and his love of humanity.
The Grace