simple white fading png image
notre dame montreal

Weekly Bible Study, Sermons, Prayers and Worship Resources

Palm Sunday Year C, Colour = Red


Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

How often have we seen newspapers build people up only to suddenly turn nasty and demolish their reputations. Pop stars, royalty and and movie stars find this frequently. The crowds that rush out to buy their records, watch their weddings or go to their films, can all too quickly suddenly become a pack of baying wolves. Social media has of course made it worse, because the destructive words can be said behind a cloak of anonymity. Overnight reputations are ruined and lives and careers in tatters.

Jesus knew this. The crowds who lined the road to cheer him into Jerusalem would soon change and call for his blood. The disciples themselves were fickle and ran away when the going got tough. So this week we are asked what kind of Christians we are. Are we 'fair weather' friends of Jesus, or are we prepared to follow him through the difficult times as well?

Are we up to being disciples of Jesus, or are we just following Jesus to see if we can get something out of it? Are we happy to hang around just whilst the going is easy, or are we prepared to stick with Jesus when we realise just how much peace really costs? That is the challenge of Palm Sunday.

.

Jesus choose a special animal for his ride into Jerusalem on that day which we remember this Palm Sunday. Like the tomb into which he would be buried, it had never been used before. Jesus knew the prophecy of Zechariah Chapter 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! 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.

The inescapable conclusion is that Jesus knew he was fulfilling the expectation which the Jewish people had of a Messiah. That is why people sang out Psalm 118, the psalm of praise which pilgrims always sang on the way to Jerusalem. It was a song of victory, a hymn of praise to a God who defeated all of his foes and established his kingdom. Jesus knows he is the fulfilment of God's promises, for a king who would bring peace to earth from heaven. Jesus is the salvation of God, but he would soon prove to be a disappointment to the crowd. The crowd who cheered him into Jerusalem would soon cheer instead for Barabbas, when they realised that salvation was about a cross, not overthrowing the Romans. Are you cheering?

Opening Verse of Scripture    Matthew 21:9

Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!
 

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

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. CW

True and humble king, hailed by the crowd as Messiah: grant us the faith to know you and love you, that we may be found beside you on the way of the cross, which is the path of glory. CW

First Bible Reading   Isaiah Chapter 50:4-9a

The servant of the LORD said: The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens – wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backwards. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting. The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. NRSV

Second Reading Philippians 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NRSV


Hosanna

Gospel Reading Matthew 26:14-27:66

One of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I betray him to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ He answered, ‘The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.’ Judas, who betrayed him, said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’ He replied, ‘You have said so.’

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, “I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”
But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’ Peter said to him, ‘Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ Peter said to him, ‘Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.’ And so said all the disciples.

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’ Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; for the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again he went away for the second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.’

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.’ At once he came up to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed him. Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you are here to do.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?’ At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.’ Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, ‘This fellow said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.”’ The high priest stood up and said, ‘Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?’ But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, ‘I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?’ They answered, ‘He deserves death.’ Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?’

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’ But he denied it before all of them, saying, ‘I do not know what you are talking about.’ When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ Again he denied it with an oath, ‘I do not know the man.’ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, ‘Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.’ Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, ‘I do not know the man!’ At that moment the cock crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: ‘Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, ‘I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.’ But they said, ‘What is that to us? See to it yourself.’ Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.’ After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, ‘And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.’

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said, ‘You say so.’ But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him, ‘Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?’ But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgement seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.’ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ And they said, ‘Barabbas.’ Pilate said to them, ‘Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ All of them said, ‘Let him be crucified!’ Then he asked, ‘Why, what evil has he done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Let him be crucified!’

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’ Then the people as a whole answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’

Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, “I am God’s Son.”’ The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’ Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’

Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, “After three days I will rise again.” Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, “He has been raised from the dead,” and the last deception would be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone. NRSV

Post Communion Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you humbled yourself in taking the form of a servant, and in obedience died on the cross for our salvation: give us the mind to follow you and to proclaim you as Lord and King, to the glory of God the Father. CW


Commentary

It was 200 years earlier that the crowds had waved palms for Judas Maccabaeus as he came into Jerusalem when he had led the Jewish revolt. As the group with Jesus got nearer to Jerusalem, people began to come out to meet them and start waving palm branches for Him too. Years before this even, crowds had laid their cloaks on the ground for Jehu (2 Ki 9 v 13) when he had been crowned King by Elisha as a sign of their loyalty to him. However the somewhat grand arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem with cloaks and palms must have been somewhat disconcerting for the disciples. They hadn’t really wanted to come in the first place and this was hardly a low key entrance! Things were rapidly getting out of hand. And as the events of the next few days would unfold, they would realise just how out of hand things had become in purely human terms.

The changes that were about to happen would be truly seismic with cosmic significance and not under any human control at all, but God’s. The Messiah had indeed come, He was riding into Jerusalem, but not as a triumphal King riding to the throne in his palace; His throne would not be some grand seat but a pagan cross. He came not as a revolutionary leader who would take on the occupying forces and lead His people to victorious freedom, but as a servant leader who would hand Himself into their hands. For whatever the crowds thought Jesus’ challenge and mission was about, it was not primarily against the outward and visible signs of political or religious authority and rule, although this occurred as part of the process; it was at the inward, often hidden, desires and motives which govern individual’s lives and the place and importance of God in their everyday lives and the world in which they lived.

Over the years to come political leaders would change, invading armies would come and go, religious leaders would rise and fall. This was of secondary importance. For Jesus’ challenge was not about ‘what’ people were, how important, knowledgeable or powerful they seemed to be, it was about ‘who’ they were. What lay at the centre of their lives? How would they accept the Messiah who had now come? In going into Jerusalem when He did Jesus was laying down a challenge to the authorities because of who they were and what they represented. The authorities had begun their plans to bring His mission to an end, plans that would see Roman and the Jewish authorities collaborating together in an unprecedented manner, as even the Pharisees and the Sadducees realised that they had underestimated this simple Galilean teacher. Their response is strange in many ways. Why did Jesus appear so important to them, why was He such problem? He made no demands of the crowds or His followers, other than to be faithful to Him and His Father. He did not give complex rules and regulations for the ordering of society, other than to love one another. On entering Jerusalem, Jesus rode gently along on a donkey, hardly an aggressive signal to anyone. But the message was clear. It was time to meet with the Messiah and let history be transformed. Jesus’ passion comes not from pomp and overt majesty, not from riding a wave of positive public opinion and approval, it was the outcome of His obedient delivery of the message of the kingdom, despite people’s rejection. It’s true that from Sunday to Thursday Jesus appears unstoppable. His enemies tried to trick him several times -- but to no avail; each time He turned the tables on them and exposed their treachery. But on the Thursday it all changed. He was betrayed and arrested, and on Friday He was hung on a cross and killed. Today the palms - tomorrow the passion.

In the events of Palm Sunday we see God at work, intervening in His creation through His only Son in a way that shakes the foundation of the earth with a power far beyond human comprehension. The time for God’s salvation of the world, the cosmos, is drawing near. The Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah is riding into town which, in turn, will set in train a series of events which will eventually lead to His death. Among the gospel writers Matthew alone quotes the passage from Zechariah where we read,
‘See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey…’

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, many did not recognise Him as the Messiah they longed for. What they were witnessing was not some war lord riding into battle to smash the opposition and take it captive but a radically subverted model of power, exercised in gentleness and compassion which would challenge the systems and structures of the political and religious world, and continue to do so throughout history. It is this subversive, radical power that Christ unleashes on the world through the events of the coming week, and continues through the imperfect, but forgiven and redeemed band of people called the Church.

In Matthew the people call Jesus ‘the prophet from Nazareth’, which He was, but he was not merely one of the long line of Old Testament prophets. Neither was He just preaching social reform, as prophets such as Amos had done to Israel. Jesus was the last emissary from God, bringing with him God’s final and decisive word to his people. The word which Matthew uses to describe the turmoil that was happening as Jesus rode into Jerusalem is the word that is used for an earthquake. It is used again at the time of Jesus’ death and at His resurrection. All three events pivotal moments if history. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem it was not just the military and religious authorities which were being challenged, the very forces of good and evil were about to come together is a cosmic collision where the power and energy of the God of Creation would be revealed through the events surrounding His Son. From the Passion, through Easter and beyond into Pentecost and all time. Just like an earthquake, the aftershocks of that powerful event would continue to be felt for years afterwards, even into eternity. We are all part of that cosmic intervention and part of the events that still continue to shake and shape the world all precipitated by a man, who was God, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Sam Cappleman


Meditation

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem looks like a real celebration. The people who know - the disciples, not the crowds, as in the other gospels - praise God for the miracles they have seen. They have seen the deeds of liberation which Jesus announced in his home synagogue. Their acclamation includes, as in the other gospels, the allusion to our reading from the Psalms this morning, Ps 118 v 26, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’. But Luke adds: ‘the king’. We are not to forget the kings! Previous kings, especially Archelaus had not brought peace. Here is the real king who would bring real peace. ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest’ (Lk 19 v 38). We are transported back to the time of Jesus’ birth and the hillside where the shepherds heard the cry, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among people of his favour’ (Lk 2 v 14). The kings of the earth had brought no peace. The people of Jerusalem refused the way of peace. Jesus offered the way to peace. Peace hailed as heavenly is also peace made for earth. By recalling this scene Luke is recovering for us the cries for liberation among God’s favoured people, Israel, and all who belong to her.

Hymns

  1. All glory laud and honour

  2. We cry Hosanna Lord

  3. Make way, make way

  4. Crown Him with many crowns

  5. Ride on, ride on in majesty

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

representation of prayer as seed growing

"Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian. If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die."

Heavenly Father, You gave your Son, Jesus Christ to show us the Way of justice, truth and peace. Help us hold his example before our eyes, in the way that leads to a better world on earth and eternal life in the Heaven.  Amen

As we journey this week with Christ and celebrate the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection, let us earnestly pray to God for those following the way of the cross and for all peoples everywhere. Blessed are you, Lord our God, who sent your Son among us to bear the pain and grief of humankind. Receive the prayers we offer this day for all those in need in every place and as we near the holy mountain grant us strength on our journey. Glory to you for ever.  Amen

O Lord, whose way is perfect, help us always to trust in your goodness, to walk in the way of faith, and to follow in the path of simplicity. Teach us to cast our cares on your providence, that we may possess a quiet mind and a contented spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

Holy Father, you have shown us that the brave bearing of the cross is the beginning of wearing your crown: help us by your grace to bear patiently our pains and disappointments, as your beloved Son bore His; and to offer them to you as the pure gift of our faithfulness to our crucified Lord.  Amen

As on this day we keep the special memory of our Redeemer's entry into the city, so grant O Lord than now and ever, He may triumph in our hearts. Let the King of Glory enter in, and let us lay ourselves and all we are in full and joyful homage before Him, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen    Bishop Moule, 1841-1920

Father God, During Lent we have been preparing for the celebration of our Lord's Paschal mystery. On this day Jesus Christ entered the holy city of Jerusalem in triumph. The people welcomed Him with palms and shouts of praise, but the path before Him led to self-giving, suffering and death. Today we greet Him as our king, although we know His crown is thorns and His throne a cross. We follow Him this week from the glory of the palms to the glory of the resurrection by the dark road of suffering and death. Unite us with Him in His suffering on the cross; may we share His resurrection and new life.  Amen

May Christ crucified draw you to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and may the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen

As on this day we keep the special memory of our redeemer’s entrance into the city, so grant, O Lord, that now and ever he may triumph in our hearts. Let the king of grace and glory enter in, and let us lay ourselves and all we are in full joyful homage before him, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Handley C.G.Moule 1841-1920

Have mercy on me O God, I was angry that I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.
Chinese Buddhist Prayer

I thank you Lord for knowing me better than I know myself, and for letting me know myself better than others know me. Make me, I ask you them better than they suppose, and forgive me for what they do not know, Abu Bakr

Lord of Lords, grant is the good whether we pray for it or not, but evil keep from us, even though we pray for it.
Plato 27-348BC

God our Father, we come today to worship you and confess that devotion to you is often far from our minds. This morning may we refocus our attention upon our love for you and how we show that love. Help us Lord to be more willing to pour out our lives as fragrant offerings of love. We lay our lives before you and ask that we might know that love which does not count the cost.

Lord God, as we wait upon you now, as we listen for your voice in the silence of hearts and as we offer our prayers to you we think of those people in our lives who have loved us with a generous love we think of those who like Mary have not counted the cost of what they have given us; of those who given all of themselves to us as Christ gave himself for the world; and we thank you for them - and ask you to bless them and for you to make us like them.

As we go into this week, O God, help us to have a focus, a purpose that is beyond that of just getting by; beyond that of just trying to make it through another week; show us we pray what you would have us do; reveal to us our own personal and unique ministry—and help us to do it.

Bless O God those in our midst and those around the world whom we name in our hearts before you at this time; we especially ask for those who are poor in the basic needs of daily living; and for those who are poor in love; hear too the prayers we ask for those who need healing or hope in their lives, those who need justice, and those who require mercy.

 

Additional Resources

Colour a picture of Jesus on a colt

Open colouring sheet in Adobe

picture of Jesus on donkey

Commentary

The reading from Isaiah is taken from a section called the third servant song where Israel in exile is rejecting the prophet’s message. The people are “weary” of Isaiah’s constant preaching and droning on. But he is undeterred, God has given him the word and he will deliver it, even at the cost of personal suffering. In the same way, Jesus’ passion was the outcome of His obedient delivery of the message of the kingdom, despite His people’s rejection. The passion story in the gospel reading starts with a big parade, with lots of pomp and circumstance, everybody has turned out for the occasion. The disciples were very impressed, and even the Pharisees and the Sadducees realised that they had underestimated this simple Galilean teacher. Seemingly riding on this crest of public approval Jesus went to the temple, the very centre of the Jewish faith, and began to teach and preach. From Sunday to Thursday Jesus was unstoppable. His enemies tried to trick him several times -- but to no avail; each time He turned the tables on them and exposed their treachery. But on the Thursday it all changed. He was betrayed and arrested, and on Friday He was hung him on a cross and killed.

Today the palms - tomorrow the passion.

We all know the taste of Palm Sunday, the sweetness of success and popularity, and we all know too the bitterness of Good Friday, of suffering, failure and rejection. What saves us from an endless round of ups and downs, from events over which we have no control, is our commitment to press forward in obedience to God and trust in God's love which ultimately brings about our Easter mornings. Knowing that the meaning of life is to be found in the knowledge and love of God and obedience to Him, whatever that takes. In our Lent course this year we have been looking at prophecy and how God speaks to His people through the obedience, words and actions of His faithful people. Jesus Himself was the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecy which focused on the coming Messiah. Among the gospel writers Matthew alone quotes the passage from Zechariah where we read, ‘See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey…’ When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, many did not recognise Him as the Messiah they longed for. The crowds asked who it was that had such an impact as He rode into the city. What they were witnessing was not some war lord riding into battle to smash the opposition and take it captive but a radically subverted model of power, exercised in gentleness and compassion which would challenge the systems and structures of the political and religious world, and continue to do so throughout history. They were confused. Jesus proclaimed peace, not war; set people free rather than taking them captive; and restored rather than plundered. It’s this subversive, radical power that Christ unleashes on the world through the events of the coming week, and continues through the imperfect, but forgiven and redeemed band of people called the Church.

In Matthew the people call Jesus ‘the prophet from Nazareth’, which He was, but he was not merely one of the long line of Old Testament prophets. Neither was He just preaching social reform, as prophets such as Amos had done to Israel. Jesus was the last emissary from God, bringing with him God’s final and decisive word to his people. The word with Matthew uses to describe the turmoil that was happening as Jesus rode into Jerusalem is the word that is used for an earthquake. It is used again at the time of Jesus’ death and at His resurrection. All three events pivotal moments if history. The Bishop of St Albans reminded us that prophets today are those people who speak in the context of their society, speak out the truth and seek after peace. As we do, so we reveal more of God’s decisive word, His Son Jesus, to all people and the cosmic impact of Easter week is felt once more.  Sam Cappleman

 

By The Reverend Dr Sam Cappleman

It's all over bar the shouting...

It seemed like good news. There was a big parade with lots of pomp and circumstance, everybody turned out, the disciples were very impressed, and the Pharisees and the Sadducees realised that they had underestimated this simple Galilean teacher. Riding this crest of public approval Jesus went to the temple, the very centre of the Jewish faith, and began to teach and preach. From Sunday to Thursday Jesus was unstoppable. His enemies tried to trick him several times -- but to no avail; each time He turned the tables on them and exposed their treachery. No one even seriously complained when He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and let the sacrificial birds loose. And of course, in this same period Jesus established the greatest new commandment, the one that says: "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" and He began a new ceremony with bread and wine which would later on, become the sacrament of Holy Communion.

But on the Thursday it all changed. He was betrayed and arrested, and on Friday He was hung him on a cross and killed. Today the palms - tomorrow the passion.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem it was all over bar the shouting. Events had to take their course. Death would be defeated and our relationship with God would be restored. In choosing to ride into Jerusalem Jesus was setting in motion a train of events that could not be stopped. But first there would be lots of shouting. First the 'Hosannas'. Then the shouts of 'Crucify Him'. When He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey events had turned full circle from when he entered Bethlehem on a donkey in Mary's womb. The adoration and worship the three kings offered Him was validated as He rode into Jerusalem as Judge, Prophet, Priest and King. The significance of the myrrh they had brought would finally be understood.

It was all over bar the shouting. Sin and death would be defeated and the fickleness of the world and its people would be exposed. In Jewish tradition the name Jerusalem means 'foundation of peace'. For several days the peace of the city would be shattered as events took their course. Even if the people were silent, the stones which made up the foundations of peace would cry our in worship and praise to the Son of God.

It was going to be a noisy time, with echo's of the cries of Hosanna and Crucify continuing to sound through the centuries. And yet, through it all, the peace and serenity of Jesus shines through. His obedience to the Father and to the task to which he had been called lead us beyond the shouting - to the cold, lonely silence which followed the crucifixion. Many who shouted Hosanna ('Save us we pray') would be the same people who would yell murderous cries a few days later. And how many would realise they were voicing a self fulfilling prophecy. God was in control, not the crowds or the authorities. The only way to salvation could be through the cross.

Nearly everyone has known the taste of Palm Sunday, the sweetness of success and popularity, and nearly all of us have tasted the bitterness of Good Friday, of failure and rejection. What saves us from an endless round of ups and downs, what frees us from the tyranny of events over which we have no control, is our commitment to press forward in obedience to God and trust in God's love to bring about Easter morning. Knowing that the meaning of life is to be found in the knowledge and love of God and obedience to Him, whatever that takes - and in obedience sharing that knowledge and love with those who accompany us on the way. Sam Cappleman

By The Reverend Dr Joan Crossley

Our age is obsessed by celebrity. You can see evidence of this obsession on the television, in magazines and newspapers – all are full of the habits, tastes and opinions of so called “stars”. These stars are not famous for moral worth, practical achievements or humanitarian efforts. Most of them are just famous for being famous. And yet this dubious achievement is what many people aspire to! 

But as many “stars” have found, being famous is a poisoned chalice. Celebrity draws unwanted attention and makes them the focus of envy, dislike and even violence. It seems almost much as people admire “stars” they enjoy seeing them being exposed as fallible and flawed, just like everyone else. 

So it was with Jesus. Those who had watched Him heal the sick and transform the lives of the people who understood His teachings, loved and revered Jesus. On Palm Sunday we see Jesus at the height of His popularity with the crowds in Jerusalem. He could have done anything with them: commanded them to storm the Temple or rebel against the Romans. But because Jesus was the Prince of Peace and wanted to bring about spiritual change, He did not set off a popular revolt. 

The reason many “stars” are so easily exposed as liars, fools or hugely flawed is because they wear one face in public, yet are very different in reality. Jesus was a perfectly integrated person, the same to everyone He encountered, the same in public or in private. But His honesty and the originality of His teachings brought Him into direct conflict with the powerful in Jerusalem. Even His former friend Judas was filled with envy and malice at Jesus’ ability to attract love. Jesus did not care whether He was loved by the mob. He did not court anyone’s approval, but lived and taught according to His Father’s will. 

WE must pray for the courage and the honesty to live out Christ’s Gospel, without being influenced by the approval or disapproval of anyone except God.

 

Prayers for Sunday

Holy Father, you have shown us that the brave bearing of the cross is the beginning of wearing your crown: help us by your grace to bear patiently our pains and disappointments, as your beloved Son bore His; and to offer them to you as the pure gift of our faithfulness to our crucified Lord. Amen

As on this day we keep the special memory of our Redeemer's entry into the city, so grant O Lord than now and ever, He may triumph in our hearts. Let the King of Glory enter in, and let us lay ourselves and all we are in full and joyful homage before Him, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Bishop Moule, 1841-1920

Father God, During Lent we have been preparing for the celebration of our Lord's Paschal mystery. On this day Jesus Christ entered the holy city of Jerusalem in triumph. The people welcomed Him with palms and shouts of praise, but the path before Him led to self-giving, suffering and death. Today we greet Him as our king, although we know His crown is thorns and His throne a cross. We follow Him this week from the glory of the palms to the glory of the resurrection by the dark road of suffering and death. Unite us with Him in His suffering on the cross; may we share His resurrection and new life. Amen

Christ crucified draw you to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen

As we journey this week with Christ and celebrate the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection, let us earnestly pray to God for those following the way of the cross and for all peoples everywhere. Blessed are you, Lord our God, who sent your Son among us to bear the pain and grief of humankind. Receive the prayers we offer this day for all those in need in every place and as we near the holy mountain grant us strength on our journey. Glory to you for ever. Amen

Holy Father, you have shown us that the brave bearing the cross is he beginning of wearing your crown: help us by your grace to bear patiently our pains and disappointments, as your beloved Son bore His; and to offer them to you as the pure gift of our faithfulness to our crucified Lord. Amen

Christ, Saviour of all life, you come to us always. Welcoming you in the peace of our nights, in the silence of our days, in the beauty of creation, in the hours of combat within, welcoming you is knowing that you will be with us in every situation, always. Amen

Christ crucified draw you to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen

Christ crucified draw you to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those things which last for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O God our dance, in whom we live and move and have our being: so direct our strength and inspire our weakness that we may enter with power into the movement of you whole creation, through our partner Jesus Christ. Amen

O God, you are my rock, my rescue, and my refuge, I leave it all quietly to you. Amen. George Appleton (1902-93)

Lord may I prefer the truth and right by which I might seem to lose, to the falsehood and wrong by which I might seem to gain. Amen. Maimonides (1135-1204) Spain.

Hymns for Sunday

 

  1. All glory laud and honour
  2. Make Way, Make Way
  3. Man of Sorrows! What a name
  4. We cry Hosanna Lord
  5. Ride on, ride on in Majesty
  6. When I survey the wondrous cross;

Commentary

 

Luke surrounds the wonderful pageant of Jesus’ mounted descent from the Mount of Olives and ascent to Jerusalem with pain. It is hard to trivialise the scene with shallow triumphalism. The context invites us to the horror of Jerusalem and of all other habitations where human blood has been shed. The message is not the cheap comfort of blame, but the mourning for lost peace. The crowd, for Luke, is no longer a populist throng, but disciples who are beginning to understand why this baby was born and why he must die. They cry out - and should they be silenced the stones around would cry out in their stead.

The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem marked the real beginning of the way of the cross for him. Although his life had been edging that way for some time, Palm Sunday was the beginning of the final count-down to the events of Easter. His manner of entry was carefully chosen. He could have simply walked into Jerusalem, in the usual way, with all the other travellers. Perhaps He was making a statement about being one of the people, ordinary, yet very different. Different enough to make a calculated entry into the city, an entry designed to announce his arrival to the world. This mode of entry chosen by Jesus perhaps foreshadowed his act at the Last Supper, of washing the disciples' feet, the act which showed the servant nature of this particular leader. It demonstrated the great gospel paradox that strength is made perfect in weakness.

By way of His entry into Jerusalem, Jesus lays down a challenge to the authorities, and the authorities have to respond. The people who lined the streets of Jerusalem to cheer for Jesus on Sunday were silent by Friday. They expected a triumphant king but found instead a powerless prisoner. The exuberance and celebration of the entry is followed by the pain of Jesus’ unjust trail, the cries for crucifixion and His death on the cross. The authorities had acted. A Palm to Passion tragedy? Or would God intervene to bring about a happy ending?

Sometimes we can find ourselves in similar situations to the palm crowd, waving our flags and saying we want what is best for society, but too often looking for the quick fix and the simplistic answers or changing our tune in the face of adversity. Do we make well intentioned statements, but fail to accept our own responsibility to bring about change? Like Pilate, do we wash our hands of the responsibility of our actions, perhaps knowing what is right, hearing the call of God and needing to take the risk toward our full calling but giving in to our insecurities and our need to be liked?

And indeed it would be a tragedy if that was the ending of the story. But God did intervene to bring about a glorious ending, the resurrection and ascension. An ending that was the beginning of new life. An ending that saw Lordship and Kingship in servant hood, His strength made perfect in weakness, and an ending that saw our weakness made perfect in His strength. An ending that revealed why the baby was born and why He had to die for each one of us. An ending which revealed why we worship the Servant King. It’s not a tragedy. For God hears our cries of ‘Hosanna’ (Save us!) yet forgives our metaphorical shouts of ‘crucify’ each time we turn away from Him and go our own way. We cry Hosanna today, what are the words on our lips when the Good Friday’s come in our lives?  Sam Cappleman

Commentary

The Roman historian Josephus, tells us that each year over 1 million people went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover at the time of Christ. That's a lot of people - especially when you think that the population of Jerusalem today is only about 650,000 and in Jesus' time it would be more like 65,000. The place would be heaving, and into all this excitement and fervour Jesus rides slowly into Jerusalem on a donkey. He's just one in a million Jews heading into the city. Yet out of this ordinary act for a Jew, extraordinary things were about to happen, because Jesus was no ordinary Jew. The crowds shout Hosanna 'Save (us)', and waved the fronds of palms, the sign of victory, the sign very familiar to the Roman army. And suddenly Jesus is more than just one in a million. As he rides slowly into Jerusalem He's surrounded by large crowds in front and behind Him, and although He is peacefully riding a placid donkey, it’s like an earthquake hits the town. Jerusalem is literally to be shaken to its foundations. There's going to be a spiritual showdown, a confrontation, and all of the physical universe will be shaken to the core. Jesus' Galilean ministry is at an end, and shortly the journey to Jerusalem will be complete. The Messiah, the servant King of Isaiah, rides into town. Jesus, a man of supreme holiness, the perfect Israelite, the one who has come to set all people free has come to fulfil His calling. Sometimes we feel that we're just one person in a million others. We're just an ordinary person living an ordinary life, how can we possibly change the world, or even our small piece of it, or make a difference with our lives? With God, there are no ordinary people, there is no ordinary life, because Jesus was no ordinary Jew and we are no ordinary people. We may feel like we have no influence on the world around us but that’s not the case. As we have compassion on those around us, as we speak our ordinary words, as we challenge the things which are not in line with God's will, just as when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, extraordinary things will happen. Now it may be that what we say and what we do won't be as earth shattering as the events of Holy Week were. But it could well be that in doing the ordinary, like taking a bus into town or a donkey into Jerusalem, we suddenly become one in a million for someone else, speaking out God's word and doing His will and shaking the world in our own way. Sam Cappleman

Commentary

The triumphant entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem before His passion, was celebrated with particular solemnity since the first centuries of Christianity. In the Byzantine Rite it is considered to this day to be one of the twelve Major Feasts of the liturgical year. It is always celebrated on the Sunday before Easter with the blessing of branches. From ancient times, palm-branches were symbols of victory and triumph. The Romans used to reward their champions of the games with palm-branches and military triumphs, were observed with palms. It seems that the Jews followed the same custom (Lev. 23:40; I Macc. 13:37) of carrying palm-branches on their festive occasions. That is what happened during the solemn entry of Jesus into the Holy City before His last Passover.

From Jerusalem this celebration of palms spread to Egypt, then to Syria and Asia Minor. By the fifth century the feast was celebrated in Constantinople, where the Emperor and his household used to take part in a solemn procession on Passion Sunday. There, besides palms, the faithful were given olive and lilac branches. During the sixth and the seventh centuries the procession took place in the morning. It was at this time that the blessing of palms and other branches was introduced. The feast then spread to the West, where it received its present name- Palm Sunday.

On Palm Sunday Jesus was finally recognised by the Jewish people as their Messiah. When He arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, they greeted Him with a triumphant welcome, a fulfilment of a prophecy (Mt. 21:4-5). When the Apostles saw the enthusiastic crowds, they brought a donkey foal for Jesus to ride on, while other people spread their coats and cloaks and threw "branches from the trees" on the road in front of Him. Others took "branches of palms" in their hands and, cheered, crying out: "Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" As Jesus was entering the city, surrounded by the excited crowds, the Scribes and the Pharisees became alarmed and decided to stop Him at any cost.

Jesus' presence sets Jerusalem in turmoil (eseisthe - the word used for earthquake), just as it was at His birth and would be at His crucifixion several days later. The event was to be 'of earth shattering significance. Jesus was not entering a foreign city, nor entering the city of 'the Jews'. He was a Jew. He was entering the city which symbolised in His faith and His scriptures, God's promise to Israel. To confront one's own faith and its traditions is painful. This is part of the drama of the event, both in Matthew's account and in the earlier forms of the story, not least in the event itself. For some, Jesus' approach to Jerusalem has become a symbol of the confrontation they must make in their own lives, including the confrontation with themselves. The issues at stake are not ultimate control or power, though it is easy to give this impression: Jesus is the rightful king, they are about obedience, fulfilling the work of God, and doing our part in His calling to us.

The true signs of servanthood have much less to do with glory, palms and crowns, which ultimately must be subverted into irony on the cross, and more to do with acts of healing, wholeness, justice and compassion. Without the crucifixion and resurrection, the entry story is ambiguous, a potential disaster, which realises itself in every generation in the name of piety and self righteousness. But a radically subverted model of power, exercised in gentleness and compassion challenges the systems of not only the first century Roman world but also their equivalents in our own world today. Its this subversive, radical power that Christ unleashes on the world through the events of the coming week, and through the imperfect, but forgiven and redeemed band of people called the Church. The Reverend Dr. Sam Cappleman

Meditations

Isaiah 40-55 was written in exile and contains four servant songs, sections that sometimes seem to interrupt the flow of the book but have a unity within themselves. The first (42 v 1-7) begins "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen ..."; in the second (49 v 1-7) the servant, abused and humiliated, is commissioned anew; in the third (our passage today) he is disciplined and strengthened by suffering; and in the fourth (52 v 17-53 v 12) even the Gentiles are in awesome contemplation before the suffering and rejected servant. In late Judaism, the servant was seen as the perfect Israelite, one of supreme holiness, a Messiah. In the gospels, Jesus identifies himself as the servant (or slave), the one who frees all people.

In the euphoria and exuberance of this morning's celebration, the church must not be seduced into losing sight of its central mission and message: obedient service. Adapted from Homelitics

There is a well known sailing term called “being prepared to trim your sails” which I understand means being willing to adapt to conditions as you encounter them. This is clearly sensible if you are trying to survive a force ten gale! But in life, if you endlessly adapt who and what you are according to the people you meet, you are in danger of becoming a fragmented being, never being your true self for long. Do you have one face for people in church and another for the people in the office? Are you a Christian on Sundays and a pagan the rest of the week?