Sunday Service for 28 March 2021, Palm Sunday
Sunday Service for 28 March 2021, Palm Sunday
Prepared by Rev. Teri Peterson, Gourock St. John’s
Manse phone: 632143, Email: tpeterson (at) churchofscotland.org.uk
To hear an audio recording of this service, including music, call 01475 270037. Minutes should be included in your phone plan for landline numbers.
Young adult bible study is on Zoom at 1. If you or someone you know would like login details, please contact Teri.
The last session of our Lent Study will be online this Wednesday. Each day throughout the week we are learning about various people of faith through the ages on Lent Madness, and then on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 we will gather on Zoom to go more in depth about them and what we can learn from their faithfulness to help us on our own journeys with Christ. If you know someone who needs the details to join by audio only (by phone) please contact Teri for the details.
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Call to Worship and Recognition
All creation reverberates with the Truth —
the very stones would shout!
Not just for one nation, but for every nation,
God’s promise comes to fruition,
even now.
Come, tune your life to the praise
of mountain and colt and stone,
preparing for the One who changes everything:
The King is coming!
Will we recognise him?
Recognise —
To see or understand something we have known before
A place we have been
A person we have met
A word we have heard
Sometimes we forget, sometimes we’ve been away for a while,
sometimes it was crowded out, sometimes we didn’t want to recall
but when the moment of recognition comes, it is just that:
Re – cognition. Knowing again.
In the beginning, God made humankind in God’s image.
In the beginning, God breathed into dust and ashes, and we came to life.
Along the way, God spoke, filling our ears with promise.
Along the way, God wrote the word on our hearts.
Yet we have forgotten, we’ve turned away for a while, we got busy, we didn’t want to recall.
We went our own way —
the way of the to-do list that can’t be set aside
the way of easy judgmental answers that put some out while we’re in
the way of accepting that wholeness, shalom, is an impossible, naive dream
the way of overlooking things that make us uncomfortable
the way of silencing those who do not fit our ideal
the way of self-sufficiency and self-preservation
The whole time, You have been here.
The whole time, You have been speaking, calling to us.
In the word, in the flesh, in our neighbour, in the stranger, in our hearts, in our communities,
you have been here all along,
and we have not recognised you.
Show us your way again, Lord.
Remind us of what we have forgotten, turned away from, crowded out, ignored.
Give us hearts and minds to recognise you,
wherever you reveal yourself today
We ask in the name of Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray together,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen.
Hymn: Hosanna (Praise is Rising) by Paul Baloche
Luke 19:29-48, NRSV
When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.”’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
‘Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’
As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognised on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognise the time of your visitation from God.’
Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, ‘It is written,
“My house shall be a house of prayer”;
but you have made it a den of robbers.’
Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.
Let us pray.
The crowds shout with joy,
and we are caught up in the moment,
singing and praising,
for we have indeed seen wondrous powerful things.
We bless you, O God,
for coming among us and drawing us to yourself.
We bless you for the truth of your story —
as you promised, so it has been and will be.
We bless you for the closeness of our connection with you,
and we pray for that same care and love within your Body,
as we learn again how to live in your different kind of kingdom.
Amen.
Sermon: Disruption
Today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week, the week that leads up to Good Friday and then on to Easter. This is the week when the conflict comes to a head between who Jesus is, what he does, what he represents — the kingdom of God come near, in the flesh — and the powers of the world who want to maintain the status quo, to do everything according to their version of normal.
Luke’s version of Palm Sunday is a bit different than the other gospels — first of all, there are no palms! And second, no one shouts “Hosanna”!
Instead Luke tells us about people laying their cloaks down to line the road, and the crowd shouting “peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
Does that sound familiar?
Remember way back, in the fields on Christmas night, the message the angels gave to the shepherds? Glory and peace. Peace to those who were frightened by the reality of God in their midst — there in the occupied territory, among the poor, in the midst of an oppressive regime. Glory to God, and peace.
That night the angels sang their song to terrified shepherds, who then ran into town to see if it was true, to see if there really was a baby wrapped in old clothes lying in a manger, who would change the world.
Today, some of the Pharisees tried to stop the joyful noise of the disciples who echoed the angels, proclaiming God’s glory and peace to a people living under occupation, longing for a different way yet unable to see how it could be.
And then Jesus looked at the city, at the Temple, at the centre of his people’s world, and wept, for they did not recognise the things that make for peace.
They did not recognise the things that make for peace.
They did not recognise the presence of God in their midst.
They did not recognise that the way they’d always done things was obscuring God’s new call.
They did not recognise the kingdom of God was at hand, and it was different. It wasn’t a nationalistic military power with waving palms and titles and flags and a bigger arsenal. It wasn’t business as usual where those who participated in injustice the rest of the week could simply pretend the hour they spent in the Temple made it alright, as if it was the robbers’ safe haven. It wasn’t going to be possible to live in God’s new kingdom with only the old ways of seeing, and being, and doing that the leaders used to uphold their position in the institution.
At Christmas we proclaimed that God was with us, the prince of peace. Throughout Jesus’ ministry we have seen him show us what it means that the kingdom of God is here, now, being fulfilled in him: the blind see, the sick are healed, the poor get good news, the hungry are fed, and jubilee makes justice possible. When he entered the Temple he removed those who made a place of prayer into a marketplace. Yet when the angels song echoed through the voices of the disciples, all the leaders could hear was disruption. Disruption of their good life, their ease and normality, their comfort and position. And they tried to silence it, because they would rather live with the evil they know and that benefits them, than to step into the unknown even if it is toward the kingdom of God.
That’s the challenge, isn’t it? That so often we are constrained by the ways we’ve been taught, the way things have always been. We want “normal” so badly that we forget that it doesn’t actually work — it doesn’t work for the environment, it doesn’t work for those who are kept poor, it doesn’t work for those who are excluded, it doesn’t work for those who happen to be born in different coloured skin or differently abled bodies or in other parts of the world from here. We have tried to address some of that injustice but the reality is that we are caught in the trap of thinking we can change things with the same methods that got us where we are. The system is designed for the results it is getting…and the only way change happens is to disrupt the way things are.
If only we recognised the things that make for peace. And when we won’t learn the ways of peace, Jesus tells us that war and suffering and destruction is the inevitable result.
What if disruption is the thing that makes for peace? Not just any disruption, but the disruption of Jesus. He stepped into this world and insisted that power could look different, that justice was possible, that feeding each other and touching the outcast and creating a community from all sorts of people from all walks of life was what God’s kingdom would look like. He stretched out his arms and gave his life because God is love, and he invited us to abide in love and so to abide in God. His way is a different economic set-up, his life is a deeper relationship with God and each other, his truth that God is with us will set us free.
If only we recognised that God is in our midst. If only we saw the image of God. If only we cared enough about it to serve rather than be served.
It’s no wonder the people were spellbound by his teaching, and no wonder his disciples shouted with joy when he came into the city, proclaiming all the incredible things they had seen. Jesus painted a compelling picture of what abundant life in God’s kingdom is like — and he didn’t just talk about it, he embodied it, the Word made flesh. He offered a truth our hearts recognise even if our minds refuse.
So it’s no wonder the leaders wanted to silence them.
But God’s good news cannot be silenced. The voice that said “let there be light” is the voice that said “love your neighbour” is the voice that said “I will write my word on their hearts” is the voice that said “this is my Son, the beloved” is the voice that said “today the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” is the voice that said “you give them something to eat” is the voice that said “the first shall be last and the last shall be first” is the voice that calmed the sea saying “peace, be still” is the voice that said “this person is a child of Abraham” is the voice that said “the greatest among you must be your servant” is the voice that said “the stones would shout.”
This is the voice that will say “this is my body, given for you.” And the one that will say “into your hands I commend my spirit.” And the one that will meet us on the road to tell us stories we thought we knew.
Even the stones underfoot, the stones of the city walls, the stone in front of the tomb, proclaim the unfathomable grace of God.
Surely even hearts of stone can recognise this voice, can recognise the things that make for peace, can recognise God in our midst…and allow his disruption to change us, and so to change the world.
May it be so. Amen.
Musical Reflection: What Wondrous Love Is This
The Stones Shout Out
Take your stone in your hand. Look at it, turn it over, feel its contours, its weight, its shape.
If these stones could speak…
Would they tell us tales of being washed by the waves,
of being skipped over the surface of the water by children,
of being sniffed by dogs and serving as a perch for seagulls?
Would they tell us tales of being tumbled in the sea,
or of being pressed and pressed some more in the depths of the earth,
hot and cold,
bearing more than we can imagine?
Would they tell us tales of their past as sand or lime or lava?
Would they reveal the words God spoke in the beginning,
to bring them forth from the depths and fashion them into these colours and shapes?
Would we hear about the boulders they once were part of,
moving through the mountains and valleys to where we find them today?
If these stones could speak…
we might hear of times long past
we might hear of places far and near
we might get a different perspective…
Stones have been building blocks for buildings,
housing the joys and sorrows of everyday life,
the complexities of governing,
the mysteries of faith,
soaking up words and sounds and smells,
being carved by artists and visitors and children.
Stones have been the building blocks for roads,
carrying people here and there —
merchants and kings and fishermen and teachers,
women and men and children and animals and carts and cars.
Stones have been the building blocks of both war and peace,
thrown in anger,
stacked into walls,
built into sanctuaries for human and animal alike,
painted to share joy.
What stories these stones could tell!
Listen.
Hold your stone and listen —
Jesus says that when our voices are silent, the stones will shout.
The whole of creation reverberates with his good news:
The kingdom of God is among you!
The stones have seen kingdoms come and go,
yet still they hold the truth of the very beginning:
God’s word that created all things still runs through the heart of creation.
Listen to the stories the stone will tell,
the gospel it holds:
Jesus the Christ brings God’s kingdom here.
Let us join in welcoming him.
During this week, decorate your stone with an Easter message — perhaps a picture of an empty tomb, or an empty cross, or perhaps simply “christ is risen” or “alleluia”, or whatever message you think the stone wants to shout out today! When your stone is ready, take it on a walk and put it somewhere for someone else to find for Easter — the stones shout out the good news even when we can’t sing aloud!
You can use a Sharpie marker to decorate your stone, or paint. If you would like to use paint pens (very easy to use!), there are paint pens behind the door of the manse. Feel free to borrow a couple and then return them to the “used” cup, and I will disinfect them to be used by others.
Hymn 370: Ride On by John L Bell & Graham Maule
Benediction
Friends, listen for the good news of this Holy Week — that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, and Jesus not only shows us the way but is the way. As you proclaim that good news with your decorated stone and with your life, may the Spirit of God go above you to watch over you; may the Spirit of God go beside you to be your companion; may the Spirit of God go before you to show you the way and behind you to push you into places you might not go alone; and may the Spirit of God go within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine. May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.
Announcements
* All worship is online (or on the phone at 01475 270037, or in print) and we have also begun to meet in person, subject to the usual protocols for distancing, hand hygiene, mask wearing, and no singing yet. We can welcome 33 people for worship, so if you would like to come in person, please phone Cameron (630879) on a Friday morning between 10-12, or Anne Love (07904 617283) on a Saturday morning between 10-12 to book a place.
***Easter weekend will have two services: An Easter Vigil on Saturday evening at 8:30pm, and Easter Sunday morning at 11am. The same booking procedure applies to both services. An Easter service will also be available on our recording ministry by phoning 01475 270037 anytime after 11am on Easter morning.
* The Kirk now has online giving! If you have not already set up a standing order in order to facilitate your spiritual discipline of giving, or if you would like to make an extra gift to support the ministry St. John’s does in our parish, you can give online by clicking here. If you would like to set up a standing order, please contact Peter Bennett, our treasurer, or Teri and she can give you his details. You can also send your envelopes to the church or the manse by post and we will ensure they are received. Remember: no one is coming to your door to collect your envelopes, so please stay safe!
* The theme for worship during the season of Lent is “Recognition” — a word which means “understanding something we previously knew/have seen before.” God has written the covenant in our hearts, and we have heard Jesus’ teaching before…where do we recognise him in our daily lives, what lessons is he reminding us about when he tells his parables, and how do we return our way to the way he has faithfully laid out for us, time and again?
* Each day of Lent — 40 days not including Sundays — I will be posting a video on our Facebook page about “Faith in 40 Objects” — household things that can inform our faith journey, depending on how we look at them!
* Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Youtube, and to sign up for our email devotions! Midweek you can watch Wine and the Word on Youtube, pray with video devotions on Facebook, and consider a new angle on something with a devotional email. Feel free to share with your friends, too!
* Evening Prayer with Connect will be led by David this evening. Join us on the Connect Facebook Page at 6:58pm.
***The coffee money that we normally send on to the school in Venda has been exhausted. If you would like to contribute to keep our donations to the school going, please contact Rab & Eileen for bank details for donations, phone 634159.
Sunday service for 5 April 2020 — Palm Sunday
5 April 2020: Palm Sunday
Service prepared by the Rev. Teri C Peterson,
Gourock St. John’s Church of Scotland
Contact: tpeterson@churchofscotland.org.uk,
Welcome and Announcements
Though we cannot be together in person, we can be together in spirit! Please note the following announcements:
1. Today is Palm Sunday! If you would like to join our palm parade, you can download and print your very own palm branch by clicking here. Colour it in and hang it in your window, so we can all join in welcoming Jesus together!
2. Churches across Scotland are calling people to join together in prayer on Sunday evenings at 7pm, placing a lit candle in the window and spending time in prayer for others. We will have a prayer service Live on our Facebook page at 7pm. In addition, the moderator of our Presbytery has asked us to pause each day at 11am to pray for healing, health care workers, and our community.
3. During Holy Week, there will be a Facebook Live devotion each day at some point during the day (some will be morning, afternoon, evening…). In addition, Holy Week At Home activities have been sent to families with young children — if you would like an emailed activity pack for P1 and younger, please email Teri and she’ll send it to you!
4. Feel free to share this with others, with the attribution information at the top. If you know someone who does not have access to the internet and who also does not receive the tape ministry, you can either print this service out and share it with them, or let Teri know via email or phone call and we will be sure they receive a printed copy.
5. Mid-week there is a devotional email that goes out, it will be printed and included with the following Sunday’s sermon distribution. You can subscribe to the email here.
6. Also mid-week there is a facebook live video devotional on the St. John’s Gourock Facebook page.
7. If you or a church member you know is in need of friendly phone calls or help with anything while they self-isolate, please contact Teri. Elders are already in contact with people in their districts as well, and you can pass information to them! We are hoping to continue and even deepen our connections to one another, building up the Body of Christ even when we can’t be in the building.
Call to Worship: Psalm 118.19-29 (NRSV)
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
Song: Hosanna / Praise is Rising
Prayer and The Lord’s Prayer
Holy God, we come with hosannas and palms,
seeking your passion.
We seek to know your heart,
and to follow your way.
And yet we enter this week with trembling,
for we know it holds things we would rather avoid.
But you have promised never to leave us nor forsake us—
so walk this journey with us, Lord.
Or rather, guide us to walk with you.
For we confess that often we would prefer you to walk our way,
not the other way round.
We confess that we find it difficult to understand your intentions,
and sometimes your symbols are lost on us.
And we admit that we use our opinions as if they are your facts,
to keep others out and to silence other voices.
We come with hosannas and palms,
seeking your passion…
forgive us when we seek our own passion rather than yours,
when we turn our eyes from the cross
and, through our silence,
give power back to the violent status quo.
May your forgiveness take root in us,
that we may turn and re-turn
until we are transformed into your people of love.
Open our lips, O God, that we may declare your praise.
We pray in the name of Jesus the Christ, Love Incarnate, who taught us to pray together:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Sung prayer 382, verses 2-3
(tune: Passion Chorale, O Sacred Head Now Wounded)
O Lord of life and glory,
what bliss till now was thine!
I read the wondrous story;
I joy to call thee mine.
Thy grief and bitter Passion
were all for sinners’ gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
What language shall I borrow
to praise thee, heavenly Friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine for ever,
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never,
never outlive my love to thee.
Scripture Reading: Mark chapter 11, verses 1-11 (NIV)
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.”’
They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, ‘What are you doing, untying that colt?’ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
‘Hosanna!’
‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’
‘Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!’
‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
For the word of God in scripture,
for the word of God among us,
for the word of God within us,
Thanks be to God.
Sermon: The story is in the details
I have some friends who have said that in these days of “distancing” and “lockdown” and “isolation”, they notice more than ever when there are crowds of people in, for instance, television shows. It has already been so drilled into us to stay two metres apart, even after just a few weeks, that it’s startling to see crowds jostling each other on screen. It feels almost like a different world.
This story of Jesus entering Jerusalem feels a bit like that, as it’s full of things we can’t do right now….there are people moving about, going from town to town, and then lining the streets like a crowd at a parade, shaking out clothes and laying them down, handing out branches, shouting near each other without face masks….it’s startling how quickly something like this starts to feel unusual.
Of course, that day was unusual. Not because of the parade aspect — that may actually have been the most normal part of the day. At Passover there would be throngs of people coming to Jerusalem, making their pilgrimage to the holy city for the holy festival. And often those already in the city, whether residents or pilgrims who arrived earlier, would line the streets and welcome them. Normally they would do so by singing psalms, and the pilgrims would respond…and there are several psalms set aside for just this purpose, for going up to Jerusalem and for welcoming others in. Notice in our opening psalm today, Psalm 118, there is a line for those who are in the city already: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.” And there is a response from those who are entering: “The Lord is God, and he has given us light.” The psalm even mentions the branches!
But the details of the day…they were unusual. Mark’s gospel is renowned for its details, things that you wouldn’t expect to hear, as when he notes that during the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus had people sit down on the green grass, or when Jesus was asleep on the boat during a storm, he had a pillow. So I want to just explore a few of the little details Mark gives us in this story, details that we might usually gloss over. Why do these little details matter? Mark is a good storyteller, and he is the most concise of the gospel writers. He never wastes a word in conveying the point he wants to get across, so he would not have included them if he didn’t think they were important for some reason. Each of these seemingly insignificant details must tell us something about Jesus, and about the drama that is unfolding in Jerusalem.
- Bethany was about 2 miles from Jerusalem. There Jesus sent his disciples to look for a donkey — which would have been the normal mode of transport, of course, aside from walking. But this wasn’t just any donkey, it was a young, unbroken, never-been-ridden-before donkey. Why does it matter that the donkey is, shall we say, new?
In the prophets of the Old Testament we read that God’s anointed one will come, not on a warhorse, but on a donkey, a humble everyday pack animal. In contrast to the Roman emperor and his officials, Jesus enters God’s city in God’s way, and anyone who knew of his teaching and healing and then saw this entry would understand the reference. But why a young donkey that had never been ridden? Even the most humble person shouldn’t need to subject themselves to an unbroken colt. Then again, in the prophets we hear God saying “behold, I am doing a new thing…”. Could there be some symbolism here, of a new thing entering the holy city? Completely new, and maybe a little awkward to watch….. Not just a new king, but a completely new way of living, of understanding the world, of knowing God.
- Most homes at the time had a space at the front of the ground floor for animals to live. But this donkey was tied up in the doorway….not inside the house, not somewhere separate outside either. It was in in-between space, public and private at the same time. Why does it matter that the donkey was tied up in a doorway?
This week, Jesus is in and out of Jerusalem every day. The whole week feels a bit like the city and the disciples and even Jesus holding their breath. We are at the threshold of something big, but it isn’t all the way out in the open just yet. Each moment of the week takes us in and out…big public moments in the Temple, private moments in back rooms, and in-between in dining rooms with friends. There’s a lot of coming and going, as if we need reminding that Jesus and the ways he is changing the world affect every arena, not just public life, not just private life, but all of life.
- When the disciples untied the donkey from its doorway parking space, people questioned them, and the next unusual detail emerges: they said the teacher needed it, and would bring it back shortly. When exactly was Jesus planning to return the donkey?
I confess that there is a part of me that wonders if that detail is actually answered in the next bit:
- Jesus entered the city, and went up to the outer court of the Temple, and looked around…. “but since it was already late” he turned right around and went back to Bethany for the night. Why was it late? Did they get a late start? Did the unbroken donkey colt take longer to ride than he anticipated? Was there a big crowd and they couldn’t move fast enough? And why simply look and then turn around and go two miles back up the Mount of Olives to the very place they’d just left?
…was he late returning the donkey?
It does seem as if Mark is trying to tell us that the procession into the city took a very long time, not just the 45 minutes or so you would expect if you were making the journey in normal circumstances. Sadly, I think this might be one detail whose background we will never know for certain, but it is interesting to think about why it might have taken such a long time to go two miles! Perhaps it’s a reminder that we cannot control God’s timing.
- And one last detail, which all the gospel writers give us, and which is even in the Psalm if we know what to look for, but which often escapes us as modern readers in English translation. The crowd was shouting Hosanna — which we sometimes use as if it’s interchangeable with Hallelujah, but it isn’t really. Hosanna means “save us” — did you see it in the psalm? “Save us, we beseech you, O Lord” the psalmist wrote. Though, interestingly, in the responsive use of the psalm, those are the words said by the people approaching Jerusalem, and in the gospel story of Palm Sunday they are the words said by the crowd welcoming him into Jerusalem. And, of course, the name Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) has the same root as Hosanna….Jesus means “God saves”. So there is no one better for them to shout “Hosanna — save us!” to than the one whose very name is salvation.
It’s probably obvious why the order of the psalm response would be reversed. Of course it is the crowd that needs saving, and Jesus that can deliver. There would be no need for Jesus to be the pilgrim chanting those words, of course, when he embodies God’s salvation in himself.
I wonder, if we were to join the crowd, welcoming Jesus into the city, what would we be asking of him? When we call out “save us, we beseech you!” what are we asking for? Right now, of course many of us would ask for saving from pandemic viruses. But when we take all these details into account — the threshold at which we stand, the new thing that Jesus is doing, which is all-encompassing of every aspect of our private and public lives, the fact that God’s time is not always aligned with ours — what are we asking when we pray for The One Who Saves to rescue us?
The crowds that day were likely asking God “save us from Rome!”
Perhaps some of us today are praying “save us from ourselves!” as we become uncomfortably aware of things within us that are normally masked by our activities and relationships and busyness.
Or maybe “save us from each other!” if being cooped up together is starting to get to us!
Save us from illness…..save us from death…..save us from grief….save us from despair….
Some might be praying to save our economy, save our NHS, save our planet…
Whatever you are praying for today, know this: Jesus is salvation. Not just his name, but his life, his presence, his Way, his Truth. And he turns everything around, from the order of the psalm response, to the order of the world. He is doing a new thing that no one else can accomplish, and it will involve all of us—heart, soul, mind, and strength—in his love.
May it be so. Amen.
Offering Prayer
Lord, you call us to match our giving to our gratitude.
It feels impossible, for all we have is a gift from you,
and we cannot hope to fully express our thanks.
But with you, all things are possible.
Teach us again that in giving, we are able to receive,
and in practicing generosity, we become more like you.
Bless these gifts, the fruits of our labour,
that they may in turn bless others, bringing glory to you
and a glimpse of your kingdom on earth.
We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
You are invited to place your offering envelope in a safe place until we can meet again. Or, if you haven’t already, to consider setting up a standing order so that your spiritual practice of giving can continue. Please remember: no one will come to your door to collect your offering while the church building is closed! Stay safe.
Offering Response Hymn 392, verse 4
(tune: Rockingham, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross)
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
We call out, O God…
We call out in praise and gratitude, for all your gifts to us.
For your love and mercy,
for the gift of your Son living among us,
for the gift of your Spirit living within us,
for the gift of your creation sustaining our life,
for the gift of minds and hearts that seek to serve.
We call out to you, offering our thanks
for those who are
tirelessly researching;
processing tests and scans;
working behind the scenes;
keeping shelves stocked and rooms clean;
tending the sick and dying;
assisting neighbours;
phoning friends.
May they know that they are your hands and feet,
and may they sense your presence with them,
and working through them.
…
We call out to you, O God, for you are the one who saves us.
We call out in fear, in anxiety, in grief…
We call out in hope, in trust, in love…
For those who are
ill, at home or in hospital or in care;
bereaved, and unable to grieve with friends;
anxious or depressed, and missing their coping strategies;
lonely, and feeling forgotten;
living amidst violence, and wondering how to find safety.
Send your healing, comforting Spirit to fill them,
and bring peace and hope like a light in the shadows.
…
We call out to you, O God, for you are the one who saves us.
We call out, because injustice depends on our silence.
We call out on behalf of those whose voices have been muted.
For those places and peoples in the midst of war, famine, violence, and unrest:
May your peace transform all things, in homes and streets and halls of power.
For those who are counting on our attention being diverted:
May your goodness be stronger than evil.
For those who have lost jobs, or homes, or independence, or hope:
May your kindness be evident in the hands of friend and stranger.
For all of us, in the midst of this upheaval:
May we remember that you turned things upside down,
and may your courage sustain us as we seek to do your will even now.
…
We call out to you, O God: Hosanna, Jesus.
Amen.
Song: Hosanna to the King
Benediction
Whatever is on your heart when you cry out “Hosanna, save us”, know that the Spirit of God goes above you to watch over you; the Spirit of God goes beside you to be your companion; the Spirit of God goes before you to show you the way, and behind you — to push you into places you might not go alone; and the Spirit of God goes within you, to remind you that you are loved more deeply than you can possibly imagine.
May the fire of God’s love burn brightly in you, and through you into the world. Go in peace. Amen.
Sung Response (tune: Gourock St. John’s)
Now may the Lord of all be blessed,
Now may Christ’s gospel be confessed,
Now may the Spirit, when we meet,
bless sanctuary and street.