 Welcome, Cheviot churches! We worship together on this Palm Sunday/ Passion Sunday.
Notices:
Through the hosannas and waving palms, Come walk the road with Christ Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We will walk with him Through the betrayal and the denial. Come walk the road with Christ Behold the lamb of God. We will walk with him Through the palms and the passion, the prayers and the pain, come and walk the road with him Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We will walk with him Hymn 367 – Hosanna, loud hosanna Prayers of Adoration and Confession Lord Jesus, you enter our lives humbly, Riding on a donkey, staying at our level, inviting our response. Circle our hearts, centre our minds, still our bodies. Be present to us now. Almighty God, whose love endures forever, who meets us where we are, who meets us as we are— our true selves: flawed and broken, sick and well, sad and joyous, doubtful and sure; but forever held in your steadfast love. As we begin this week of contemplation and reflection, guide our thoughts towards the life and teachings of our saviour Jesus. Show us the way forward and through the difficulties of this life and these troubling times; lead us towards the gates of your kingdom We confess it is easier for us to follow the crowd than follow Christ; we prefer to avoid conflict rather than stand up for your mercy and understanding. We allow strident voices in our times to drown out your wisdom and truth. Forgive us, O God. Fill us with the courage to take up our cross and follow Jesus, even when the cost to follow is high and reputations are at stake. Jesus says, ‘No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends’. Jesus brings light to those in darkness, forgiveness to those who truly confess, and pardon to all who seek to follow Jesus. We are a forgiven people. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Isaiah 50: 4-9a Luke 19: 28-40 Blessing of Palm Crosses We thank you Lord for these palm crosses, A simple reminder of the love you showed for us. As we take them into our homes, May they remind us through this special week That you gave your life for us upon the cross. May they remind us of how deep and wide and high Is the love you have for us. As we take them into our homes, So may we take your love into our hearts And worship you as Saviour and King. And like the people on that first Palm Sunday, May we also cry ‘Hosanna, Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord’. Hymn MP 167 – Give me joy in my heart (1,3,4) Weekly Prayer Sovereign Lord, we thank you for loving our world so much that you freely gave your one and only Son to bring eternal life. Help us to welcome Him as we worship the one who brings much-needed peace on earth. "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of The Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Amen Reflection (with thanks to Michael Rummiger) He was minding his own business. But he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time…. or so it seemed. He was from the town of Cyrene on the coast of Libya. Now, every Jew wanted to go to Jerusalem for Passover, at least once in their lifetime, and so Simon arrived in Jerusalem. If it was his first trip, he must have been filled with excitement, to be there right at the centre of things for the Passover feast. Jerusalem at Passover was always crowded, but this year, the crowd seemed more tense. People were angry and shouting ‘Crucify him’. Others looked sad. Maybe Simon saw a women, crying out ‘My son’ or a man saying ‘He healed me’. Simon from Cyrene was stuck in the middle of the crowd, the wrong place at the wrong time. For suddenly Simon felt a hand grabbing him – a Roman soldier. Simon may have wanted to go to the Temple to pray, but instead he is in the grip of a soldier – and you don’t mess with them. Then Simon sees another man, hardly recognisable because of all the blood. He was one of those to be executed, but too weak to carry his cross. Why had they beaten him? Why the crown of thorns? He was losing so much blood – would they even need to crucify him? But the soldier was saying something to him, which made no sense. ‘Carry his cross’. What? ‘Carry the cross’. Maybe Simon tried to object, but Roman soldiers expected obedience. So Simon picks up the cross. A cross he didn’t deserve; a cross that didn’t belong to him; a cross that made no sense. Then they started to walk, Simon and Jesus. Both of them suffering; both burdened. But they kept going, one step at a time. Did they say anything to each other? We don’t know, But perhaps Simon recognised that Jesus was no ordinary person and certainly no criminal. He didn’t deserve to die. On this Palm Sunday, we remember how Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem to acclaim, but it is also Passion Sunday and by his very action, Jesus was a threat to those in power. He had to die. In the account of the Passion, Simon of Cyrene is only mentioned briefly, though Mark mentioned the possibility that his two sons became Christians. Simon may have thought that he was stuck in the crowd, in the wrong place at the wrong time, but with hindsight, maybe he realised that he was in the right place at the right time. Because every human being can have a moment when a cross is handed to us. We don’t deserve it. It makes no sense. It confuses and frightens us. But one thing becomes clear. We are not walking alone. As Simon carried the cross, he was walking with Jesus. As we carry our crosses, we walk with Jesus, and in Him, that’s where we find our peace and strength. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. But it happened. Simon didn’t deserve to carry a muckle big cross. But it happened. We don’t deserve the cancer or the depression or the heart trouble. We don’t deserve to lose a job or lose a loved one or undergo a family crisis. The people of Ukraine don’t deserve their sufferings. But these crosses are handed to us. And you pick it up. And you put one foot in front of the other. And you slowly realize – we are not walking alone. The One who suffered is walking beside us. The One whose hands were nailed is waving us forward. The One whose heart was pierced with a sword is loving us. And the One who rose from the dead is promising that we will rise too. Simon was in the right place at the right time. How else could he have discovered that this undeserved cross was the tool God would use to reveal the closeness of Jesus? And how else could God teach Simon that the greatest gift we can give to one another is to help our brother and sister carry their crosses? Hymn 399 – My song is love unknown (1-4,7) Prayers of Dedication & Intercession God of justice, in a world that continues to tell the tired old story that might is right, we give you thanks that, in Jesus, you have shown a new and different way— that real strength is found in vulnerability and through self-giving acts of humble service. We pray for those in positions of power— for heads of state, and for those who serve in government at local and national level, that they govern wisely and well, and with integrity, putting the needs of constituents and country above their own desires. We pray for people who live under the heel of oppressive regimes, for countries where lawlessness has replaced the rule of law, for places where human wrongs are the order of the day, not human rights. We remember the ones forced to flee their homelands for daring to speak truth to power, or who are discriminated against because of their faith, gender, orientation, or the colour of their skin. Lord, may your kingdom come where justice is mixed with mercy. We continue to remember the terrible war in Ukraine and also the suffering in Yemen and Syria. God of compassion, we pray for the most vulnerable in our communities, those who have been bruised by life, those for whom hope has gone, who see only darkness and despair. We especially think of those worried about the cost of living. We think of joyous events and celebrations, of births and weddings, and especially today of long marriages, and we thank you for Caroline and Kenneth. We pray for those who are ill and those who tend to them. Give comfort to all who wait and watch, to those who are weary and overwhelmed, and to those who are walking the way of grief. Lord, may your kingdom come where compassion is a by-word, and no-one is left without care. In a moment of quiet prayer, we bring before you all who are on our minds and in our hearts at this time, and we pray for our own particular needs God, who makes all things new, we offer you these, our prayers, in Jesus’ name. Amen Hymn 370 - Ride on, ride on – the time is right The time is not yet, but the darkness is gathering. The time is not yet, but the main players are taking their positions. Dither not, but come back tomorrow and wait with the Son of God, for his friends are few in this world of hatred. The time is not yet, but our time is now: to be here and trust a love that will see this thing through. Go, but be back, for Jesus needs his friends. Benediction Go into Holy Week, walking in the footsteps of Christ and may the blessing of God, Creator, Guide and Inspirer, rest and remain with you, now and forevermore. Amen
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