Acknowledgement of Country
As we gather to worship, we acknowledge the Dharawal peoples. We offer our respect to their elders past and present. We honour their care of this Country. We acknowledge their unceded sovereignty.
As we walk into Jerusalem with Jesus, a walk showered in love, a walk clothed in justice, we commit ourselves to follow this way of love and justice.
We commit to seeking a more just world for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Intro to the Theme
Palm Sunday marks the progression from the joy and strength of all who follow Jesus to the challenges and bleak days leading up to the crucifixion. It is important to attend to both of these aspects as we worship.
With this in mind, we begin our time together with a focus on the palms flowing into the story of the passion of Christ before the end of the day.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Behold the one who enters Jerusalem on a donkey!
Behold the one who comes in humility!
Behold the one who comes to deliver us – with a love that never quits!
Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!
Let’s worship together, let’s pray
Opening Prayer
God of love,
God of justice,
open our eyes to the journey.
In the midst of this turbulent day
filled with the highest of highs
and the lowest of lows
may we seek to practise the Way
as Jesus did.
Amen.
Psalm 118
A song of thanks to God for always loving us, helping us through tough times, winning over our troubles, and reminding us to be happy and grateful for God’s never-ending kindness and care.
Bible Reading: Psalm 118
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.[a]
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up[b] to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
PRAYER OF INVOCATION
Come, Lord Jesus.
Enter into the threshold of our lives,
our hearts,
our imaginations!
Be with us this day.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Song: At the Name of Jesus
At the name of Jesus
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess him
King of Glory now
This the Father’s pleasure
That we call him Lord
Who from the beginning
Was the mighty Word.
Humbled for a season
To receive a name
From the lips of sinners
Unto whom he came
Faithfully he bore it
Spotless to the last
Brought it back victorious
When from death he passed
In your hearts enthrone him
There let him make new
All that is not holy
All that is not true
He is God the Saviour
He is Christ the Lord
Ever to be worshipped
Trusted and adored
© Words: Public Domain; Music: 1960 Josef Weinberger Ltd
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Life-giving God,
you march headfirst into the wounds of the world with courage,
with honesty, and with a summons for us to become more than we are.
This is the courageous and costly way of bringing healing
into the places that desperately need your light and love.
God, we confess that we so regularly take the option
of sitting back from the hard realities of life.
We talk. We discuss.
We judge and accuse.
And nothing really changes.
Forgive us, God,
for all the ways we avoid entering into the wounds of the world.
HEAR THESE WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Jesus enters into human lives –
into our brokenness,
into our wrongdoing –
with a scandalous grace that speaks fresh words of love,
that offers fresh words of forgiveness,
and shimmering invitations to begin again.
God loves you. God forgives you.
Amen.
SETTING THE SCENE
Our Mark reading today tells the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, where crowds welcomed him joyfully, laying down cloaks and palm branches while shouting praises, and acknowledging him as the blessed one who ‘comes in the name of the Lord.’
I note the symbolism of arriving on a donkey rather than a horse. Horses are military, but donkeys come in peace. And with a festival like Passover the Romans were on high alert!
In a moment we will be setting up palm branches in front of the communion table as the song ‘Hosanna’ is heard. The word Hosanna – I wonder if you know what it means?
It means ‘Save Now’.
Song: Hosanna (I see the King of glory)
Verse 1
I see the King of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes yeah
Verse 2
I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing
Chorus
Hosanna hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna hosanna
Hosanna in the highest
Verse 3
I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith
Verse 4
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We’re on our knees
We’re on our knees
Bridge
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity
By Brook Ligertwood
© 2006 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia
Bible Reading
Mark 11: 1-10
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
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, 5 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. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 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.
Message: My Broken Hosanna
ANY REMINDERS, NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS
OFFERING BLESSING
Let us bring our gifts to God with a spirit of gratitude. Our offering will now be received.
Loving God, accept the gifts we bring together this day. May they be an invitation to love, and a call for justice. May they be used in the world for the enrichment of all. Amen.
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
In some respects this is a cry for God to Save us now but there is something here for us.
A call to action for us to hear what God is calling us to do in that same cry ‘Hosanna, Save Now’.
Song: Hosanna! (Will You Rise?)
The Porters Gate
As the song is played the Palms and Coats will be moved behind the communion table against the wall either side of the cross as we now turn our worship to the journey to the cross..
When the waters rise all around
When the rocks and trees, they cry out
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven
Hosanna! Hosanna
Will You rise? Will You rise
Hosanna! Hosanna
Will You rise? Will You rise
Fill us with Your breath to renew
Care for what you’ve made as You do
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven
Hosanna! Hosanna
Will You rise? Will You rise
Hosanna! Hosanna
Will You rise? Will You rise
Hosanna! Hosanna
Will You rise? Will You rise
Hosanna! Hosanna
Will You rise? Will You rise
Will You rise? Will You rise
Will You rise? Will You rise
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
Here on earth as it is in heaven
Songwriters: Leslie Anne Jordan / Isaac Wardell / Terrian Bass / Nicholas Chambers
Hosanna! (Will You Rise?) lyrics © Integrity’s Praise! Music, Little Way Creative, Pg Songs And Hymns
Song: From heaven you came, helpless babe
From heav’n You came helpless babe
Enter’d our world Your glory veil’d
Not to be served but to serve
And give Your life that we might live
Chorus
This is our God the Servant King
He calls us now to follow Him
To bring our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to the Servant King
Verse 2
There in the garden of tears
My heavy load He chose to bear
His heart with sorrow was torn
Yet not my will but Yours He said
Verse 3
Come see His hands and His feet
The scars that speak of sacrifice
Hands that flung stars into space
To cruel nails
Surrendered
Verse 4
So let us learn how to serve
And in our lives enthrone Him
Each other’s needs to prefer
For it is Christ we’re serving
By Graham Kendrick
© 1983 Thankyou Music
FINAL THOUGHTS
Jesus is always entering into the human experience.
Every step along the way has been a divinely commissioned journey that involves going over old ground, exodus ground, a journey that will ultimately carry Jesus into the depths of human suffering and death.
As Jesus marches towards Jerusalem, his compassionate, forgiving and embracing presence will bring him into a head-on conflict with the powers-that-be.
Jesus could have kept his distance from the whole mess. But that’s not what Jesus does.
There’s no avoiding going to the heart of the deepest issues.
Jesus plunges into brokenness, into conflicts that divide and diminish even though there will be grave consequences for Jesus.
Why?
Because you can only transform that which you are willing to enter into.
So, Jesus enters in – into Jerusalem, into conflict, with both challenge and invitation.
Jesus never writes anyone off.
He doesn’t give up on the possibility that good might come out of even the most terrible realities.
Jesus is love, delivering love – no matter the stakes.
Paraphrase of The last Days of Jesus Amanda Nicholas
In those days, before the big festival of Passover and unleavened bread, some leaders were figuring out ways to capture and get rid of Jesus.
They were afraid of causing a scene during the festival, so they made plans in secret.
Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon. A woman came in with an expensive jar of perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head, and some of the people there got upset, saying it was a waste. But Jesus told them to leave her be, acknowledging that she did a beautiful thing for him.
Later, during the Passover feast, Jesus shared a meal with his friends, and he predicted that one of them would betray him.
Judas, one of his closest companions, ended up leading those who wanted to arrest Jesus.
Jesus was taken away, put through a trial where false witnesses spoke against him, and eventually sentenced to death by crucifixion.
Jesus was mocked, insulted, and nailed to a cross.
While he hung there, some bystanders misunderstood and taunted him, but Jesus stayed strong until his last breath, eventually dying, and bringing an unusual darkness over the land.
His body was taken down, wrapped in cloth, and placed in a tomb.
Mark 14:1—15:47
A Plot To Kill Jesus (Mark 14:1–2)
At Bethany (Mark 14:3–9)
Judas and the Chief Priests (Mark 14:10–11)
Jesus Eats with His Disciples (Mark 14:12–21)
The Lord’s Supper (Mark 14:22–26)
Peter’s Promise (Mark 14:27–31)
Jesus Prays (Mark 14:32–42)
Jesus Is Arrested (Mark 14:43–52)
Jesus Is Questioned by the Council (Mark 14:53–65)
Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus (Mark 14:66–72)
Pilate Questions Jesus (Mark 15:1–5)
The Death Sentence (Mark 15:6–15)
Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus (Mark 15:16–21)
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross (Mark 15:22–32)
The Death of Jesus (Mark 15:33–41)
Jesus Is Buried (Mark 15:42–47)
Word for the Day
As we reread the Palm and Passion stories, what has changed in our understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to be a follower of the Way?
COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
As we approach Easter,
know that even in your darkest places,
Jesus is already there.
Jesus enters into our lives –
the good, the bad, the ugly –
with delivering love.
Every millimetre of Jesus’ journey
traces the depth and breadth of God’s love for all of us.
And here,
in the shadow of the cross,
Jesus continues to enter in,
bringing good from even the worst things,
life even from death.
Go with courage.
Go with hope.
God is with you.
Jesus goes before you.
Amen
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