Palm Sunday ~ April 13, 2025
Call to Worship:
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.
Hosanna! Blessed is our King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him the name that is above every name.
Blessed is Jesus, our Saviour and our friend! Glory to the Creator and the Spirit, ever three and ever one!
Hymn: #674 In the bulb there is a flower
Prayer of Approach and Confession:
Holy God,
Source, Saviour and Spirit of all life,
Holy Three and Holy One,
In you, we confront the mystery of mercy and the courage of compassion.
As we face the cross on which Christ gave himself,
we confront your willingness to die for us so that we might find new life.
As the Spirit speaks to us through the story of your amazing love,
spilled out in the blood of Christ,
our hearts are moved to praise you.
Words cannot express our awe,
the grief and the gratitude stirring within us,
for all you have given us,
and for all you will give us through such unspeakable love.
We fall silent in wonder and praise, Holy God.
Merciful God,
Filled with wonder and praise,
we acknowledge to you how often we fall short of your purposes for us.
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,
for we pray in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon:
The Apostle Paul wrote: “This saying is sure and worthy of our full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”.
It doesn’t matter how big or how small our sins;
God’s forgiving love in Jesus Christ can cover them all.
Trust that, in Christ, we are forgiven.
Be at peace with God, with yourself and with each other.
Hymn: #217 Ride on, ride on in majesty
Anthem: Hosanna to the Son of David – David Halls
Scripture Readings: Psalm 31:9-16
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,[b]
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
Philippians 2:5-11
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Meditation: “New Pathway”
Childhood memories of Palm Sunday bring sounds of anthems and Hallelujahs! Palm branches decked the Sanctuary and joined the children’s voices singing “Loudest Hosannas, Jesus is King!” This day is a rehearsal for the great Easter service to come. The sweetness of Easter Lilies will soon replace the palms.
At any rate, in my memory Palm Sunday was a glorious day. It was a day full of great hymns and fun filled stories. It still is, but there is a difference between the childhood wonder and the adult comprehension of this day. A childhood excitement sees the joy of the waving palms, the adult sees the somber figure of Jesus riding toward Calvary making the entry into Jerusalem less triumphant. Our hearts and minds quickly become engaged in the passion events of the week. The day is now often called Palm Sunday. It’s difficult to pretend to re-live childhood sights and sounds. With maturity comes experience in human inconsistency and deceit, exploitation and absence of integrity. Life is less complicated when you “go with the flow”, hide with the crowd. This Jesus, if he is really King, is going to make it, isn’t he?
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul uses an ancient Christian hymn to jerk us into reality. From the perspective of centuries, we realize that we are not called to be observers of the procession, but participants through the very mind of Christ. “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 the cross.”
This is not a Jesus being taken to Jerusalem. This is one who chooses to go. His words “no one takes my life, I give it” should ring in our ears and inspire our hearts to overcome the fluctuations of life. We are not helpless individuals plodding through life, but, in God’s sight and purpose, we are persons of value. Our minds God would use to save the world.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul uses the words: “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2.
As we follow the scriptural passion narrative of Jesus we witness his institution of the Lord’s Supper. As he takes the bread and breaks it, and gives thanks, gives it to his disciples, he symbolizes his body being broken – for them, (and for us). The cup, he says, is the New Covenant in his blood. Jesus interpreted his own life within the context of the New Covenant made by God through the prophet Jeremiah.
“The days are surely coming says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and house of Judah. It will not be like the Covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. It will put my law within them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sins no more.”
Jesus settles a dispute about who is the greatest among the disciples by defining and modeling servant leadership. This is the mind of Christ. He predicts that Peter will deny him. He leads the disciples to the Mt. of Olives, his customary place of prayer, withdraws from them and struggles to do the will of God. Obedience does not come easily, even to the Son of God. His betrayal, arrest and crucifixion follow. He is obedient unto death. This is the mind of Jesus.
When in marking Palm Sunday, we wave the branch of palms, or wear the neatly cut crosses made from the palm, we are called to remember not only the drama of the day, but also the purpose of the day – so that we, with renewed minds and hearts, can by the depth of God’s love for us transform the world.
May we have the mind of Jesus Christ! Amen.
Hymn: #218 Hosanna, loud hosanna
Invitation of Offering:
Let us honour Christ and bring our offerings of praise to him. Let us present to God our gifts and offerings for the transformation of this world.
Doxology: #830 Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Prayer of Dedication:
In glad thanksgiving for all the blessings we know in this life, we give you our praise. We thank you for the gifts of music, art, poetry and science and for all the ways you reveal your wisdom to us. Accept our offerings and use them and us for the building of your kingdom in this world. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.
Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer:
Almighty God,
Christ came to us in humility,
reaching out to all your little ones with mercy and compassion.
You ask us to do the same.
So today we pray for all those who find themselves in humble circumstances:
for those who do not have any or adequate shelter in our community and in this country; for the poor and all who find themselves without sufficient resources to cope and flourish; for those who live in isolation and loneliness.
Strengthen them in your mercy, and humble us, lest we forget how much we have to be grateful for.
&nbp;
God of care and compassion,
we pray for all those who have been humbled by life’s unexpected turns.
We remember before you those who face illness, pain or injury;
those who have known death or disaster, fear or failure;
and all who struggle with anxiety and uncertainty.
We pray for victims of crime and those who suffer through the misjudgment or mistakes of others.
And we pray for those who suffer because of the consequences
of their own actions and choices.
Embrace them in your mercy,
and humble us, lest we imagine we can live lives untouched by trouble.
God of power and might,
hear us as we pray for those who have not learned the lessons of humility yet:
for those who live carelessly or drive recklessly, endangering themselves and others;
for those who abuse the trust and power in their positions,
betraying those whose interests are in their hands;
And we pray for those who mislead others for gain
or indulge their fame with no thought for the example they set.
Humble them in your mercy,
And humble us if we are tempted to ignore the consequences of our own actions.
God of grace and transformation, hear us now as we speak to you of people and places near and dear to our hearts, whose comforts are few and struggles too many…
And now we gather our prayers into one voice and pray as Jesus taught:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
Hymn: #214 All glory, laud and honour
Benediction:
Go in peace; be of good courage, hold fast to what is good, render no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted, support the weak, help the afflicted, honour all people, love and serve God
Now may the LORD keep us and bless us,
May the LORD make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious unto us,
Now and for ever more, AMEN.
Choral Closing: “Go Now in Peace”
Go now in peace. Never be afraid.
God will go with you each hour of every day.
Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true.
Know He will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe.
Reach out to others so all the world can see.
God will be there watching from above.
Go now in peace, in faith, and in love.
April 6th, 2025
https://pccweb.ca/knox-goderich/files/2025/04/The-Vision.docx