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A Palm Sunday video to begin our worship
Let’s lift up our voices and sing Hosanna in the highest to the King of kings
Please turn to scripture with me as we read of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Luke 19:28-44
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[a]
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” 41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”
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How has your relationship with God been throughout the last few months? Have you been able to drawer closer to God? God called us all into a deeper relationship with Him. Maybe your prayer life has taken on a new dimension. Maybe you are spending more time in prayer. More time reading your scriptures. Or, just maybe, your prayer life seems, just that little bit harder. Well, now is the time to come before God in prayer.
Lets stand in awe of him as we entre into a time of prayer on Palm Sunday
Let Us pray
O Lord, who, on this day entered Jerusalem a city that later rejected you: We confess that our wills are as rebellious as Jerusalem’s, that our faith is often more show than substance, that our hearts are in need of cleansing. Have mercy on us, son of David, Saviour of our lives. Help us to lay at your feet all that we have and all that we are, trusting you to forgive what is sinful, to heal what is broken, to welcome our praises, and to receive us as your own.
Triumphant Lord, We rejoice in your entry into the world and into our lives! Joining with the crowds, we sing your praises and exalt your reign, but even so, our hearts are far from true worship, our minds are distant from true understanding. Help us to reflect in our lives the glory of your Son and to live faithfully here and now. Have mercy on us, Saviour of all. Forgive what we have done and who we have been. Bring us home again and impart within us a new song of joy and celebration. As we enter Holy week, turn our hearts again to Jerusalem, and to the life, death, and resurrection of you our Saviour Jesus Christ. Stir up within us the gift of faith that we may not only praise him with our lips, but may follow him in the way of the cross. We bring before you Our country. Our community. Our Families, Our Church. Our world. Lord we cry out to you; save us. Be with us all and save us. Amen.
Please share with me in the Lord’s Prayer
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.
And 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.
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Let us sing : Ride On Ride On In Majesty. From Songs Of Praise.
Ride on ride on in majesty! in lowly pomp ride on to die; Bow thy meek head to mortal pain, then take O God, thy power and reign. When Jesus comes again. He will come in power and reign eternally, Amen
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We will now listen to the Staff Songsters: In the secret Of Thy Presence.
In the secret of thy presence, where the pure in heart may dwell
Are the sprigs of sacred service and a power that none can tell
There my love must bring its offering, there my heart must yield its praise
and the Lord will come, revealing, all the secrets of his ways. Amen.
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THE OVATION WAS DESERVED
What would you do if you knew that: “This Friday you’re going to die”? Those very words might have crossed Jesus’ mind on this Sunday some 2000 years ago. The day we now call Palm Sunday was the first day of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. This Friday Jesus is going to die. But today – today is a day of applause.
When Jesus approached Jerusalem, the scene was intense. He arrived at Passover time. A crowd of Jewish religious pilgrims had already flooded the city. And into this throng rides Jesus on the back of a donkey, and with him, his own parade. Scripture tells us that the crowd “began joyfully to praise God.” They lifted up shouts of Hosanna! Which means, “Save!” They shouted, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” The Old Testament prophet Zechariah wrote: (Read Zechariah 9:9) This was to be the last spontaneous display of public approval of Jesus, and it was also to be the greatest. Why would these people applaud him at all? Scripture gives us some clues. It says, they “praised God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.” They had seen the crippled walk. They had witnessed the blind receiving sight. Even the dead were raised. Lazarus was proof! In a word, He brought hope.
Can we not imagine a Roman soldier galloping up to check on the disturbance. He has attended processions in Rome where they do it right. The conquering general sits in a chariot of gold, white stallions pulling at the reigns. Behind him are officers in polished armour carrying the colourful banners of the defeated enemies. At the rear comes a ragtag procession of slaves and prisoners in chains – living proof of what happens when you get in Rome’s way.
But this triumphal entry of Jesus, the adoring crowd makes up the ragtag procession: the lame, the blind, the poor and children from Galilee and Bethany. When the soldier looks for the object of their attention – he sees a man riding on a donkey using a borrowed coat as a saddle. Not a very impressive sight to a Roman. But it was the best display these people could give. The reception of a meek and of a peaceful King. The applause was certainly deserved.
There is something ambivalent about this day of excitement though. If you know the rest of the story you’re probably aware that the week goes downhill from here all the way to Friday. The story comes to its climax, not in Jesus entering Jerusalem, but in his weeping over it. While Jesus deserves a triumphal entry as king, Luke emphasizes that he is moving instead to the place of his rejection. Eventually the applause ends. Quickly the mood will change. And a great truth is dramatically reinforced. That people can be very fickle at times. The same voices that shouted, “Hosanna!” on Sunday were yelling, “Crucify him,” and “Give us Barabbas,” by Friday morning. It’s pretty sad.
Judas ended up selling out for 30 pieces of silver. And when Jesus was arrested Thursday night in the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew’s Gospel closes the scene with these chilling words, “Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” (Matthew 26:56) Where was all the applause then? You know what’s even more sad? A little earlier in the evening in a moment of applause Peter told Jesus, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” (Matthew 26:33) But Peter took off too. Then he denied knowing Jesus 3 times before the sun came up.
When Jesus was on the way to Calvary on Friday, severely lacerated and beaten, struggling under the weight of his own cross, he needed someone to carry the cross for him. Surely one of the disciples would leap from the crowd and volunteer. Surely one of them would surface now and show his face. But no, a stranger named Simon, who just happened to be passing through the city, had to be forced at spearpoint to carry his cross.
Palm Sunday leaves me with a question about myself. Would I have fared any better than those disciples? Do I fare any better today? This is a question for each of us to ponder…
We can all be caught up in the moment. We can all get caught up in the excitement of cheering for Jesus. But when the rubber hits the road, we too, can be fickly human beings.
Maybe you’ve been to a big Christian gathering where there was excitement in numbers. Great times of worship, great times of learning, a big crowd. Easy to be a Christian there. Easy to applaud Jesus in a setting like that. It’s easy to applaud Jesus when you’re in a crowd that’s already giving him applause. Then you go home. Then what? The point is we can’t gauge our commitment to Jesus solely by the applause we give Him.
Without close contact with the source of the excitement, your fervour will not remain. If your life is consistently marked by the absence of a personal quiet time; there is no way that you will ever be anything but a Christian on the side-line. You see, It’s about a love relationship. Do you want to kick habit of always being on the side-line. Do you want to take the next step toward becoming a Christian? Then make this prayer with me today.
May the King of kings bless each and everyone one of you on this Palm Sunday. Let us lift Him upon high, let us be humble, kind, gracious and loving. Amen.
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As we come to the close of our worship together, remember that God’s Mercy Seat is just where you are right now. Kneel before him. Stand before him. Sit before Him. But bring yourself to him in contrite prayer.
Let us sing together or just let us listen to; Our Father
Please spend time now, in personal prayer. Prayer for your family. Loved ones. Friends. Pray for our Church family. Pray for, togetherness. Pray for strength, courage, healing and power. Power to live the life Jesus wants us to live as we all journey through Holy Week
The Lord bless Thee and keep thee
The make his face shine upon thee
And be gracious unto thee
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee
And give thee peace.
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