Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Palm Sunday – 29 March, 2026 – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
Introit: “Wominjeka Everyone” – (Tune Clementine)
Wominjeka, wominjeka, wominjeka everyone.
Wominjeka, wominjeka, wominjeka everyone.
Lighting the Christ Candle:
In lighting the Christ Candle this day,
we remember that Christ is the Light of the World and the One who guides us.
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we come to worship together,
let us acknowledge where we are.
Here is the land, here is the sky.
Here are my friends, and here am I.
We gather today on traditional Land.
With our First Nations people we’ll walk hand in hand.
We’d like to say thank you for letting us share
the land that you love, and we promise to care.
Opening Prayer:
Jesus, friend and lover of us all,
you ride into our experience,
through the turmoil, in simplicity on a donkey.
Help us to get to grips with you still coming to us
in new, unexpected ways.
We celebrate your coming,
riding through all the clamour
and broken trust of our world.
Entering past our confusion,
our obsession with weapons and power;
ride on and confront our descent towards disaster
with your peaceful, transforming resistance.
Jesus, we look to you;
to ride into our patch, bringing hope and dignity.
In the name of Christ, who sets us free
and makes us whole.
Amen
Call to Worship:
Will you follow? Will you lay down your coat?
Will you lay down something important?
Will you shout “Hosanna”? Will you join the parade?
Will you sing, even if your throat is hoarse?
Will you cut down a palm branch? Will you wave it in the air?
Will you follow the one riding on a donkey?
Will you let this good news inspire you to act?
We will. We will sing. We will pay close attention.
We will worship. We will follow.
Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna in the highest!
We Sing: Hosanna – (TiS 724)
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Lord, we lift up your name with hearts full of praise.
Be exalted, O Lord my God!
Hosanna in the highest!
Glory, glory, glory to the King of kings!
Glory, glory, glory to the King of kings!
Lord, we lift up your name with hearts full of praise.
Be exalted, O Lord my God!
Glory to the King of kings!
Gratitude Wall:
There are many things that we have to be thankful for, and so today we are going to build a gratitude wall. On your way into worship you were handed a brick with some tape on it. During worship today, you are invited to write on the tape something that you feel gratitude for. There are many things we might feel gratitude for … family, friends, medical teams, a safe home, enough money to feed your family, belonging to a faith community. Later in the service these bricks will be collected and built into a wall. If you are watching online, feel free to write your own list.
Call to Confession:
The very first Palm Sunday was a day of action.
It was a day of movement,
of crowded city streets, and cries of “Hosanna!”
It was a day of peaceful protest
and dreams for a better world.
The first Palm Sunday was a day of peaceful,
hopeful action.
So friends, on this Palm Sunday,
let us join the saints before us in an act of faith.
Let us begin with an act of prayer,
an act of honesty, an act of transformation.
Let us begin by drawing close to God
and sharing the truth of our lives.
Let us begin with confession.
Let us pray …
Prayer of Confession:
Jesus of Nazareth,
we know that you spent your days teaching and healing.
You marched through the streets and walked on water.
You laid hands on the sick and broke bread at crowded dinner tables.
Your good news was not confined to conversation.
It was not confined to the Temple.
Your good news was an act of love, alive in the world.
Holy God, we long for a faith like that.
Forgive us for the times when we confine our faith
to something we think about, as opposed to something we act upon.
Inspire us to love as you loved.
Inspire us to act.
With hope for tomorrow we pray,
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Church family,
whether or not you wave your palm branch,
whether or not you live out your faith,
whether or not you allow this good news to inspire your actions,
God will never stop loving you.
Jesus will never stop marching for you.
The Spirit will never stop listening to you.
We are all claimed, loved, and held in grace.
What good, good news.
Amen!
The Peace:
May the Peace of God dwell with you
and also with you.
Time for All:
If you would like to hear the story of holy week, please click on the link below to view Coen’s animation.
Holy Week Animation Link: https://youtu.be/5Luj-uHC11U
We Sing: Ride on, ride on in majesty – (TiS 348)
Ride on, ride on in majesty; hark, all the tribes hosanna cry!
O Saviour, meek, pursue your road with palms and scattered garments strowed.
Ride on, ride on in majesty, in lowly pomp ride on to die;
O Christ, your triumphs now begin o’er captive death and conquered sin.
Ride on, ride on in majesty; the wingèd squadrons of the sky
look down with sand and wondering eyes to see the approaching sacrifice.
Ride on, ride on in majesty; your last and fiercest strife is nigh:
the Father on his sapphire throne awaits his own anointed Son.
Ride on, ride on in majesty, in lowly pomp ride on to die;
bow your meek head to mortal pain, then take, O God, your power and reign!
Bible Reading: Mark 11:1-11
– Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
1 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this: ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’ ”
4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said, and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.
9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna! Blessed is the one
who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom
of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Reflection:
Roman pomp and ceremony usually occurred during Passover week as a show of Rome’s might. The governor would have been surrounded by the wealthiest and most powerful citizens. He would enter Jerusalem in a grand parade – soldiers, horses, armour, weapons – everything designed to show power and control. It would have been loud, impressive … and probably a bit intimidating.
Q: How do you think people felt seeing that kind of power?
But then Jesus enters the city … very differently. In contrast, Jesus’ march is for the people – all the people: the hungry, the poor, the afraid. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd responds to Jesus’ authenticity and humility. Perhaps they can see through the pageantry of the Roman parade; in contrast, the goodness of Jesus’ leadership shines through, mobilizing the crowds to take action by throwing cloaks in the street and waving palm branches in the air. In entering on a donkey, Jesus brings to realisation the prophecy of Zechariah: Your king, Jerusalem, comes to you triumphant, riding on a colt (Zechariah 9:9).
We are going to reflect on this together. I invite you to choose to join in a treasure hunt or to join in conversation with the people around you while others search for items.
If you are a seeker, I invite you to look around and find some palm leaves or green plants and bring them all to the front.
Q: Have you ever been really excited to welcome someone? What was that like?
Now the seekers are invited to find images or toys of a donkey and the king.
Q: What kind of person chooses humility over showing off power?
Q: How is Jesus different from leaders we see today?
Finally, we invite the seekers to collect scarves and other clothes that could be placed on a road.
Q: What might it look like for us to ‘lay something down’ for Jesus today?
The people welcomed Jesus with joy – but many expected a powerful king who would take over. Jesus came as a humble king who would serve and bring peace.
Jesus is King, but in an astonishing way. We know that he is ultimately on his way to the cross. His kingship, symbolised by his station upon a humble colt, is one of sacrifice and service. As yet, as Lord, he is not a helpless victim. He is in charge. He is working out God’s plan in this demonstration of royal authority. Even in the process of letting go of life, he is in charge of the liberation of God’s people. He puts our lives before his own life.
Our calling, having recognised Jesus as Lord, is to emulate his regal imperative. To live our lives as he lived his, in service to – and perhaps even in sacrifice for – the lives of God’s people.
We Sing: Trotting, trotting through Jerusalem – (TiS 244)
Trotting, trotting through Jerusalem, Jesus sitting on a donkey’s back,
children waving branches, singing:
‘Happy is he that comes in the name of the Lord!’
Many people in Jerusalem, thought he should have come on a mighty horse
leading all the Jews to battle:
‘Happy is he that comes in the name of the Lord!’
Many people in Jerusalem were amazed to see such a quiet man
trotting, trotting on a donkey:
‘Happy is he that comes in the name of the Lord!’
Trotting, trotting through Jerusalem,
Jesus sitting on a donkey’s back;
let us join the children singing:
‘Happy is he
that comes in the name of the Lord!’
Prayer for Others (written by Rob Fenton):
Dear Lord,
We thank you for hearing the prayers of your people, as we approach Easter, when we commemorate the death and resurrection of your son Jesus, and the major difference he continues to make to the world and to our lives.
We pray for our own congregation at Koonung Heights, and that it continues to grow in its understanding of your ways for us.
We give thanks for the wonderful ministry which Heather has provided to our congregation over the seven years she has been our minister, which has been a time of growth and change including the amalgamation with Surrey Hills Uniting Church. We pray for Heather, and for Tony, as they prepare for their upcoming move and for Heather’s new ministry in Colac. Heather and Tony will appreciate being closer to Elizabeth.
We pray for a speedy end to the war in Iran, which has spread to the other countries in the region, and which has resulted in many deaths and displacements. It has also caused major disruption to petrol supplies. We pray with concern about the judgment of President Trump, and pray that he will know how to end the war which he has started, before the situation becomes even worse.
We pray with concern about the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence in war, with targets selected without the need for human intervention, and we pray with alarm at the growing use of thousands of drones to drop missiles on the enemy.
We also continue to pray for the Ukrainian people, who might not now be the centre of attention, but are still suffering from the ongoing Russian attacks, which have now been going on for over four years, and which they are continuing to bravely defend against. We also pray for the families of the over 1 million Russian casualties from the war.
Closer to home, we pray for our wonderful dedicated school teachers, who are often underappreciated, and we know that their decision to strike for improved pay and conditions would not have been taken lightly.
We pray for all the dedicated community organizations, including church organizations such as the Brotherhood of St Laurence, and service organizations such as Rotary, which work to serve the community both locally and internationally.
We pray with concern for the ever increasing rate of youth crime, including break ins and car thefts and assaults. We pray for the victims of these crimes, who suffer trauma and injury as well as loss. We pray for the police, magistrates, social workers, youth justice workers, teachers, and all others who are caught up with these troubled youth and who are trying to turn them around.
We pray for those with mental health issues in our community, that they be given the support they need, to not only assist them, but to prevent them from being a danger to others.
We pray for our community leaders and our politicians at all levels of government. We pray that government will develop and promote policies that will be in the longer term interests of our country, rather than only be concerned with winning the next election.
We pray for our families and friends, and for all in our church community. We give thanks for the warm and caring fellowship which our church community provides to us, and the focus which it provides to our lives as Christians.
We now join with Christians across the centuries and pray as our Lord taught us:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
We Sing: The Servant Song – (TiS 650)
Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow till we’ve seen this journey through.
When we sing to God in heaven we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together of Christ’s love and agony.
Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
Blessing and Sending:
As you leave this place,
when you meet anger, speak with love.
When you meet fear, speak with hope.
When you meet pain, speak with gentleness.
But no matter what, speak this good news.
For the good news of the gospel is love and justice for all.
It is joy that surprises, and nonviolence that transforms.
The good news of the gospel is alive in the world,
so go forth speaking.
For if you won’t, then who will?
And the blessing of God the Father,
God the Son and God the Spirit,
the One God who is Mother to us all,
go with you today and always.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. Particular thanks to Kat Anderson, and to Coen for the animation. I have also utilised the following resources: Sanctified Art (Tell me something good).