Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Palm Sunday – 24 March 2024 – 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: “Sing Amen” (TiS 704)
Sing Amen: Amen, we praise your name, O Lord.
Sing Amen: Amen, we praise your name, O Lord.
Sing Amen: Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, we praise your name, O Lord.
Candle Lighting:
As we gather, let us give thanks to God,
for this day is the day that God has made for us
to rejoice and celebrate.
As we light the Christ candle,
we remember the Light that shines on us and from us
and we give thanks.
Acknowledgement of Country:
For this Land on which we worship –
I give thanks!
For the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung People of the Kulin nations –
I give thanks!
I honour the custodians of sacred stories, of dreamings
and the connections with the deep earth and oceans.
May we work together for the restoration
of the Land and Sea and Her Peoples.
Call to Worship:
Sing songs of loudest praise!
Hosanna!
Sing songs that are unashamed.
Hosanna!
Sing songs without being afraid.
Hosanna!
Sing for the God of tomorrow and today.
Hosanna!
Let us worship the One worthy to be praised.
Opening Prayer:
God of grace and glory,
blessed is your Son, Christ Jesus, and blessed is your holy name.
As we praise you and sing with joy,
awaken our ears to hear your word;
awaken our hearts to listen for your wisdom.
As we rejoice in this day that you have made,
help us hear even the hard news that is to come,
the news of Christ’s suffering and death.
For while we celebrate with palms and praises today,
soon the shouting will die out,
and the time of trial will still lie ahead of us.
Guide us to live your teachings,
even when the path is painful and uncertain.
Amen.
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!
Call to Confession:
The Gospel of John tells us that crowds gathered to praise Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, singing and shouting with confidence. After describing the crowd, however, the Gospel writer zooms in on the disciples and tells us that while the crowds shouted praise at Jesus, the disciples were confused. The text says, ‘the disciples did not understand what was happening’ (John 12:16).
A lot of our lives may look like this: either we understand God’s presence in our lives and want to shout it from the rooftop—or we’re standing on the side of the parade missing our chance to sing.
That is why we need the prayer of confession. Because life happens fast, and without a doubt, we have stood where the disciples stood.
So let us pray, for we don’t want to miss our chance to sing:
Prayer of Confession:
I invite you to say these words with me.
Holy God,
we want to run into the streets
and sing your praise!
We want to be bold and unashamed
of this good-news Gospel.
However, too often
we find ourselves standing against the wall.
Too often we stay quiet.
Too often we let others carry the song.
Forgive us for the moments when we could lead the parade
but instead find ourselves standing on the sidelines.
Show us which songs are ours to sing.
Show us which parades are ours to lead,
and then give us the courage and conviction to do both.
With hope and honesty we pray,
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Friends, no matter where you are on the parade route –
whether you are waving palm branches through the streets
or standing against the wall quiet and cautious –
Jesus marched for you.
Jesus’ love, his striving for justice and mercy, it was for you.
You are included in this story and nothing can ever change that.
So hear these words and trust them deep in your bones:
We have reason to sing, for Jesus Christ loved you yesterday.
Jesus Christ loves you today.
And Jesus Christ will love you tomorrow.
You are forgiven, claimed, and sent to serve.
Go out and sing.
Go out trusting these words.
Amen.
The Peace:
As we pass the peace today,
let us acknowledge that God’s faithful love lasts forever!
Let us give thanks for the God’s peace that dwells with us.
The peace of God be with you
and also with you.
A Time for All:
Just over a week ago Elizabeth and I went to see Pink! in the last Melbourne show of her Summer Carnival tour. It was an absolutely amazing night: her vocals were outstanding, not to mention her interaction with the crowd. Witnessing her amazing aerial wire work, while still singing, was something truly incredible. Much of the crowd were on their feet singing and dancing for the entirety of the performance which lasted just over two hours. There was even a special raised area for those in wheelchairs so they could participate in safety without having their view obscured. This made me reflect on how things have changed with this special provision, which made the evening more accessible and inclusive. It was a really fantastic night and I think it would have been hard for anyone in the crowd not to agree. The energy was electric.
We had some extended family who were there on the same night we were, on the ground like us but on the other side of the arena. We were chatting via text before the show and after about how good the show was. Then this text arrived a little while later … ‘We’ve just had a delay after the train hit a shopping trolley. Bored, stupid people.’ It was as though the excitement of the night had all changed for them so quickly.
That’s how life can be at times. We get caught up in the excitement of the crowd, we cheer and wave our arms and then, suddenly, all of that is gone. Today we journey with Jesus into Jerusalem – going gently at a donkey’s pace – with crowds and waving palm branches and shouts of ‘Hosanna!’, but soon the crowds will disperse, the palms will be left discarded, and the outlook will change. As we travel on into Holy Week, time will quicken and the shadows lengthen.
When we are among the few left, will we be able to walk these last few steps with Jesus, steps that take us towards a cross?
Let us pray:
Gracious God,
our hearts are stirred by the image of Jesus
riding into Jerusalem on a humble donkey,
and we lift our voices in adoration
for the One who comes bringing salvation and hope.
Merciful Saviour,
grant us the courage to continue to walk with you
when the crowds have left and it isn’t fun anymore.
Renew our spirits
as we strive to live out your kingdom values of
love, justice and compassion.
Amen.
We Sing: “Trotting” – (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 would 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!’
Bible Reading: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
– A Song of Victory
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Bible Reading: John 12:12-16
– Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.
Reflection:
We summon every ounce of courage.
We give ourselves pep talks and we call our friends.
We dig deep within.
We practice the words out loud,
rolling them around in our mouths,
imagining the response.
We deal out every “what if” card our brain holds on to
and spend absurd amounts of time
imagining all the ways it could go wrong.
And then finally, blessedly, we say it:
I love you.
To speak the truth of your heart takes courage.
It always has.
But please,
summon your courage,
join the parade,
and speak with conviction.
For God has been saying to the world since day one:
I love you.
What is your response?
Throughout Lent, we have been journeying with Peter and his ‘Wandering Heart’, as we have seen Jesus’ travel step by step closer to Jerusalem. As Holy Week begins, we are at the point where the Peter is no longer front and centre, and so we might imagine that he is with the rest of the disciples when Jesus enters Jerusalem. As they witness crowds shouting Hosanna!, the disciples are confused. Even though Jesus has been talking about what’s to come, they still don’t really understand. I wonder what they will remember when they look back on this experience? I wonder if it will be the songs of praise of the crowd?
Let’s take a moment to consider the events just prior to this moment in John’s gospel. Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead and this has intensified the plots to arrest and kill him, which has led him to retreat into the wilderness with his disciples (John 11:54). The people have begun to question whether Jesus will attend the Passover festival and then, as it draws near, Jesus comes out of the wilderness and travels to Bethany. He stays in the home of Lazarus where he is lavishly anointed and cared for by Mary, an act that Judas questions. At this time plots to kill Lazarus also begin to stir. These are certainly times of intense emotions.
It is in this volatile environment that Jesus gets on a donkey colt and rides into Jerusalem in front of a crowd of cheering people. While all four of the gospels record Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, John’s version is the shortest. John leaves out Jesus’ instructions for his disciples to get a colt and bring it to him. Instead, Jesus finds his own donkey to fulfil what the scriptures have said, and enters Jerusalem before the gathered throng.
The crowd cheer. They call him blessed. They call him the King of Israel. This is dangerous, particularly as Jesus makes a mockery of the powers that be.
Entering on the other side of town are Pilate and his retinue of Roman soldiers. They would be riding war horses and expecting the crowds to be cheering them. In fact the people were required to shout something like, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord’, as Pilate and the Roman Solders passed by. It was part of keeping the peace, and quite possibly necessary for individuals to save their own skins, in the political climate of the day.
Yet Jesus rode a small donkey colt instead of a warhorse. He travelled at what was probably a slow saunter (donkey speed) into town. He was coming in as the king of peace – not the king of war. Even the words that the people shouted mocked the powers that be. How dare someone say “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord – the King of Israel!” about anyone but Pilate? I wonder if some of the people were in on the mockery and thrilled to be part of a rebellion. Others may have cheered because they believed that Jesus was really going to set things straight by taking power away from the Romans. Some no doubt cheered because it was what they had to do, and others probably cheered simply because everyone else was.
With this action Jesus really did turn the whole power system upside-down. Jesus isn’t about taking power. Jesus is about good news to the poor. Jesus is about freedom for the prisoners. Jesus is about sight for the blind. Jesus is about the release of the oppressed. Jesus is about proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favour. Jesus is about justice. Jesus is about love, and the journey he took to Jerusalem is one of the ways Jesus said ‘I love you’.
The story tells us that the disciples did not understand, and I can imagine that if I was in the crowd I might not have understood either. I can imagine the disciples in the crowd waving their palm branches, looking at each other and wondering, ‘Is there something these people see that we don’t? What are we missing?
We know how the story ends, but the disciples didn’t, and even when we know the ending it is hard to comprehend that God came to dwell with us in the flesh of a human body. At this point in the story it is not possible to grasp what Jesus’ kingship is about – and that will only become clear after Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection. It’s no wonder that the disciples could not understand as they watched Jesus ride by. I don’t think we would have understood either. ‘Then they remembered’ (John 12:16b). Often that’s how things work in life and faith – after all hindsight is twenty-twenty. The writer of John’s gospel isn’t exactly clear as to what the disciples remembered.
As we look forward to the events of Holy Week, we view all that will happen through a resurrection lens, which is a bit like being in the best seats. Yet, maybe the invitation to us is to think again about the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross. Maybe the invitation to us is to think about what we will remember. Like Peter and the other disciples waving their branches and singing ‘Hosanna!’, we are also witnesses to the meaning of Jesus’ ministry and kingship. What do we remember about Jesus’ as we look back and look forward? Will our ‘hosanna’s’ of today still ring out when we get to Good Friday, or will the hard truths of the events we witness silence our praise?
May our cries of ‘Hosanna!’ ring out to bear witness to the One who comes in the name of justice and love.
Amen.
Affirmation of Faith:
We believe in Jesus of Nazareth,
who rode through the streets of Jerusalem
on a donkey.
We believe in Jesus of Nazareth,
who challenged Rome’s oppressive power
with peaceful protest.
We believe in Jesus of Nazareth,
who was surrounded by crowds
of dreamers and believers.
We believe in Jesus of Nazareth,
so even today, we will sing songs of loudest praise.
Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
We Sing: “All glory, praise and honour” – – (TiS 333)
All glory, praise and honour to you, redeemer, king,
to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring.
You are the king of Israel and David’s royal son,
now in the Lord’s name coming, the king and blessed one.
All glory, praise and honour …
The people of the Hebrews with palms before you went:
our praise and prayer and anthems before you we present.
All glory, praise and honour …
Their praises you accepted: accept the prayers we bring,
who in all good take pleasure, our good and gracious king.
All glory, praise and honour …
Prayer for Others (prepared by Wendy and Graham Ray)
On this Palm Sunday, we are reminded that You entered Jerusalem as a poor, humble person, riding on a donkey. Your presence created uproar, questions and expectations.
Today, we are sometimes swayed by the need for the crowd’s approval, and a fear of conflict and its cost to us. May we hold firmly to Your principles of peace, justice, compassion, and solidarity with those who are poor and excluded.
We bring before You now, the needs of our world, broken by division, suspicion, hatred and war. We pray for those in the Middle East, and the Ukraine, whose lives have been upended by war.
We pray for the 64 countries with almost half the world’s population, which have had, or will have elections this year. May those leaders elected, or facing election, always have the good of the people foremost in their policies, rather than personal gain or ego.
We bring before You the needs of our land. We pray for our endangered natural environment, and pray that we will always be mindful of what needs to be done to lessen the impact of climate change. We pray for the indigenous people of this land, and that in the search for recognition and justice, the truth will be unifying and not divisive.
We bring before You now, those whom we know, in this community and our family, whose lives may be limited by sickness or grief. In a moment of silence, we bring before You what is on our hearts this morning …
(time of silence)
We pray for our Presbytery, Synod and Assembly, its congregations and ministers. We give thanks that they show us how Your steadfast love is known in practical ways. May they continue to inspire us to work tirelessly to make this world a better place.
As we continue with the crowd, walking with Jesus this Palm Sunday, we say together the prayer that He 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 King of Glory” – (TiS 279)
The King of glory comes, the nation rejoices,
open the gates before him, lift up your voices.
Who is the King of glory, how shall we call him?
He is Immanuel, the promised of the ages.
The King of glory comes …
In all of Galilee, in city or village,
he goes among his people, curing their illness.
The King of glory comes …
Sing then of David’s son, our Saviour and brother;
in all of Galilee was never another.
The King of glory comes …
He conquered sin and death; he truly has risen,
and he will share with us his heavenly vision.
Jesus in glory comes, the nation rejoices;
open the gates before him, lift up your voices.
The King of glory comes, the nation rejoices.
Blessing:
Beloved wanderer,
as you leave this place,
may you carry your curious heart on your sleeve.
May you look for God in every face.
May you find the courage to get out of the boat,
to speak your faith,
to forgive abundantly,
and to shout ‘Hosanna!’
And when the world falls apart,
may you hear God’s voice deep within,
saying, “Take heart, it is I, be not afraid.”
You are called.
You are blessed.
In both your ups and your downs,
you always belong to God.
Go in peace, trusting in that good news.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. I have also utilised the following resources:
Sanctified Art (A Wandering Heart) and Fig Tree Worship.