Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
Collect
True and humble king, hailed by the crowd as Messiah: grant us the faith to know you and love you, that we may be found beside you on the way of the cross, which is the path of glory. Amen.
The Gospel of the Palms - Mark, chapter 11, verses 1 to 10 :-
When they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no-one has ever sat; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it, and will send it back here straight away.’” And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door out in the open street; and they untied it. And those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said; and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it. And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!”
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
A few words of reflection :-
If we read John’s Gospel we’ll find Jesus had slipping quietly into Jerusalem on to attend some of the festivals; but it’s only now, at this particular Passover Festival, as crowds are gathering from all over, that Jesus chooses to make a very public and dramatic entrance to the city - to declare his hand, so to speak.
One of the Old Testament prophecies - Zechariah, chapter 9, verse 9, tells of a future king who will enter the Holy City riding a donkey. So this was widely accepted as describing what the Messiah would do, as he came to restore the Kingdom of David. And Jesus very deliberately does just that - and as we read the story we can see that it’s all been carefully prepared.
Disciples are sent to collect a particular donkey that’s been made ready. Those who are standing around as they get there were expecting someone to collect the donkey, and they knew why, and who needed it. And perhaps they were among the crowds of folk who scattered clothes and branches, and called out “Hosanna!” as Jesus rode into the city. Most of those people though would have been pilgrims who’d come down from Galilee, as Jesus and his disciples had done. They knew who Jesus was; they’d heard him preach, seen the miracles he had performed. So they shouted their hosannas. Hosanna isn’t simply a shout of hooray, by the way, though it may have been used like that. It’s an acclamation, and a prayer: the word means “Save us, we pray!”
So with their shouts of hosanna the crowd was saying something about what they wanted and expected Jesus to do. They wanted their freedom; they wanted the kingdom to be restored. They were sure that this was the moment at which the kingdom of David would be refounded. The disciples no doubt thought the same. And the powers that be in Jerusalem, the temple priests and their allies, they too feared that this is what this Galilean would try to do; they were also quite sure he would fail, and they’d be swept away by the sort of Roman backlash that did happen thirty years later, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its temple.
Only Jesus himself knew what would really happen. And he knew that it would be the end of him. He knew he was entering the city to die there. He’d told his disciples, but they hadn’t grasped or accepted any of it; after all, God’s Messiah was guaranteed his victory.
But this Messiah, this king in the line of David, enters his city as a servant. That’s why, out of all the prophecies of the coming Messiah, he chose the one about riding a donkey. The one where the new king arrives meekly riding on a beast of burden.
On Palm Sunday we see Jesus enter the city not to take but to give; to give it all; not to demonstrate earthly power and authority, but to show the full breadth of God’s love as he lays down his life. Which is why at this service we also read the story of the Passion, as Palm Sunday opens the way into Holy Week. And, after a short reading of one of the Old Testament writings called the servant songs, that’s what we will do today.
Old Testament Reading - Isaiah, chapter 50, verses 4 to 9 :-
The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, and skill to console the weary with a word in the morning; he sharpened my hearing that I might listen like one who is taught. The Lord God opened my ears, and I did not disobey or turn back in defiance. I offered my back to the lash, and let my beard be plucked from my chin, I did not hide my face from spitting and insult; but the Lord God stands by to help me, therefore no insult can wound me. I have set my face like flint, for I know that I shall not be put to shame, because one who will clear my name is at my side. Who dare argue against me? Let us confront one another. Who will dispute my cause? Let him come forward. The Lord God will help me - who then can prove me guilty?
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
The Gospel of the Passion - Mark, chapters 14 and 15 - may be read.
Statement of faith - We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer - We stand with Christ in his suffering.
For forgiveness for the many times we have denied Jesus, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For grace to seek out those habits of sin which mean spiritual death, and by prayer and self discipline to overcome them, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For Christian people, that through the suffering of disunity there may grow a rich union in Christ, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who make laws, interpret them and administer them, that our common life may be ordered in justice and mercy, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who still make Jerusalem a battle ground, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who have the courage and honesty to work openly for justice and peace, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those in the darkness and agony of isolation, that they may find support and encouragement, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who, weighed down with hardship, failure, or sorrow, feel that God is far from them, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
For those who are tempted to give up the way of the cross, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
That we, with those who have died in faith, may find mercy in the day of Christ, let us pray to the Lord:
Lord, have mercy.
Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us.
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.
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing - May Christ crucified draw us to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us all, evermore. Amen.
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