(All our songs this morning are from Singing the Faith (StF) or Hymns & Psalms (H&P) numbers will be given where available)
Welcome to our Sunday Service, today shared on paper across our circuit and with the congregation at Allerton Methodist Church led by Rev Nick Blundell one of our Circuit Ministers. Today is the sixth Sunday of Lent, traditionally known as Palm Sunday, or the second Sunday of Passion-tide.
Click on the blue links to follow them for bible readings and associated links
Call to worship
Come, let us shout our hosannas and welcome the King of kings, laying our all before him. Amen
Song – StF 317 or H&P 74 – At the name of Jesus
Prayer
The king of all creation rides on a humble donkey,
a symbol of peace amid the celebrations and growing tensions.
Can we stay silent?
No way! We exalt you, King of kings.
Love comes, bringing in God’s eternal kingdom.
Can we stay silent?
No way! We adore you, King of love and peace.
The King of glory comes to save.
Can we stay silent?
No way! Redeemer King, we bow before you.
Our blessed King comes riding with purpose.
Can we stay silent?
No way! We bow in adoration before our triumphant King. Amen.
Reading:
We sing two songs:
Song – StF 263 or H&P 204 – Hosanna, hosanna
Song – StF 629 – You are the king of glory
Reflection
We know that the Christian way is not a predictable one. The God we worship is full of surprises. Not in an April fools kind of way (I’m writing this on the day after April Fools, when grandchild no 2 managed to get grandchild no 4 to eat toast buttered with mayonnaise, rather than margarine, for breakfast, having also given her a marker pen moustache overnight – thankfully a washable felt-tip.)
Rather, it is God’s nature to surprise us with grace, grace which both blesses us, and blesses others through us.
The most significant evidence of this surprising grace is seen in Jesus Christ. As Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, ‘…of his own free will he gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant…’
His coming into the world of flesh and blood in itself surprises, but even more so when we see the inexperience and vulnerability of Mary, Joseph; the angels sharing their news and delight with simple shepherds; the strange gift-bearers, initially looking in the wrong place and amongst the wrong people. God surprises.
He will surprise John the Baptist by seeking baptism. He will surprise many people, including those he chooses, in his choice of companions, and he will keep surprising them on the way, with wonderful stories and remarkable meetings and broken people made whole, and thousands fed.
As we join up with Him on the final approach to Jerusalem on this Palm Sunday morning we notice that, despite his attempts to prepare them, his friends will still be taken by surprise by the events as they unfold this week.
As will the yet unridden colt, and its owner, as they are told ‘the master needs it’. The creature, presumably expecting an ordinary, chewing-the-cud sort of day, suddenly finds itself carrying its creator, bearing the king!
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And that King and his trusty steed are welcomed with palms and coats and hosannas! The city turns out, after all, the kingdom is coming, hosanna. God’s kingdom as the prophets promised, hosanna……except….God surprises by coming as a servant king, soon to be broken on a roman cross, broken as bread is broken that we might eat, broken and laid in a borrowed tomb, broken that the sun might rise a week today and light up the world. ‘He is not here, he is risen’. The biggest and best surprise of all!
In this holy week, reflect on the God who surprises, the king who rides a donkey, and be open to those new things, difficult things, perhaps challenging things that God might ask you to do. Let him surprise you with grace. Amen.
We respond with a time of quiet, and then John Bell’s verse
Song – StF 781 – Take, oh take me as I am
We sing or listen to Graham Kendrick’s hymn
Song – StF 273 – From heaven you came, helpless babe
with the refrain:
This is our God, the Servant King, he calls us now to follow him, to bring our lives as a daily offering of worship to the Servant King
We offer our prayers….
Heart-broken God, we thank and praise you for your unconditional and unlimited love, love which we see most clearly in the passion of Jesus Christ. As we journey through Holy week, help us to respond to your love with generosity and thankfulness. May your love lifted high on the cross set us free to love both ourselves and our neighbours near and far.
Christ carried on a donkey, hear our prayer and touch our hearts.
We pray for your church in this place and in every place. May our common life speak to those around us of your love for them, and our welcome truly represent your forgiving and accepting grace. Guide our decision-making and enable and surprise those carrying the burdens of responsibility, that such burdens may become gifts to be shared, that freedom might be found in service.
Christ carried on a donkey, hear our prayer and touch our hearts.
We pray for those known to us who are living with conditions which limit freedom, or in relationships in which they are not valued. For those who know their days are numbered, and those awaiting diagnosis or decision. For those caring for loved ones, especially where external support is missing or limited.
Christ carried on a donkey, hear our prayer and touch our hearts.
We pray for those places where human failing and foolishness has led to violence, destruction and deep distress. We include the holy land – Israel, Palestine, particularly Gaza, and its neighbours; Ukraine; Yemen; Sudan. We take a few moments in silence to lift these places, and others which come to mind, to God, asking that the ways of peace and the work of the peacemakers might overcome.
Christ carried on a donkey, hear our prayer and touch our hearts.
We pray for those who are grieving, whether their loss be the result of human action or natural process. Help them through the struggles and heartaches of their journey, and let your light of love shine even in their darkness. We continue to hold the people of Myanmar and Thailand as they grieve and struggle following last month’s earthquake.
Christ carried on a donkey, hear our prayer and touch our hearts.
We pray for the planet we inhabit, and all life upon it. As together we face the climate emergency, we pray for those already experiencing its consequences in extreme weather and lost habitats, homes and livelihoods. We pray for an opening of hearts and minds in leaders of governments, industry and commerce to the need for changed policy and behaviour. May those who are old learn to listen to those who are young, and those with power hear the wisdom of those without.
Christ carried on a donkey, hear our prayer and touch our hearts.
We pray for ourselves, acknowledging our need for forgiveness and repentance, while at the same time knowing that the name of love written on our hearts means forgiveness is granted and repentance truly possible. So we turn once again to the broken-hearted God, who rejoices at our return, then sends us to share the good news with our neighbour.
Christ carried on a donkey, hear our prayer and touch our hearts.
In your name we bring these prayers. Amen.
We bring our prayers together, as we pray, with all God’s people, the Lord’s Prayer.
We close with the hymn,
Song – StF 265 or H&P 159 – Ride on, ride on in majesty
Closing prayer – Let us journey on, people of the cross, following a king riding on a donkey.
Servant of the world, let us serve with love Jesus, our Saviour, as we follow you on the stony way to the cross. Amen.
We bless one another, and all those we have brought to mind this day, as we share the Grace:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, now and always. Amen.
(CCLI 1094975. Service prepared by Rev’d Nick Blundell nickcblund@gmail.com )
