Welcome to our Palm Sunday worship in Leesfield Parish. Today we have a Parish Eucharist at 10 am at St Thomas' Church, and there will be no service at St Agnes'.
We are pleased to welcome Bishop Mark to lead our worship today, so please do join us as we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you can find a Gospel reading, reflection and prayers below, along with a couple of hymns.
Our first hymn this morning is "Ride on, Ride on in Majesty"
Today's Gospel
Matthew 21:1-11 Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, `The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately."
This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
"Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! "
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."
Reflection
In a few weeks’ time we will experience the coronation of King Charles III Westminster Abbey. For most of us, we have never witnessed a coronation in our lifetime and for others their memories will be of some grainy monochrome movie reels. I anticipate that the whole thing will be a grand affair, with pomp and circumstance, horse drawn processions, bands and possibly hundreds of thousands of people and dignitaries making their way to London. Probably not too dissimilar to the late Queen’s jubilee celebrations or her state funeral.
Let us contrast that with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. He enters on the road from the Mount of Olives through the town of Bethphage, about a mile outside of the main city. The road and the city are heaving with people, not specifically to see Jesus, but because it is the time of the Jewish festival of Passover. Yet many of the people on the route would be from Galilee and would have known or heard of Jesus. They would have been his followers and it is likely that they were the ones who were leading the cheering and praising Jesus along His way to the city.
Unlike King Charles celebrations, here we have a description of the Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem in a manner that is humble and simple. He enters the city not on a majestic horse as one might associate with a king, but Jesus instead chose to ride on a donkey.
This is highly symbolic, it reflects the prophecy of Zechariah (9.9). "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Matthew is unambiguously pointing us to a prophecy about the Messiah, which Jesus is fulfilling in this moment. He blatantly telling us Jesus is the Messiah.
It is also symbolic because in those times a donkey would portray meekness and humility. Jesus wasn’t coming to conquer but to offer peace. Here in this most triumphant moment, we see clearly Jesus’ humility.
For all His humility, the crowds who had heard of Jesus were briming with excitement and anticipation. As they laid down palm branches they were all infected by the absolute thrill of the moment as they welcomed the coming of the Messiah who would save them and usher in a new Kingdom of peace and prosperity. Here was the King who had been promised through numerous prophets over the centuries.
I suspect there were also many who had not yet heard of Jesus, but because they so wanted to believe the stories were true, they also joined in with the praise and shouted Hosanna, praising God for the one He has sent to save them.
But as we experience the rest of the journey of the Passion of Christ, we see how these same people will in few days be crying for Jesus to be crucified.
On one level It is almost impossible to understand how this change of mood happened is such a short space if time and how even Peter would deny Jesus three times. How folk can worship Jesus one moment and then put Him to one side the next moment when it suits them. It is a question that is far from easy to answer other than to put it down to the fickle nature of mankind.
Of course, there was the inevitability that these events had to occur so that Jesus could fulfil His destiny. To die for us in the cross and be risen to redeem us all from our sins, even those who had cried out for His crucifixion. Because Jesus came to forgive us all and bring peace.
But perhaps there is another message for us reflect on and to take on board - following Jesus takes commitment. It isn’t just about singing or worshipping for a short while on Sunday and then putting Him to one side when there are other things to do. Perhaps, we need to think about how we keep our passion for Jesus alive throughout the week, and how we share the Good News of His Kingdom, especially with those outside our church building who have yet to experience His love.
Maybe, if you walk with Jesus this week, there will be an opportunity for you to pray with a stranger this Holy Week or show someone you don’t know a random act of kindness and love.Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Lord, we give you thanks for your arrival into Jerusalem and into our lives.
We join with the crowds to sing your glory and praises.
Prince of Peace, we thank you for your example of humility
and your tender love and compassion for us all.
Help us to follow your example of service to others,
And let us faithfully commit ourselves to your glory.
