Good afternoon all. As mentioned in the video, this service is not your typical Palm Sunday service nor does it make any attempt to be traditional. I did not feel right processing around the church by myself (even if the palms had come on time). I put the service together in a way that I hope honours tradition and yet speaks to the present time.
It is noted in the service that Steve Bell has given permission for his music to be used through the Covid-19 Crisis. The botchy music in the video is not reflection on the quality of Steve's music. For some reason my computer doesn't like certain sounds and will not pick them up.
You can access Steve's music in two ways:
Soundcloud
Youtube
And now the videos of today's service and sermon:
Palm Sunday
April 5, 2020
St. Thomas and St.
Mary’s Anglican churches
Service prepared for a
non-gathering community
Hosanna to the Son of David.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Behold your king comes to you, O Zion,
meek and lowly, sitting upon an ass.
Ride on in the cause of truth and for the sake of
justice.
Your throne is the throne of God, it endures for ever;
and the sceptre of your kingdom is a righteous sceptre.
You have loved righteousness and hated evil.
Therefore God, your God,
has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your
fellows.
Hosanna to the Son of David.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Love Is Our Way to God – Steve Bell
Zechariah 9:9-13
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O
daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and
victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal
of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the warhorse
from Jerusalem;
and the battle-bow shall be cut off,
and he shall
command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River
to the ends of the earth.
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with
you,
I will set your
prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare
that I will restore to you double.
Introduction
I originally struggled with this service. How do we do Palm Sunday without the crosses
and procession? On top of everything –
with all that is going on - our palm leaves to make crosses never came this
year. To be truthful, I was very
disheartened. I finally bit the bullet
and pulled out last year’s service. The
answer for which I had been looking was right there in the introduction:
Dear
brothers and sisters in Christ, during Lent we have
been
preparing by works of love and self-sacrifice
My first thought was
-
But our community’s Lenten
practices were stopped by social distancing.
My second thought was
-
They weren’t
stopped. They were changed. And maybe this year, more than ever, they
have taken on new depth and meaning.
We have given up so much for love of each other and of
strangers. In our isolation we are
consciously living out, more fully, the Gospel call to love and service. Ironic, isn’t it.
Everything is changing rapidly – even the traditional way
we mark these eight days of Holy Week and Easter. Today is a stark beginning – no palm crosses,
no procession.
We are conscious of the cross ahead. The entry into Jerusalem marks Jesus’ full commitment
to the journey to the cross. With his
arrival, on a donkey, in Jerusalem, there is no turning back. Jesus knew this. As we can see in Matthew’s gospel, he
carefully and deliberately planned this entry.
He knew it would be a statement for and a challenge to the leaders.
He was also preparing for his world changing statement to
us. The crowds expected a leader for a
rebellion that would overthrow the Roman troops occupying Jerusalem and
Judea. In their cries of Save Us –
“Hosanna” – they envisioned a leader who would challenge the oppressors with a show of power
and might. What they did not expect was
that the change lay in them – in their understanding of God’s Kingdom and their
role in it.
The journey through this week to come will open us up
more than ever this year. We enter it
conscious that, at the beginning of Lent, we all had a different expectation, a
different vision. As we move through the
week ahead, we will journey through a familiar landscape with a new way of
seeing.
We started this service by reading the Hebrew Scripture
passage on which Jesus is basing his action as he chooses to ride a donkey into
the city. He is reminding the people that God is faithful to covenants and
telling them that a time of redemption is coming.
Another Hebrew Scripture passage, Psalm 118, contains the
words the people are shouting as Jesus rides by. It is a psalm that celebrates the
Exodus. Again we are reminded God is
faithful and steadfast. It shows us
salvation is already present. We just
need to pay attention to the signs of it in the world around us.
We can let these readings speak to us today. Jesus is reminding us that God always moves
to save us. Psalm 118 speaks to having
the faith that God will do so now as in the Exodus, as in the cross and
resurrection. This is the hope that we
have as Christians as we move through our time in our history. Now more than ever, we need to remind
ourselves that God is present and that God always brings life out of death.
Today, as we mark Palm Sunday, we do in our particular
time in history. Let us greet the hope
and promise that God is present and acting by saying Psalm 118 responsively.
Psalm 118
Confitemini Domino
Give thanks to the Lord who is good;
the mercy of the Lord endures for ever.
Let Israel now proclaim,
”The mercy of the Lord endures for ever.”
Let the house of Aaron now proclaim,
” The mercy of the Lord endures for ever.”
Let those who fear the Lord now proclaim,
” The mercy of the Lord endures for ever.”
I called to the Lord in my distress;
who answered by setting me free.
The Lord is at my side, therefore I will not fear;
what can anyone do to me?
The Lord is at my side to help me;
I will triumph over those who hate me.
It is better to rely on the Lord
than to put any trust in flesh.
It is better to rely on the Lord
than to put any trust in rulers.
All the ungodly encompass me;
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.
They hem me in, they hem me in on every side;
in the name of the
Lord I will repel them.
They swarm about me like bees;
they blaze like a fire of thorns;
in the name of the Lord I will repel them.
I was pressed so hard that I almost fell,
but the Lord came to my help.
The Lord is my strength and my song,
and has become my salvation.
There is a sound of exultation and victory
in the tents of the righteous:
”The mighty hand of the Lord has triumphed!
the mighty hand of the Lord is exalted!
the mighty hand of the Lord has triumphed!”
I shall not die, but live,*
and declare the works of the Lord.
The Lord has punished me sorely,
but did not hand me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.
”This is the gate of the Lord;
those who are righteous may enter.”
I will give thanks to the Lord who answered me
and has become my salvation.
The same stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
On this day the Lord has acted;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Hosannah, Lord, hosannah!
Lord, send us now success.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
God is the Lord and has shined upon us;
form a procession with branches up to the horns of the
altar.
”You are my God, and I will thank you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.”
Give thanks to the Lord who is good;
the mercy of the Lord endures for ever.
The
Responsory
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
We preach Christ crucified,
the power of God and the wisdom of God.
By your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
God forbid that we should glory,
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you;
by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.
Matthew 21:1-11
When
they 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.’
The
Prayer of Habakkuk
(Habakkuk 3.2, 13a,
15-16, 17-19)
O
Lord, I have heard of your renown,
and
I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work.
In
the midst of the years renew it;
in
the midst of the years make it known;
in
wrath remember mercy.
You
came forth to save your people,
to
save your anointed.
You
trampled the sea with your horses,
churning
the mighty waters.
I
hear, and my belly trembles,
my
lips quiver at the sound.
Though
the fig tree does not blossom,
nor
fruit appear on the vines,
the
produce of the olive fail,
and
the fields yield no food,
though
the flock be cut off from the fold
and
there be no herd in the stalls,
yet
will I rejoice in the Lord,
I
will exult in the God of my salvation.
God,
the Lord, is my strength,
who
makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
and
who makes me tread upon the high places.
Glory
to God,
Source
of all being, eternal Word and Holy Spirit:
as
it was in the beginning,
is
now and will be for ever. Amen.
Sermon
Apostle’s Creed
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s
only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.
Psalm 40 – Steve Bell
Prayers
of the People
Anglican
Communion
Pray
for the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean
The Most Reverend James Richard Wong Yin
Song
Archbishop,
Province of Indian Ocean & Bishop of the Seychelles
Anglican
Church of Canada
Diocese of British Columbia
the Right Reverend Logan McMenamie,
Bishop.
Council
of the North
Diocese of the Arctic
The Right Reverend David Parsons, Bishop
The Right Reverends Rt. Rev. Annie
Ittoshat
Lucy Netser and Joey Royal, Suffragan
Bishops
The
Diocese of Edmonton
All lay people in parishes
throughout the Diocese of Edmonton
and all their various ministries
Buyé Diocese, Kigufi Parish
Frederic Miburo, Rector
Cold Lake First Nations
We
continue to pray for Burundi and our twinned parishes
Kabanga and St. Luke’s Bigombo
We
also pray for the Canadian Armed Forces
serving at home and abroad.
Prayer
Stones -
Lord,
you set your face towards Jerusalem
and
walked alongside those who suffer.
Be
our vision that we too may walk the way of the cross
and
extend a hand to those we meet.
Lord,
give us the gladness of your help
And
support us with a willing spirit.
Lord,
you stopped to heal the sick,
cure
the lame and give sight to the blind.
Be
our vision that we too may give time to others
and
respond to their needs.
Lord,
give us the gladness of your help
And
support us with a willing spirit.
Lord,
you said, "The first shall be last and the last first."
Be
our vision
That
we too may work towards your kingdom
when
the exalted will be brought low
and
the lowly exalted.
Lord,
give us the gladness of your help
And
support us with a willing spirit.
Lord,
you ate with tax collectors and sinners
and
heard their stories.
Be
our vision
that
we too may listen to the despised
and
rejected and value their lives.
Lord,
give us the gladness of your help
And
support us with a willing spirit.
Lord,
you took time to pray and time to be silent.
Be
our vision
that
through our prayers, fasting and almsgiving
we
too may draw closer to you and find your way.
Lord,
give us the gladness of your help
And
support us with a willing spirit.
Lord,
you entered Jerusalem with peace in your heart.
Be
our vision
that
we too may desire peace
where
others desire war,
and
may work for justice where injustice reigns.
Lord,
give us the gladness of your help
And
support us with a willing spirit
For
you are our hope and our salvation.
Prayer for Palm Sunday By: Annabel Shilson-Thomas
Hope and Solidarity
Collect
Holy
and immortal God,
as
we enter into this holy week
turn
our hearts to Jerusalem,
so
that, united with Christ and all the faithful,
we
may enter the city not made with hands,
your
promised realm of justice and peace,
eternal
from age to age. Amen.
A
Prayer Book for Australia (1995) alt.
The Lord’s Prayer
Standing
at the foot of the cross
and
gathering our prayers and praises into one,
let
us pray as our Saviour taught us,
Our
Father in heaven,
hallowed
be your name,
your
kingdom come,
your
will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive
us our sins
Save
us from the time of trial,
and
deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and
the glory are yours,
now
and for ever. Amen.
The
Dismissal
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
May
Christ, who bore our sins on the cross,
set
us free to serve with him in joy. Amen.
Wait Alone in Stillness – Steve Bell
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