A service for Palm Sunday from Rev. Derek Grimshaw.
The service can be downloaded to print from the link at the top of the page.
Note: The hymn numbers are from “Singing the Faith” the current hymnbook of the Methodist Church, you will need to look them up if your Church uses a different book. I have also put links into YouTube for the hymns, my choice might not be yours, so by all means look for alternatives. The readings can all be read online by clicking the links
Bible Reading: Psalm 118
Hymn 262 All glory, laud and honour Watch on You Tube Kings College or Watch on You Tube
Prayer As we meet in the privacy of our own homes on this special day, we meet with you as a scattered congregation.
We pray that you will draw us into your presence and as we sit alone, help us to remember that we are part of that large crowd of people around the world today worshipping you and as we add our voice to the Hosanna! We come and we worship you as King of kings and Lord of lord, powerful and almighty, yet humble and riding on a donkey as the prince of peace.
In these days of self-containment, help us not to be selfish, we pray that you will forgive us for the times we have been less than generous in our thinking, forgive us when we have moaned, because we can’t do the things we want to do, cleanse our hearts and our minds through the grace of Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit.
At a time when all we can see is what we have not got anymore, what we cannot do anymore help us to be all the more thankful for the gifts of your creation. Generous God be with us as we worship together, despite being apart. Amen.
The Lord’s prayer:
Old Testament Isaiah 50: 4-9
We often refer to second part of the prophesy of Isaiah as Deutro-Isaiah and some scholars believe that the second half of the book is written by a different author to the first part, although this is not a theory shared by all. That said, it is helpful to recognise that chapters 40-55 are written following the exile in Babylon around 597-538BC and that is important to us this Easter, I believe, because for very different reasons, the Israelite people were being held against their will, deprived of all the things they valued and they felt deserted by everybody, particularly the God they worshipped. Consequently, the words of Isaiah must have given them hope and assurance that what they were experiencing was not for ever, but for a season. These words in chapter 50 verses 4 to 9 give us that same hope today, that God is bigger than anything we are enduring in this modern age.
Spend a few moments thinking about God’s love, that surrounded his people almost three thousand years ago, he didn’t desert his people then, think about where you see his love in all that we are enduring now.
Hymn 638 Through all the changing scenes of life Watch on You Tube
Epistle Philippians 2: 5-11
One of St Paul’s great themes centre on the thought, that God, all powerful, who has the power to command the world into being has dwelt among us in human form and given up everything to stand among mortals, not to laud it over us, but to be truly human. We often talk about self-denial during Lent and this has been felt by many more acutely this year. Paul reminds the people form the Church in Philippi that we should adopt the same pattern of living that Christ had and our ministry in the world should be first and foremost about humility.
As we start our journey through Holy week, we need to remember the cost for Christ. In the Old Testament lesson we hear about the suffering of the Israelite people and how God sustained them through it. In this passage Paul challenges us to have the same nature as Christ, to be emptied as he was emptied, so that we might be glorified as he was glorified.
Prayer You might find it helpful to light a candle or look a picture that helps you.
Pray for people in need at this time
- The Church, seeking to fulfil God’s calling in these strange circumstances
- The world, remembering that there are more news stories than just the Covid 19 crisis.
- Remember world leaders who are making decisions at the moment that can mean the difference between life and death.
- This country, our government, our NHS workers and the strain they find themselves under, those who are now housebound and feeling the loneliness of isolation.
- The people on our prayer lists in our Churches.
- Ourselves as we strive to cope the best we can
Hymn 50 Great is the lord and most worthy of praise. Watch on You Tube
Reading: Matthew 21: 1-11
I always find it fascinating, that at the time of the birth of Jesus, Bethlehem was packed with people returning to their home town to be registered and here, as the final chapter of the Gospel story opens, Jerusalem is packed with pilgrims, in the holy city for the festival of the Passover, a time when God had rescued his people and delivered them. This is the crowd Jesus rode among on this special day. There is a temptation to believe that this was all spontaneous, but Matthew spends over half the story demonstrating the meticulous planning that had gone on in advance, nothing was left to chance. It is important for us to understand that the word Hosanna, translates as “save us” meaning that while the people are welcoming Jesus among them, it is clear what they want from him, they long for salvation. It is interesting that over two thousand years on, we use that word “Salvation” as we recognise what happened on the cross. Maybe the people of the first Palm Sunday never expected salvation to come in the way it did and many would not have recognised it when it did come.
Reflect for a moment on what salvation might mean to you, does it come in the way we expect? Or do we need to be open to God moving us in directions we would not always chose to go?
Hymn 263 Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna Watch on You Tube
Prayer Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.