Opening Verse of Scripture Matthew 21:9

Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. CW

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. CW

First Bible Reading Isaiah 50:4-9a 

The servant of the LORD said: The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens – wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backwards. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face

from insult and spitting. The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up. NRSV

Second Reading Philippians 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NRSV

Gospel Reading Luke 19:28-40 (Liturgy of the Palms)

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out. 

Post Communion Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you humbled yourself in taking the form of a servant, and in obedience died on the cross for our salvation: give us the mind to follow you and to proclaim you as Lord and King, to the glory of God the Father. CW

Commentary

There’s a children’s story titled ‘Dave the Donkey’ [Published by ‘Lost Sheep’]which I spoke about over 10 years ago but some people still remember!  It describes the story of a young donkey in Bethany who is waiting for his grandfather to return from Jerusalem.  Dave wants to tell his grandfather that he has carried the King into Jerusalem after some of the King’s people came and untied him and took him to the King.  When his grandfather arrives, Dave describes how the crowds waived palm branches and shouted ‘Long live the King’ as he carried the King into town.  As his grandfather has just come back from Jerusalem Dave has some questions for him because once he had carried the King into Jerusalem he came back home.  He wants to know what happened afterwards.

‘Did they keep shouting for the King?’ – ‘Well it was more like yelling for him eventually’

‘Did He meet with all the leaders in Jerusalem?’ – ‘Oh yes, He met with the leaders’

‘Did they place a golden crown on His head?’ – ‘Well he was crowned, but it wasn’t made of gold’

‘Did they sit Him on a throne?’ – ‘No Dave, there was no throne, they nailed Him to a cross’

‘So the King is dead?’ – ‘No Dave, He was dead but now He’s alive’

‘Did you ever carry anyone special?’ – ‘Well yes Dave, I did once, but it was over 30 years ago…’

As we look back on the events of the first ‘Palm Sunday’, Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, it’s easy to forget that things didn’t work out the way the crowds would have expected because we know the end of the story.  As Jesus rides in there must have been expectations that the Roman authorities were going to get their comeuppance; that the religious leaders would be put back in their places.  Instead of which, factions and parties which notoriously seemed not to get on with one another contrived and conspired together to kill Jesus.  And until the resurrection of Jesus, the events following Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem would not make sense to anyone.

Jesus arrival in Jerusalem was a critical point in His ministry.  From here on in He would be committed to the path he had chosen to follow.  There could be no turning back after His entry into Jerusalem, the point of commitment had been passed.  Like when you’ve made a reservation to take a flight, once you’re at the airport, checked in and go through security, it’s very difficult to turn back.  For Jesus, the reservation that had been made many years earlier was now coming to its appointed hour.  From here on in there could be no turning back.  As we move forward into Holy week from here through to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Holy Saturday and Easter day and beyond it’s good for us to reflect on our own Christian journey to gauge our involvement and commitment.

As it was for Jesus, so it can be for us. Sometimes, just as Dave the Donkey was to find, things won’t turn out as we expect, as we saw in the Book of Numbers in our Lent Course this year.  There will be disappointments and surprises as things take a different turn to what we expect.  When they do, it can be challenging, and tempting to give up and turn back, be discouraged or lose a bit of faith.  Sometimes, just as the crowd shouted their support for Jesus and then just a few days later turned against Him as their cried of Hosana turned to cries of Crucify, we too can be fickle.  We know we have let ourselves down when we go back on our commitments or succumb to temptations or the easy route.  When we don’t stand up for someone or something as we should because it may be difficult or put us in an awkward situation.  When we put self and self-image before God and God’s image in us.  Through Holy Week, the period after Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He would experience some of the most intense moments, both high and low, of his ministry on earth. 

At the Last Supper, Jesus would experience some of the most intense fellowship He had ever known with His disciples and followers.  After He rode into Jerusalem He was probably one of the most popular people in town.  Yet, He would also experience some of the most intense moments of loneliness, perhaps even as He rode into Jerusalem on (Dave) the Donkey, but certainly when His disciples left Him, and absolutely when He cried out to His Father asking why even He had forsaken Him.  He would experience moments of intense closeness and fellowship with His Father God, when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane for example.   But He would also experience a time when it felt like God did not exist and Jesus had got it all wrong.  He’d experience times when He would feel in complete control and others when it felt like things were spinning completely out of control.  It would be a week like no other ever experienced.

Through it all, Jesus’ commitment and obedience shine through.  Through what appear to be the good times and the challenging.  Through the pain and suffering, onto the glory which would follow.  Because through it all, God’s control and love for His Son and all creation shine through too.  God does not change, He is not fickle, He does not let His Son, us, or the world down.  It is God’s love that gives the golden thread of life to an otherwise dark story.  As we progress through our own Passion journey this Holy Week, it’s a great time to reflect on our commitment and obedience to God, safe in the knowledge that He is in control and never lets us down, even to the end, despite what it sometimes may appear like on the journey.

Sam Cappleman

Meditation

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem looks like a real celebration. The people who know - the disciples, not the crowds, as in the other gospels - praise God for the miracles they have seen. They have seen the deeds of liberation which Jesus announced in his home synagogue. Their acclamation includes, as in the other gospels, the allusion to our reading from the Psalms this morning, Ps 118 v 26, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’. But Luke adds: ‘the king’. We are not to forget the kings! Previous kings, especially Archelaus had not brought peace. Here is the real king who would bring real peace. ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest’ (Lk 19 v 38). We are transported back to the time of Jesus’ birth and the hillside where the shepherds heard the cry, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among people of his favour’ (Lk 2 v 14). The kings of the earth had brought no peace. The people of Jerusalem refused the way of peace. Jesus offered the way to peace. Peace hailed as heavenly is also peace made for earth. By recalling this scene Luke is recovering for us the cries for liberation among God’s favoured people, Israel, and all who belong to her. 

Additional Material

Luke surrounds the wonderful pageant of Jesus’ mounted descent from the Mount of Olives and ascent to Jerusalem with pain. It is hard to trivialise the scene with shallow triumphalism. The context invites us to the horror of Jerusalem and of all other habitations where human blood has been shed. The message is not the cheap comfort of blame, but the mourning for lost peace. The crowd, for Luke, is no longer a populist throng, but disciples who are beginning to understand why this baby was born and why he must die. They cry out - and should they be silenced the stones around would cry out in their stead. 

The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem marked the real beginning of the way of the cross for him. Although his life had been edging that way for some time, Palm Sunday was the beginning of the final count-down to the events of Easter. His manner of entry was carefully chosen. He could have simply walked into Jerusalem, in the usual way, with all the other travellers. Perhaps He was making a statement about being one of the people, ordinary, yet very different. Different enough to make a calculated entry into the city, an entry designed to announce his arrival to the world. This mode of entry chosen by Jesus perhaps foreshadowed his act at the Last Supper, of washing the disciples' feet, the act which showed the servant nature of this particular leader. It demonstrated the great gospel paradox that strength is made perfect in weakness. 

By way of His entry into Jerusalem, Jesus lays down a challenge to the authorities, and the authorities have to respond. The people who lined the streets of Jerusalem to cheer for Jesus on Sunday were silent by Friday. They expected a triumphant king but found instead a powerless prisoner. The exuberance and celebration of the entry is followed by the pain of Jesus’ unjust trail, the cries for crucifixion and His death on the cross. The authorities had acted. A Palm to Passion tragedy? Or would God intervene to bring about a happy ending?

Sometimes we can find ourselves in similar situations to the palm crowd, waving our flags and saying we want what is best for society, but too often looking for the quick fix and the simplistic answers or changing our tune in the face of adversity. Do we make well intentioned statements, but fail to accept our own responsibility to bring about change? Like Pilate, do we wash our hands of the responsibility of our actions, perhaps knowing what is right, hearing the call of God and needing to take the risk toward our full calling but giving in to our insecurities and our need to be liked? 

And indeed it would be a tragedy if that was the ending of the story. But God did intervene to bring about a glorious ending, the resurrection and ascension. An ending that was the beginning of new life. An ending that saw Lordship and Kingship in servant hood, His strength made perfect in weakness, and an ending that saw our weakness made perfect in His strength. An ending that revealed why the baby was born and why He had to die for each one of us. An ending which revealed why we worship the Servant King. It’s not a tragedy. For God hears our cries of ‘Hosanna’ (Save us!) yet forgives our metaphorical shouts of ‘crucify’ each time we turn away from Him and go our own way. We cry Hosanna today, what are the words on our lips when the Good Friday’s come in our lives?

Sam Cappleman

Meditation

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem looks like a real celebration. The people who know - the disciples, not the crowds, as in the other gospels - praise God for the miracles they have seen. They have seen the deeds of liberation which Jesus announced in his home synagogue. Their acclamation includes, as in the other gospels, the allusion to our reading from the Psalms this morning, Ps 118 v 26, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’. But Luke adds: ‘the king’. We are not to forget the kings! Previous kings, especially Archelaus had not brought peace. Here is the real king who would bring real peace. ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest’ (Lk 19 v 38). We are transported back to the time of Jesus’ birth and the hillside where the shepherds heard the cry, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among people of his favour’ (Lk 2 v 14). The kings of the earth had brought no peace. The people of Jerusalem refused the way of peace. Jesus offered the way to peace. Peace hailed as heavenly is also peace made for earth. By recalling this scene Luke is recovering for us the cries for liberation among God’s favoured people, Israel, and all who belong to her. 

Hymns

• All glory laud and honour
• Make Way, Make Way
• Man of Sorrows! What a name
• We cry Hosanna Lord
• Ride on, ride on in Majesty
• When I survey the wondrous cross;

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

Lord Jesus we remember this day that you rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, proclaiming your kingdom of justice, love and forgiveness and showing us that you would willingly accept suffering to invite us into God’s presence. Your entrance unsettled the religious leaders, you were disruptive and challenged power and authority calling for a new way of living. May we share in your willingness to give, to work for change, to subvert that which is not of your kingdom. Give us courage to work for justice and live out your way of love in the world. 

Lord Jesus Christ, whose greatest moments of triumph happen on the back of a donkey's foal and nailed to a bloody cross, We gather to prepare the way for you in our lives and in our world.

There are so many people and things that call for our allegiance so many kings seeking to rule over us. But, you ride into our experience as another kind of King, a serving, humble and challenging King 

who calls us not to slavery, but friendship.

There are so many things that seek our energy and resources for their own sakes so many Kingdoms seeking our souls for their own glory. But, you ride into our experience heralding another kind of Kingdom a Kingdom where the least are the greatest, where the meek inherit the earth and where children are the best example of citizenship. a Kingdom which seeks to bring life, not drain it.

There are so many things that draw our attention. So many realities that seek our faith and assent. But, you ride into our experience revealing another kind of reality a reality where death does not have the last word. a reality where pride, selfishness and evil are defeated by love and self-giving. a reality which does not parade itself for all to see, but fills every moment, every situation and every thing with life, while waiting for us to discover it. And so, we cry, from our hearts Hosanna, Save us. Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord. Amen.

Additional Resources

Commentary It's all over bar the shouting...

It seemed like good news. There was a big parade with lots of pomp and circumstance, everybody turned out, the disciples were very impressed, and the Pharisees and the Sadducees realised that they had underestimated this simple Galilean teacher. Riding this crest of public approval Jesus went to the temple, the very centre of the Jewish faith, and began to teach and preach. From Sunday to Thursday Jesus was unstoppable. His enemies tried to trick him several times -- but to no avail; each time He turned the tables on them and exposed their treachery. No one even seriously complained when He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and let the sacrificial birds loose. And of course, in this same period Jesus established the greatest new commandment, the one that says: "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" and He began a new ceremony with bread and wine which would later on, become the sacrament of Holy Communion.

But on the Thursday it all changed. He was betrayed and arrested, and on Friday He was hung him on a cross and killed. Today the palms - tomorrow the passion.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem it was all over bar the shouting. Events had to take their course. Death would be defeated and our relationship with God would be restored. In choosing to ride into Jerusalem Jesus was setting in motion a train of events that could not be stopped. But first there would be lots of shouting. First the 'Hosannas'. Then the shouts of 'Crucify Him'. When He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey events had turned full circle from when he entered Bethlehem on a donkey in Mary's womb. The adoration and worship the three kings offered Him was validated as He rode into Jerusalem as Judge, Prophet, Priest and King. The significance of the myrrh they had brought would finally be understood.

It was all over bar the shouting. Sin and death would be defeated and the fickleness of the world and its people would be exposed. In Jewish tradition the name Jerusalem means 'foundation of peace'. For several days the peace of the city would be shattered as events took their course. Even if the people were silent, the stones which made up the foundations of peace would cry our in worship and praise to the Son of God.

It was going to be a noisy time, with echo's of the cries of Hosanna and Crucify continuing to sound through the centuries. And yet, through it all, the peace and serenity of Jesus shines through. His obedience to the Father and to the task to which he had been called lead us beyond the shouting - to the cold, lonely silence which followed the crucifixion. Many who shouted Hosanna ('Save us we pray') would be the same people who would yell murderous cries a few days later. And how many would realise they were voicing a self fulfilling prophecy. God was in control, not the crowds or the authorities. The only way to salvation could be through the cross.

Nearly everyone has known the taste of Palm Sunday, the sweetness of success and popularity, and nearly all of us have tasted the bitterness of Good Friday, of failure and rejection. What saves us from an endless round of ups and downs, what frees us from the tyranny of events over which we have no control, is our commitment to press forward in obedience to God and trust in God's love to bring about Easter morning. Knowing that the meaning of life is to be found in the knowledge and love of God and obedience to Him, whatever that takes - and in obedience sharing that knowledge and love with those who accompany us on the way.

Sam Cappleman

Commentary

Our age is obsessed by celebrity. You can see evidence of this obsession on the television, in magazines and newspapers – all are full of the habits, tastes and opinions of so called “stars”. These stars are not famous for moral worth, practical achievements or humanitarian efforts. Most of them are just famous for being famous. And yet this dubious achievement is what many people aspire to! 

But as many “stars” have found, being famous is a poisoned chalice. Celebrity draws unwanted attention and makes them the focus of envy, dislike and even violence. It seems almost much as people admire “stars” they enjoy seeing them being exposed as fallible and flawed, just like everyone else. 

So it was with Jesus. Those who had watched Him heal the sick and transform the lives of the people who understood His teachings, loved and revered Jesus. On Palm Sunday we see Jesus at the height of His popularity with the crowds in Jerusalem. He could have done anything with them: commanded them to storm the Temple or rebel against the Romans. But because Jesus was the Prince of Peace and wanted to bring about spiritual change, He did not set off a popular revolt. 

The reason many “stars” are so easily exposed as liars, fools or hugely flawed is because they wear one face in public, yet are very different in reality. Jesus was a perfectly integrated person, the same to everyone He encountered, the same in public or in private. But His honesty and the originality of His teachings brought Him into direct conflict with the powerful in Jerusalem. Even His former friend Judas was filled with envy and malice at Jesus’ ability to attract love. Jesus did not care whether He was loved by the mob. He did not court anyone’s approval, but lived and taught according to His Father’s will. 

We must pray for the courage and the honesty to live out Christ’s Gospel, without being influenced by the approval or disapproval of anyone except God. 

Joan Crossley

Commentary

The triumphant entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem before His passion, was celebrated with particular solemnity since the first centuries of Christianity. In the Byzantine Rite it is considered to this day to be one of the twelve Major Feasts of the liturgical year. It is always celebrated on the Sunday before Easter with the blessing of branches. From ancient times, palm-branches were symbols of victory and triumph. The Romans used to reward their champions of the games with palm-branches and military triumphs, were observed with palms. It seems that the Jews followed the same custom (Lev. 23:40; I Macc. 13:37) of carrying palm-branches on their festive occasions. That is what happened during the solemn entry of Jesus into the Holy City before His last Passover.

From Jerusalem this celebration of palms spread to Egypt, then to Syria and Asia Minor. By the fifth century the feast was celebrated in Constantinople, where the Emperor and his household used to take part in a solemn procession on Passion Sunday. There, besides palms, the faithful were given olive and lilac branches. During the sixth and the seventh centuries the procession took place in the morning. It was at this time that the blessing of palms and other branches was introduced. The feast then spread to the West, where it received its present name- Palm Sunday.

On Palm Sunday Jesus was finally recognised by the Jewish people as their Messiah. When He arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, they greeted Him with a triumphant welcome, a fulfilment of a prophecy (Mt. 21:4-5). When the Apostles saw the enthusiastic crowds, they brought a donkey foal for Jesus to ride on, while other people spread their coats and cloaks and threw "branches from the trees" on the road in front of Him. Others took "branches of palms" in their hands and, cheered, crying out: "Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" As Jesus was entering the city, surrounded by the excited crowds, the Scribes and the Pharisees became alarmed and decided to stop Him at any cost.

Jesus' presence sets Jerusalem in turmoil (eseisthe - the word used for earthquake), just as it was at His birth and would be at His crucifixion several days later. The event was to be 'of earth shattering significance. Jesus was not entering a foreign city, nor entering the city of 'the Jews'. He was a Jew. He was entering the city which symbolised in His faith and His scriptures, God's promise to Israel. To confront one's own faith and its traditions is painful. This is part of the drama of the event, both in Matthew's account and in the earlier forms of the story, not least in the event itself. For some, Jesus' approach to Jerusalem has become a symbol of the confrontation they must make in their own lives, including the confrontation with themselves. The issues at stake are not ultimate control or power, though it is easy to give this impression: Jesus is the rightful king, they are about obedience, fulfilling the work of God, and doing our part in His calling to us.

The true signs of servanthood have much less to do with glory, palms and crowns, which ultimately must be subverted into irony on the cross, and more to do with acts of healing, wholeness, justice and compassion. Without the crucifixion and resurrection, the entry story is ambiguous, a potential disaster, which realises itself in every generation in the name of piety and self righteousness. But a radically subverted model of power, exercised in gentleness and compassion challenges the systems of not only the first century Roman world but also their equivalents in our own world today. Its this subversive, radical power that Christ unleashes on the world through the events of the coming week, and through the imperfect, but forgiven and redeemed band of people called the Church. The Reverend Dr. Sam Cappleman

Meditation

Isaiah 40-55 was written in exile and contains four servant songs, sections that sometimes seem to interrupt the flow of the book but have a unity within themselves. The first (42 v 1-7) begins "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen ..."; in the second (49 v 1-7) the servant, abused and humiliated, is commissioned anew; in the third (our passage today) he is disciplined and strengthened by suffering; and in the fourth (52 v 17-53 v 12) even the Gentiles are in awesome contemplation before the suffering and rejected servant. In late Judaism, the servant was seen as the perfect Israelite, one of supreme holiness, a Messiah. In the gospels, Jesus identifies himself as the servant (or slave), the one who frees all people.

In the euphoria and exuberance of this morning's celebration, the church must not be seduced into losing sight of its central mission and message: obedient service. Adapted from Homelitics

There is a well known sailing term called “being prepared to trim your sails” which I understand means being willing to adapt to conditions as you encounter them. This is clearly sensible if you are trying to survive a force ten gale! But in life, if you endlessly adapt who and what you are according to the people you meet, you are in danger of becoming a fragmented being, never being your true self for long. Do you have one face for people in church and another for the people in the office? Are you a Christian on Sundays and a pagan the rest of the week?

Prayers for Sunday

Holy Father, you have shown us that the brave bearing of the cross is the beginning of wearing your crown: help us by your grace to bear patiently our pains and disappointments, as your beloved Son bore His; and to offer them to you as the pure gift of our faithfulness to our crucified Lord. Amen 

As on this day we keep the special memory of our Redeemer's entry into the city, so grant O Lord that now and ever, He may triumph in our hearts. Let the King of Glory enter in, and let us lay ourselves and all we are in full and joyful homage before Him, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Bishop Moule, 1841-1920

Father God, During Lent we have been preparing for the celebration of our Lord's Paschal mystery. On this day Jesus Christ entered the holy city of Jerusalem in triumph. The people welcomed Him with palms and shouts of praise, but the path before Him led to self-giving, suffering and death. Today we greet Him as our king, although we know His crown is thorns and His throne a cross. We follow Him this week from the glory of the palms to the glory of the resurrection by the dark road of suffering and death. Unite us with Him in His suffering on the cross; may we share His resurrection and new life. Amen

Christ crucified draw you to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen

As we journey this week with Christ and celebrate the paschal mystery of his death and resurrection, let us earnestly pray to God for those following the way of the cross and for all peoples everywhere. Blessed are you, Lord our God, who sent your Son among us to bear the pain and grief of humankind. Receive the prayers we offer this day for all those in need in every place and as we near the holy mountain grant us strength on our journey. Glory to you for ever. Amen

Holy Father, you have shown us that the brave bearing the cross is he beginning of wearing your crown: help us by your grace to bear patiently our pains and disappointments, as your beloved Son bore His; and to offer them to you as the pure gift of our faithfulness to our crucified Lord. Amen

Christ, Saviour of all life, you come to us always. Welcoming you in the peace of our nights, in the silence of our days, in the beauty of creation, in the hours of combat within, welcoming you is knowing that you will be with us in every situation, always. Amen

Christ crucified draw you to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen

Christ crucified draw you to himself, to find in him a sure ground for faith, a firm support for hope, and the assurance of sins forgiven; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those things which last for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O God our dance, in whom we live and move and have our being: so direct our strength and inspire our weakness that we may enter with power into the movement of you whole creation, through our partner Jesus Christ. Amen

O God, you are my rock, my rescue, and my refuge, I leave it all quietly to you. Amen. George Appleton (1902-93)

Lord may I prefer the truth and right by which I might seem to lose, to the falsehood and wrong by which I might seem to gain. Amen. Maimonides (1135-1204) Spain.