As this was rather different to the normal Sunday liturgy, I am including the order of service as well. And yes, the meditations are similar to last year's!
Introduction
Opening Prayer and Sentence
Hymn
89: Ride on, ride on in
majesty
Reading:
Luke 19:28-40
Prayer
over the Palms
Hymn
78: All Glory,
Laud and Honour (processional; at the end, the children leave for
Sunday School, if they wish).
Meditation
1: The Procession
Each year there are a
few days’ holidays around Passover,
when as many people as
possible go to Jerusalem for the biggest festival of the Jewish year.
This year,
you're going, too.
Perhaps you go every
year,
or perhaps you can only
go once every few years,
if you don't have much
money.
Whatever,
this year, you are
going to Jerusalem.
Perhaps you are
travelling with a large party,
perhaps there are only
two of you.
But today is the day
you arrive at Jerusalem.
It's hot.
You're walking along,
a bit hot and rather
thirsty,
and somewhat tired of
walking.
It will be good to get
into Jerusalem,
and to your room at the
inn.
Suddenly, though,
there is a noise in the
crowd.
What is happening?
Everyone has stopped
moving.
But there are cheers
and shouts going on.
What are people
shouting?
Listen, a minute:
"Hosanna to the
Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the
highest!"
What on earth are they
on about?
What's going on?
People are pulling
branches off the trees.
They're throwing down
their cloaks.
Who is this person
coming along, anyway?
It's someone riding a
donkey.
How extraordinary.
Why a donkey, please?
How very undignified.
And yet everyone else
is cheering him.
Oh well, why not.
"Hosanna",
you shout,
joining your voice to
everyone else's.
"Hosanna" .
And carried away by the
emotion of the moment,
you throw your cloak
into the road for the donkey to walk on.
Later, when the moment
has passed,
you wonder what on
earth it was all about.
Your cloak was torn by
the donkey's feet.
It's dusty and spoilt
from lying in the road.
Your new cloak,
that you had bought
specially for the festival.
It's ruined.
And you were shouting
and cheering like a mad thing.
How very odd.
Prayer
of thanksgiving:
Hymn 85: Meekness and Majesty
Reading:
Luke 22:39-62
Meditation
2: Peter
Simon Peter.
You're at the Palace,
in the servant's
courtyard.
Jesus is in there
somewhere.
You'ld like to rush in
and rescue him,
but you don't know
whereabouts they are keeping him.
Meanwhile you're cold,
tired,
scared
and feeling sick.
You were up all night,
praying with Jesus in the garden.
Well, you might have
nodded off a time or two,
but basically you
haven't had any sleep.
And he was upset, you
heard him;
crying, he was.
Crying out to God to
spare him,
not to make him have to
go through with this.
But they have taken him
anyway.
You followed, at a
distance.
You would love to
rescue him, but....
There's a fire in the
courtyard,
and you creep up to it,
staying in the shadows
and listening to the
maids flirting with the soldiers,
and being flirted with
in their turn.
And they are talking
about the arrest,
and the newest
prisoner.
You prick up your ears.
A teacher, they say.
A religious nut, more
like.
The servants are
sneering at your master.
You'ld love to tell
them about him,
about the fun you've
had,
the travels,
the wonders.
But your voice won't
work.
Suddenly one of the
maids turns to you:
"Hey, big boy!
You were with him,
weren't you? Tell us about him!"
But your voice doesn't
do what you want it to.
"No way, no, not
me, you've got the wrong chap!"
you hear yourself
babbling.
"No, I'm sure I
saw you with him," says one of the other maids.
Again, you find you
saying it wasn't you.
You begin to sweat.
Why are you telling all
these lies?
Can't they just shut up
and leave you alone?
What's going to happen,
anyway.
"Oh, come on,"
says another voice.
"You're from
Galilee, same as him.
Your accent proves it.
You must have known
him, at the very least."
And your temper
explodes, and you round on the man,
cursing and swearing.
You fling out of the
courtyard.
And the cock crows.
Just as He had said.
"Before the cock
crows,
you will deny me three
times."
Just what he had said.
Dear God,
what have I done?
Prayer
of penitence and assurance of forgiveness
Hymn
84: My song is
love unknown
Reading:
Luke 23:13-25
Meditation
3: In the Crowd
Now it is two or three
days after the entry into Jerusalem,
early in the morning.
Once again, you are a
pilgrim, or holidaymaker, or whatever you care to call it.
You look out of your
bedroom window,
and see that a massive
crowd has gathered outside the governor's palace.
You step over, to see
what all the fuss is about.
"What's
happening?", you ask.
"Pilate's going to
release a prisoner",
explains the
knowledgeable one.
"Like every year.
This year it's going to
be a chap called Barabbas,
you know, the
terrorist."
"No it isn't,"
interrupts another person.
"There was a new
prisoner bought in last night.
That teacher, the
Galilean one.
You know.
They arrested him,
but I gather Pilate
wants to release him."
"No way,"
says a third voice.
"The chief priests
won't wear that.
They want him dead."
And then a hush.
Pilate appears on the
balcony. A few quiet "boos",
but the crowd is fairly
patient.
"Who shall I
release to you?" he asks.
"Barabbas!"
yell the crowd.
"We want Barabbas.
At first it is only a
few voices,
but gradually more and
more people start to shout for Barabbas.
"We want Barabbas,
we want Barabbas!"
"Well," goes
Pilate,
"Are you sure you
don't want Jesus who is called the Christ?"
One or two people start
to shout "Yes",
but
you are aware that there are some heavies in the crowd and they soon
shut up, and start the chant again:
"We want Barabbas,
we want Barabbas!"
"Then what shall I
do with this Jesus?" asks Pilate.
And the voices start,
slowly at first,
but more and more
people join in:
"Crucify him,
Crucify him!"
And you find yourself
shouting, too.
"Crucify him,
crucify him!"
But why?
Normally you hate the
thought of crucifixion.
The Romans consider it
too barbarous for their own citizens.
Only people who aren't
Roman citizens,
local people,
slaves.
Only they get
crucified.
So why are you shouting for this man to be crucified?
Prayer
(the Collect for the Day)
Hymn
99: When I survey the
wondrous Cross
Reading:
Luke 23:26-46
Meditation
4: On the Cross
So
they did crucify him.
There
were rumours going round all night.
You
didn't get any sleep; you kept hearing things
He
was with Pilate.
With
Herod.
They
were going to let him go.
They
weren't.
And
now he is up there, being put to death.
Maybe
he was no better than those thieves beside him.
Who
knows?
You
certainly don't.
Yes,
he's suffering.
God,
that must hurt.
Hope
it never happens to me.
Shouldn't
happen to a dog, crucifixion.
All the same, what does
this mean?
Didn't he say he was
going to destroy the Temple, rebuild it in three days?
Now he's dying; now
he's up there, can't do anything about it...
Maybe he was all a big
fake, not the great Teacher.
Such a pity. He could
have been the Messiah, but......
that death?
Would the Messiah
really die?
Oh yes, he's dying.
Forsaken!
Forsaken by God.
Left alone, alone on
the Cross to die.
And yet, and yet.
He feels alone,
abandoned, forsaken.
And yet, and yet.
He suffers, suffers
dreadfully.
And yet, and yet.
That cry, that cry when
he died:
“It is finished!
I've done it!”
A cry of triumph, of
triumph over death.
Forsaken,
yet triumphant.
“Surely this man was a Son of God”.
Prayers
of Intercession
The
Lord's Prayer
Hymn
88: On a hill far away
stood an old rugged cross
Notices
and Offertory
Old
Rugged Cross (reprise)
Final
prayers
