God, Only you know, how long Holy Week is– Only you were human enough to do all the emotions, to go from raising Lazarus… to carry the scent of your perfumed feet to the washing of your own disciples, after you spent precious time having one Last Supper one last fellowship one last night of… Read More
Palm Sunday Confession
We have shown ourselves to be fools, O Teacher. Celebrating the Robin Hood come to challenge the prince,we failed to recognize the outcast Sovereign before us. Cheering the jester’s parade in all its mockery of power,we ignored its earnest portrayal of the realm of God. Triumphantly paving life’s way with our coats & palms &… Read More
Thursday Prayer, April 7, 2022
God, every day I hunt for joy,in the all-glory-laud-and-honor storyof the entrance to Jerusalem,while the southern United Statesneeds the storms stilled,gun tragedy after gun tragedycalls for the things that make for peace,and Ukraine defines Via Dolorosa, and you put Luke before me,because there are only coats on the ground –not boots, not broken branches. Maybe… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
God this is a prayer of fast forward as the palms are here, or coming (or not, eep!) As the the church is ready, or not. As the sermon is ready, or not. As our hearts are ready, or not. I lift my eyes to the hills –and some days beyond to skies, and the… Read More
Sunday Prayer: hosanna!
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna!
Hosanna in the highest!
With all of creation, we shout … Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party: Palm Sunday
So here we are! Jesus makes his approach to Jerusalem; the crowds go wild! Tree branches are waved and laid; small children run along in excitement… You may be beginning in-person worship after the lockdown – this is very possible in Scotland as our restrictions are lifted a little from Friday. You may already be… Read More
worship words for Palm Sunday 2021
Somehow here we are again — a year on, having Palm Sunday in what’s now a more familiar yet still hard to comprehend way. If you are looking for some liturgical language that meets this moment in ways some of our more traditional language doesn’t quite capture, here is some brand new liturgy offered to… Read More
Narrative Lectionary: What, no palm branches? (Luke 19:28-44)
In times gone by, my usual practice would have been to allow the liturgy and hymns, the marching with palm leaves and the singing of “Hosanna”, to speak most loudly on Palm Sunday. However, in their absence (due to Covid restrictions this year), there is both a need and an opportunity to take a closer… Read More
RCL Commentary: Palm Sunday 2021: Living on Borrowed Time, Colts, and Promises
Mark 11:1-11 John 12:12-16 Approaching Jerusalem, Jesus paused. It had been another unsettling week for the disciples – a week full of parables they struggled to understand, an unexpected lunch with a tax collector, and a morbid take on this trip to Jerusalem. But seeing the city in the distance and knowing that ahead lay… Read More
Palm Sunday Psalm
Open to God a heart of praise and a gate of generosity. O give thanks to the One who is good, whose steadfast love endures forever. Come to God’s side with a coat and a colt and a shout. O give thanks to the One who is good, whose steadfast love endures forever. Bless God’s… Read More