Welcome
“All we are saying is give peace a chance” is the chorus line to a John Lennon song recorded in 1969. It was a war protest song that is just as relevant today as it was then. This Palm Sunday let us reflect rightly on the protest procession that Jesus entered Jerusalem in and how true peace is forged in a world filled with power structures.

Call to Worship
We gather to seek God
to praise the Creator
to adore the Son
to abide in the Spirit.
To give thanks to the Lord
for He is good.
God’s steadfast love endures forever

We gather on this last Sunday of Lent
to share in the praise of Palm Sunday
to anticipate the events of Holy Week
to journey towards the cross and tomb.
To give thanks to the Lord
for He is good.
God’s steadfast love endures forever

We gather together
bringing all the worries and wonders of the world
bringing all that is heavy in our hearts or light in our souls
bringing all the joys and challenges of life
whatever our circumstances.
To give thanks to the Lord
for He is good.
God’s steadfast love endures forever

Amen

HYMN 127: O worship the King, all glorious above

Prayer:

Thank you that your ways are far greater than our ways, your thoughts far deeper than our thoughts. Thank you that you had a plan to redeem. Thank you that you make all things new. Thank you that your face is towards the righteous, and you hear our prayers, and know our hearts. Help us to stay strong and true to you. Help us not to follow after the voice of the crowds, but to press in close to you, to hear your whispers, and seek after you alone.
All-powerful, eternal God, you have chosen to give mankind the ultimate model of humility;
our Saviour took on our flesh, and subjected Himself to the Cross. Grant us the grace to preserve faithfully in the lessons You have given us in his Passion so that we may share in His resurrection.

God of mercy and grace, we come seeking Him that we may know true peace, not as the world gives but as you provide so freely.
O Lord, who on this day entered the rebellious city that later rejected you: we confess that our wills are as rebellious as Jerusalem’s, that our faith is often more show than substance,
that our hearts are in need of cleansing. Have mercy on us, son of David, Saviour of our lives.

Help us to lay at your feet all that we have and all that we are, trusting you
to forgive what is sinful,
to heal what is broken,
to welcome our praises,
and to receive us as your own.

Blessed are you, Holy God, for in Jesus Christ you came to rule in our lives, not as a king,
but as a humble servant, riding on a donkey. Help us to serve humbly too!
Enter into our hearts afresh this day with your glorious, life-giving presence
that we may greet you with shouts of praise; not only in this place but also on the streets.
That Your Kingdom may come through Christ, our Sovereign and Saviour.
Amen

Scriptures:

Philippians 2:5-11
Let the same mind be in you that was^[a] in Christ Jesus,
⁶ who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited,
⁷ but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross.
⁹ Therefore God also highly exalted him
    and gave him the name
    that is above every name,
¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue should confess
    that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.
Luke 19:28-42
²⁸ After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
²⁹ When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ 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. ³¹ If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.”’ ³² So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ ³⁴ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ³⁵ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. ³⁶ 

As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. ³⁷ 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, ³⁸ saying,
‘Blessed is the king
    who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
    and glory in the highest heaven!’

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ ⁴⁰ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’ ⁴¹ As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, ⁴² saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

HYMN 365: Ride on, ride on in majesty

Reflection:

As we gather to celebrate Palm Sunday this year, Jesus entering Jerusalem triumphantly on a donkey, the world is feeling the horrendous ripple effects of war. Ukrainians continue to flee their cities and homes seeking refuge in the mercy and hospitality of their neighbours. The exit parade is one of defeat and despair. There does not seem to be an end to the madness and misery. NATO have been very reluctant to get involved directly by sending troops and yet many countries are providing weapons and imposing sanctions. As I see Politicians gathering and talking, I want to cry out “Please do something” because as each day passes more soldiers, civilians, women and even children are dying. Cities in the Ukraine have been decimated, turned to rumble. It begs the question when if ever is war justified?

In Russia some citizens have been arrested because they are protesting against their own government about the war in Ukraine. It is not a war right as Putin has censored it; it is a “Special Military Operation”. Some Russian civilians are fleeing because they no longer see a future under a regimen that rules by force and controls the media. So, war rages on and there seems to be no peace in sight. We have all experienced loss to some degree over the last two years through Covid. Our worlds have been turned upside down and now war in Europe. I am sure like me, your peace has been challenged maybe even rocked. Could this all be happening in the twenty-first century?

As we gather to reflect on the parade on that day, 2 000 years ago, palm leaves waving and cries of “Hosanna”, we need to remind ourselves that tension had been rising between the religious leaders of the day and Jesus. They had tried to kill him a number of times already. The historical-political landscape also needs be remembered: Rome ruled, Caesar was Lord, but he allowed those in Jerusalem to continue to live out their religion as long as they towed the line and paid their dues. The High Priest and Pharisees ruled but they were there only at the pleasure of the governor who ruled regionally under Caesar’s authority. The High Priest and the governor, Pilate at the time of Jesus, could not afford disruptions and uprisings that disturbed the peace. This could easily get the attention of Caesar and he would respond rapidly and brutally. Pilate could lose his position and many would lose their lives if Caesar sent in Legions of Roman soldiers.

Jesus’s popularity had been growing, he had amazed his audiences not only with his teachings but also his miracles. Wouldn’t you be following if you had been able to see again, walk again, talk again. Would you not be following if you had been fed and experienced the raising of the dead? No wonder Jesus had a multitude of disciples in his parade praising Him as he enters Jerusalem. Luke 19:38 “saying, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’” They are expectant; maybe this is the Messiah who was prophesied about who would come to set them free. Free from the oppressive rule of a governor and free from Caesar who saw himself as Lord. Can you feel the tension rising? I am sure it was palpable in certain sectors of society in Jerusalem. The national passion and zeal for liberty would be heightened as they prepare for Passover, literally remembering the time when God through Moses rescued them from Lord Pharaoh. Under Pharaoh, they were again given certain freedoms but ultimately, they had to give and bow to him if they wanted to keep the peace. Pharaoh too had ruled by fear and force. Make no mistake Caesars were capable of ghastly acts to make sure no one dare challenge them. No wonder, “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’” Luke 19:39. They want to keep the Peace at all costs but what kind of peace was it really and at what cost?

Theologians Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan, in their book “The Last Week”, describe a scene in Jerusalem where both Jesus and Pontius Pilate enter the city at the same time but at different gates. Pilate obviously entering through the main gate and Jesus in a sense entering through the back door. Although there is no historical evidence for this, it is possible as we know Pilate would make the sixty-mile journey from the comfort and safety of his home in Caesarea around the time of the Passover. He did this regularly to ensure that by a display of force and power there was no thought of a rebellion. In other words, he would have his tanks and his guns leading the way and lining the streets to the stadium, no that was Putin. Pilate would have a huge entourage of soldiers with swords and spears. Pilate would enter with pomp and ceremony displaying the victory and rule of Rome. He would ride, most probably, on a white stallion and yes people would gather and shout praises not so much in respect but rather out of obligation and fear. Two parades that day, two kings on a mission, one coming to ensure peace is maintained so that his position remained secure, even if that was by force and coercion. The other, Jesus, would not even defend himself but humbly chose to show the way and make a way of Peace. Two very different kingdoms were about to clash and as they did their primary modus of operandi would be on full display.

Luke wants us to know Jesus came to bring peace. Luke mentions that word peace fourteen times. That is more than all the other gospels together. Right from the start this theme is clear, in Zechariah’s song “to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). It continues in the familiar angels’ words heard every Christmas “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace… “(Luke 2:14). In Simeon’s song as he believes he has seen the Messiah: “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word.” (Luke 2:29). Are you in need of peace? Are there perhaps relationships that you are part of that are peaceful on the surface but this is largely due to some form of coercion. This could be in the work place or even in the home context, sadly force is still used in various forms to maintain the status quo in many relationships. I shudder when I think of President Biden threatening China that there will be consequences if they side with Russia. Who likes to be threatened, who likes to be in the sights of the playground bully be it in a school, a board room or on the world stage? As Jesus enters Jerusalem he weeps over the city and says, “‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (Luke 19:42) Jesus weeps because they are unaware, blind to what actually brings peace. Interestingly the other gospels have Jesus healing a blind man before the Palm Sunday event. Yet, still to this day many are living in situations of pseudo peace because they blinded to what truly brings peace.

Luke in his gospel has two stories preceding Jesus entering Jerusalem. One is of Zacchaeus who happily welcomes Jesus into his home and transformative salvation permeates his life as he gives up his power and position. The next story is of a ruler who goes off to get ultimate authority but the members of his society do not want him back. When he returns, he judges each one by what they have done with what he had left them with. These stories are about the presence of the Lord and how he is welcomed, perceived and received. They foreshadow the welcome Jesus will receive in Jerusalem and also his ultimate return from glory at the end of the age. They also foreshadow how you and I either welcome Jesus as the source of true peace or continue to seek it in conforming to the ways of this world. There were two parades that day one conforming to the status quo living out a pseudo peace maintained by fear and force. The other parade was of those on the fringes of society following a sacrificial servant king and desiring a different reality. The reality however is that as Jesus enters Jerusalem not on a stallion but on a humble donkey it was in fact a parody of and a blatant challenge to the parade that was happening on the other side of town. Imagine if they had come through the same gate, side by side?

As Luke writes, he knows that the presence of Jesus, while bringing peace through reconciliation between rich and poor, black and white, male and female and Jew and Gentile as the barrier that divides, is brought down and a new unity declared. It would also bring division with those who wish to hold onto the status quo and laud over others. It brings division because many do not want the transformative presence of God in their lives. “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” (Luke 12:51). In order to experience real peace, the injustices need to be addressed, the lies need to be brought into the light and the bullies need to be exposed. Jesus could have avoided the cross. All he had to do was either stay in Galilee, avoid the confrontation or he could have played by this world’s way and raised up an army of his own to take the Romans on by force. He chose neither. He chose to challenge the structures and powers that be in the most submissive way yet at the same time directly challenging the worldly power dynamics at play. If we want real peace in our lives, we need to decide which parade we’re going to join. Jesus came not to coerce us into following his ways but rather he demonstrated his great love for us by carrying our burden of sin. ^“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Zechariah in his Messianic prophecy spoke of the new king riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. “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.” (Zechariah 9:9) A week later the crowd that had prayed to God for peace was shouting “Crucify Him”, siding with the power structures of the day. The religious leaders of the day that knew the sacred texts did not recognise the messiah’s presence, blinded by protecting their privileged position. A week later those who thought he may be the messiah did not recognise him as king in a bloody purple rob and crown of thorns. Jesus did not come to coerce us to follow him but he came humbly and showed us the way to true peace is through sacrifice. The world is facing many challenges to peace. May we recognise that the prince of peace, Jesus, has come and may we continue to welcome him into each situation even if he challenges the status quo. It is telling for me that the very first thing Luke has Jesus doing after entering Jerusalem is turning over the table in the temple. Again, challenging and dividing, not keeping the peace but challenging the unjust practices. True peace does not come by following the crowd and keeping the status quo but true peace is experienced by confronting the powers that continue to suppress and subvert.

Know that God is present as you welcome him into each situation but he comes to transform not to keep the status quo. It is important to reflect on which parade we are journeying with and praising. May we seek not to be peacekeepers but peacemakers who are willing to serve sacrificially by resisting and challenging structures that perpetuate and maintain injustice. I end with Zechariah 9:9-10 “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.¹⁰ He^[a] will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse 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.”
Amen

HYMN 364: All glory, laud and honour

Prayers:

We pray to you, Lord of palm-branches and the cross,
for you understand us and in love you have promised
all your presence not to push away any who come to you.
So, we pray for people who feel pushed away:
pushed away from a living faith in Jesus by pressure from friends and family;
those who feel pushed away by other people in churches
if they do not share the same kinds of ideas, or ways, or clothes;
for people who are pushed out by those who want power,
whose main love is to be noticed, to have control.

We pray for your church that all those who trust in Jesus
will be made able by your Spirit to follow his humility,
to see and imitate his servant life, to welcome and not to condemn.
Help your church to be like Jesus.
We pray to you, Lord of palm-branches and the cross,
for you know the warm glow of being praised and the loneliness of being hated.
Empower all who seek to follow your parade of truth and grace,
May they know you guiding presence and perseverance.

We pray for world leaders, especially at this time of war in Ukraine, when the destruction caused by arrogance, greed and pride are so clear. May the nations of the world unite in their efforts not only to humbly serve those fleeing in fear but to also humbly challenge the mindset of coercion and subjugation.

We pray for world leaders to understand their role to serve all peoples of the world,
that posturing will be replaced by practical action to make a difference, and jockeying for position be replaced by genuine efforts to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and care for those who are weak. And to challenge structures and powers that perpetuate cycles of poverty and hate.

In days when food banks are required in our land to feed families who struggle to provide the basics for life, we ask that you will re-arrange our priorities and help us to live more like Jesus. We pray to you, Lord of palm-branches and the cross, because you know how quickly life changes to death.

We pray for those who have recently lost those whom they have loved. In the shock, confusion, pain and sorrow especially of unexpected loss, we pray for hearts to be open to the comfort of your Spirit, shown through friendship and community and as deep calls to deep. May all who mourn know your presence which brings peace.

We ask, God of grace, that you will make us more like some of the crowd:
that we will follow Jesus and give him our praise in the way we live;
that we will turn away from wrong and evil and stand on the Master’s side,
that we will be faithful in worshipping the one who has come in the Lord’s name
to bring peace through our singing, our worship, our prayers, but also through
giving our skills, time and means to humbly serve the vulnerable and humbly
challenge those who perpetuate power structures.
May all the days of our lives be lived with the knowledge of your transformative presence; We pray, all this to your glory and the good of many.
Through Jesus who is the Saviour of all. Amen

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
as we forgive those who sin against us.
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.

HYMN 552: O for a closer walk with God

Benediction:

Before this week ends, the Palm branches will be discarded and drying on the roadside. Most in the joyful crowd will become an angry mob, and Jesus’s triumphant parade will be replaced by an agonising parade to a cross. So then, go in the knowledge that whatever comes to you in this week, you are held in the hand of God, whose ways are not ours but whose presence brings peace. May God, the Three-in One, bless you, uphold you and give you strength for the journey ahead.
Amen.

Sung Amen:

Acknowledgements:
Bible Quotations taken from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

English translations of The Lord’s Prayer, © 1998, English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), and used by permission. www.englishtexts.org
Prayers of Rev. Grant Barclay and final blessing adapted from Church of Scotland Weekly Worship for 10 April 2022.

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Intimations:

1. A Huge thank you to all those who contributed so generously towards relief for those fleeing the crisis in Ukraine. We raised a total of £1,750, which has been split between World Vision (via the DEC appeal) and the Church of Scotland’s congregation in Budapest who are working with the Reformed Church in Hungary to provide food donations, hygiene equipment, information, spiritual assistance and accommodation to refugees.

2.Easter is next week so join us in person for this special time in our Christian faith. There will be a number of special services leading up to Easter Sunday. Please check all the details on the church website and make a special effort to join us during these times of worship. In addition, the church will be open for an hour on Easter Saturday, 16 April, between 6 and 7pm, for an hour of silence, for personal prayer and reflection or simply for a few moments of peaceful rest. Many churches across the city will be doing the same. Everyone is welcome.

3. The Edinburgh Easter Play will take place in Princes Street Gardens on Saturday 16 April at 2pm – a live performance for the first time since 2018. The Easter Story is brought to life in the centre of Edinburgh by a talented community cast, with the iconic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. The event will also be live-streamed so you can watch it online if you prefer. See www.easterplay.org for details.