Message: This is Your God
We live in a world of great divides where we see and read about powerful and the powerless, the influence of a few over the masses. The crowds on streets and online trends affect how our world is being shaped. We can see or even be prevented from seeing what is happening on the other side of the world let along in our own communities. We hear news stories of events in places our feet may never walk and among people whose cultures we struggle to fully understand. Through video and words, we experience other places and peoples from the comfort of our familiar. We do not have to journey to another place to see and wonder. We can have adventures in other places and understand the world through the eyes of others and yet we humans often are challenged to see beyond our own experiences and worldview. We see it in the polarising of culture in our own country when different viewpoints collide and from around the world where conflicts rage on in wars and wars of words.
First century Jerusalem was not so different, except without all the technology and modern comforts we have come to know and for the most part love (or at least can’t really live without). The Roman occupation and the Jewish festival celebrations collide in Jerusalem in Jesus’s day. Power and influence challenge what Jesus was preaching and teaching among everyday people. Religious leaders and government officials felt the tension and possible unruliness if a charismatic Rabbi came and rallied the people to rise up.
Each Lenten Season as we start Holy Week, we find ourselves recalling the waving of palm branches and repeating the shouts of the crowd’s Hosanna as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Donkeys can be quite the characters and often we are told of their beast of burden status and in scripture the riding of the donkey was done in times of peace by the king. I’m grateful for Roots for Churches for citing a few places in the Hebrew Bible where the association of donkeys and royal parades appear:
“King David was given a donkey to ride on when he was on the Mount of Olives, defending his kingdom from Absalom (2 Samuel 16:2). David’s son, Solomon, rode his father’s own mule into Jerusalem for his coronation as David’s successor (1 Kings 1:38-40). And the prophet Zechariah foretold, ‘See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious is he, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey’ (Zechariah 9:9; Berean Standard Version). This emphasis on Jesus as king is picked up in the chant of the crowd, changing the word of Psalm 118:26 to ‘Blessed is the king who come in the name of the Lord.’ Even the spreading of cloaks is associated with kingship, such as the anointing of Jehu as king of Israel (2 Kings 9:13).”
And knowing these aspects of their ancient story with God, Jesus’s followers and the crowds would have connected the experience with the line of Kings David and Solomon and the promise of the Messiah – the saving king promised.
In our current world climate, I do not think many believe that any one human ruler can ‘save the whole world’ from the challenges we face. However, there are some places where leaders attempt to portray themselves as the saviours of their people and in not so humble and service-oriented ways. And we humans are capable of conflating power by might as being right and on the side of what is good.
I wonder what Jesus would have looked like in the 21st century had God chosen this time to come. Walking or maybe on the back of tractor drawn trailer in a parade rather than a fancy golden carriage or armoured tank. My thoughts are not like God’s thoughts but sometimes I wonder where we might be missing God’s spirit in our midst because we see through worldly eyes or through visions of 1st century Judea that are challenging to translate into 21st century life in Scotland.
Yet, we are invited to remember year after year who Jesus showed himself to be among real human community, to remember their hopes in God’s saving love coming among them, and Jesus’s humble giving of himself that we might know God’s love deeply and wholly.
Our God, that we worship and adore entered a festival city where tensions were high on a donkey asserting peace nort a violent war and yet was met with eventual violence and death.
Our God came to us in human flesh and blood to share his life with us facing the heartache, hurt, hopes, and happenings of day-to-day so that we might remember that amid our everyday, God is present. God meets us at the table with friends, not just at big fancy festivals. God comforts us when we feel forgotten and overlooked. God touches the lives of those on the margins and challenges those in power who believe they have it all figured out.
This is our God who meets us in life’s journey, who comes among us humbly and with power, who breaks bread and prays in the garden for strength, who walks a lonely road knowing God is at work even when friends might turn away. This is our God who calls us to remember him, to follow him, and to love and serve even in a world that is very different in many ways from the place and time of his life, death, and resurrection. We are called to worship God, our Servant King riding on a donkey amid the cries of Save us, we pray.
Prayers from Church of Scotland Weekly Worship:
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
Prayer of lament
God of Creation
we cry to You from the depths
of creation's destruction.
How long will rivers and lakes
be contaminated?
How long will forests be destroyed?
Jeopardizing the lives of indigenous,
afro and peasant families
who need these resources of Your creation
to enjoy a dignified life.
God of creation, hear our voice.
God of Justice
we cry to You from the depths
of injustice and abuse.
How long will we be afraid
to denounce the activities
which weigh most heavily
on families and communities
who are destitute or poor?
How long will our silence
put countless virtuous lives at risk;
our brothers and sisters
whom You call us to care for and protect?
God of justice, hear our voice.
God of Life
we cry to You from the depths
of inhumanity and neglect.
How long will a lack of solidarity
and absence of compassion
bring pain to those who suffer
hunger, disease, abandonment and
loss of their rights and freedom?
Forgive our selfishness and insensitivity
that causes sadness and anguish
in many families and communities.
God of life, hear our voice.
(Moises Gonzalez, Christian Aid, Rage and Hope, SPCK 2021)
Prayer for Palm Sunday
O Christ, You entered the city as a poor man
not in style but simply,
yet still You caused uproar, and questions everywhere;
You drew the expectations of a hungry crowd,
and brought buried conflicts to the light.
May we, who are sometimes swayed by the crowd's approval,
and who often avoid conflict
for fear of its cost to us,
hold fast to the gospel of peace and justice
and follow faithfully in Your way of compassion and solidarity
with those who are poor and excluded,
wherever it may lead us. Amen.
(By Kathy Galloway included in Christian Aid reflection and prayers for April 2017)
Ride on Lord Jesus.
Upon a colt,
over cloaks,
under branches –
ride on Lord Jesus.
Towards a city,
through its gates,
past the crowds –
ride on Lord Jesus.
As Hosannas fade
and enemies sneer,
as danger closes
and friends falter –
ride on Lord Jesus.
Showing the way,
teaching the truth,
bringing life for all.
In the name of the Lord –
ride on Lord Jesus.
(Christian Aid Monthly reflections and prayers, 2014)
Prayers from Roots for Churches:
© Roots for Churches Ltd (www.rootsforchurches.com) 2002-2025. Reproduced with permission.
A prayer of confession
Dear Lord, hatred engulfed you, but you reacted with love.
Forgive us for when we’ve reacted badly in the face of animosity.
Forgive us when we let fear of what others think stop us
from doing your will.
Lord, you came as a man of the people. Though you were without sin, you did not look to be served but to serve.
Forgive us our pride. Help us to humbly follow you and
to seek to serve others, to the glory of your name. Amen.
We have reason to celebrate. Our blessed, sovereign Lord became human to bring about our salvation.
Through his suffering on the cross we are forgiven. Amen.
A prayer of praise and thanksgiving
Father God, you sent your Son to earth to establish
your eternal kingdom.
He came without blemish, the perfect sacrifice.
We give you our heartfelt thanks for the gift of your Son.
Lord, you were not the people’s obvious choice of a messiah.
You didn’t come with an army behind you brandishing weapons.
No, you came with a mantle of love, riding a colt,
a symbol of your peace.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for putting aside your divine privileges to travel to the cross.
We give you our heartfelt thanks for your ultimate sacrifice.
Holy Spirit, you strengthen us as we build our lives
with Jesus as the cornerstone
and seek to emulate his example of humble obedience.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, no words can adequately express our heartfelt thanks.
We praise your glorious splendour and celebrate your faithful, eternal love. Amen.
Prayers of intercession
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
This Holy week we pray to you, Son of God:
For the choices you made to bring the world hope,
For your servanthood and humility,
For your words of power and challenge of corruption,
For the sacrifice of your life so we can fully live.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
In this turbulent and complicated world we pray to you, Son of God:
For the countries in poverty and despair,
For the nations in war, conflict and turmoil,
For the peoples persecuted and rejected,
For you to bring your kingdom of peace.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
In this world damaged by humanity we pray to you, Son of God:
For those who farm the land, facing changes in weather,
For countries in drought, flood, and starvation,
For people helping and supporting those who have lost their land,
For you to bring weather in season, and good crops.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
In this world of greed and bullying we pray to you, Son of God:
For those facing loss of jobs, businesses and income,
For those who have international, life-changing decisions to make,
For those who have far too much, but desire more,
For you to bring fairness, morality and generosity into selfish lives.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
In the family of this church and our community we pray to you, Son of God:
For all our local leaders, councillors and MP,
For all those who work in surgeries, schools, shops and all places that serve,
For all those in need, in sickness, in pain and in turmoil,
For you to bring your healing and light into darkness.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
In our own country we pray to you, Son of God:
For time to rest, reflect, and pause our busyness,
For a return to your ways of compassion and kindness,
For the peoples’ money to be spent wisely,
For you to bring calm, vision and purpose.
A sending out prayer
Let us journey on, people of the cross,
following a king riding on a donkey.
Servant of the world, let us serve with love
Jesus, our Saviour,
as we follow you on the stony way
to the cross. Amen.