Sunday 29th March 2026 
Palm Sunday
Welcome to this weeks service. We are glad you are able to join us.
Hymn - Ride On Ride On in Majesty
Song - Hosanna
Opening Prayer
Living God,
today we give thanks, as we should, and as we must.
For You are a good God; Your steadfast loves lasts and lasts and lasts.
We see it in the beauty of this day.
We know it in the warmth of welcome in this Christian family.
We feel it in the blessings of singing Your praise and reflecting on Your love.
We believe it in the message of salvation,
that Christ is here, and now, and real.
Yet this is the Christ the world will reject;
this is the cornerstone that will be torn down
so that the building of hope, and wellbeing,
and righteousness is threatened with destruction.
This is the Christ the world will take, and crucify
and seek to get rid of for good.
Yet, this is the very Christ who will rise again,
the very Christ through whom we will find
Your forgiveness, and acceptance,
and a beginning again for us.
"Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord."
Hear the blessing from this very house of God,
from the depths of our being, from the core of our faith.
Hear and hear and hear again – that we are grateful;
that we are made new;
that we are thankful we are loved by our God.
So, with the Psalmist,
we give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
We give thanks to the Lord, that His steadfast love endures for ever.
We give thanks to the Lord, as we should and as we must.
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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
All Glory Laud and Honour
Bible Reading
Matthew 21:1-11
21 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. There Jesus sent two of the disciples on ahead 2 with these instructions: “Go to the village there ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied up with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 And if anyone says anything, tell him, ‘The Master[a] needs them’; and then he will let them go at once.”
4 This happened in order to make come true what the prophet had said:
5 “Tell the city of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you!
He is humble and rides on a donkey
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6 So the disciples went and did what Jesus had told them to do: 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, threw their cloaks over them, and Jesus got on. 8 A large crowd of people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, “Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God!”
10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was thrown into an uproar. “Who is he?” the people asked.
11 “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee,” the crowds answered.
Hymn - My Song is Love Unknown
Video - Palm Sunday - Don't have your volume too loud!
Song - Hymn of the Saviour
Living God,
in the image of Christ's entry into Jerusalem when the Passover was coming,
we see all the people around Him,
just as we have countless numbers who crowd into our thoughts as we turn to You in prayer.
So, as Christ placed Himself in the midst of the crowd,
let us be aware of the centrality of that same Christ to the people for whom we pray,
that they, and we, might know they are close to our Lord and that He is always with them.
We pray, with the excitement of the children,
for all who celebrate today: the newness of a birth;
the fresh start of a marriage;
good news about their health;
the success of a task;
a new way love has been expressed and felt.
Let our voices join with theirs, as we shout, "Hosanna! Christ is here!"
We pray, with loyal disciples,
for those who show their commitment,
who prepare for Jesus' presence,
who give their cloaks for His service,
who make the way clear so that others can follow the procession.
Let our voices join with theirs, as we shout,
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
We pray, with the people in the crowd,
for those who watch and wait:
for the ‘not so sure' people;
for the silent majority;
for those who have little to celebrate;
for the many who don't see the point.
Let our voices not drown out their silent prayers,
but, in being aware of their needs,
let our prayers carry their yearnings to our Lord.
We pray, with those who know nothing of this,
who live with anger and not expectation,
with pain and not Hosannas,
with scepticism and not acceptance.
Let our voices not condemn them, but pray for them and with them.
Let us be aware on this day of rejoicing
that many cannot or will not rejoice.
But let us also be aware, that Christ comes into the midst of all of this,
to understand, to be fully present, to dies and to rise,
for each and every one of them.
Amen
Song - See Him in Jerusalem
God is good.
The way ahead is ready.
Christ is ours.
The truth is there to follow.
The Spirit is with us.
New life is offered now.
So go now, in the goodness of God, to walk the Way,
in the presence of Christ to follow the Truth,
in the embrace of the Spirit, to accept New Life.
And be blessed, and be blessed, and rejoice. Amen