Freelton Strabane United Church
To live our discipleship with integrity and grace.
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Palm Sunday
March 24 2024
Minister: Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div. 905-659-3380 E-mail: [email protected]
Music Director Joan Simpson
Gathering
Come touch our souls that we may know and love you
Your quiet presence all our fears dispel
Create a space for sprit to grow in us
Let life and beauty fill us,
Come touch and bless our souls.
Come touch us now, this people who are gathered,
To break the bread and share the cup of peace;
That we may love you with our heart our soul,
Our mind, our strength, our all,
Come touch us with your grace.
(More voices 12)
Call To worship
One: Humble and riding on a donkey
All we Greet you
One Acclaimed by crowds and caroled by children
All we Cheer you
One Moving from the peace of the countryside to the corridors of power
All we salute you Christ our Lord
One You are giving the beasts of burden a new dignity; you are giving majesty a new face; you are giving those who long for redemption a new song to sing
All With them with heart and voice we shout “Hosanna”
A hammer. It holds within it the potential to build and tear down. To create and destroy.
As we journey through this time of reflection may we seek the tools we need to create the world that God would have us build.
Out of the ruins and ruble and struggles of this age.
May we seek out the ways of God and trust and believe in the promise of renewal.
We can build a beautiful city a city of God.
We lay this hammer, a symbol of how we have built barriers that shift responsibility and ownership of our actions and responsibilities

All: The Light of God in Christ is our promise (Candle lit)
All: God builder of all know the world has built barriers that seek the way of least effort and work. We often seek to patch than to solve problems and issues that face us as an individual and as a society. We confess to the sin of quick fixes and scapegoating. We seek the easiest pathway and fail to see that the long road although harder to follow is road we should travel. We fail to take responsibility for our actions. We demand our pound of flesh for every slight or injury. We nurse grudges. We demand restitution, not reconciliation; we want to get even not to forgive. Give us such courage to walk the road less traveled and to take responsibility for our lives. Hear our own
Assurance of Pardon
Song Come now, O God of second chances
May we forgive ourselves
May we become your living sign
Children of God’s love
One: we Know our God as a God who renews broken covenants, who offers blessings, and who has the power to make each of us a blessing to others. Despite our frailty and weakness, when we turn toward God, God accepts us and offers us forgiveness
lesson Mark 11:1-11
One This is the word of the Lord
All Thanks be to God
Gospel Lesson Mark 14:1-15:47
One: The Word of God for the People of God
All Thanks be to God
Prayer
Lord as we ponder your words open our hearts that we may understand and know you. Amen
Sermon
And the beat goes on and the beat goes on, drums keep pounding rhythm to the brain ladedadeda ladedadede Mount of olives over looks the city, he came riding on a donkey he came riding into town, slow and easy kind of lowly he came riding with the dawn
And the beat goes on
What is this? And the beat goes on,
Who is this?, ladedadeda, Is he someone important? Ladedadede
The promised one, the liberator. From the Romans? Who else?
And the beat goes on, and the beat goes on,
Did they know, did they understand. ? ladedadeda,
Even at times his closest followers did really completely understand Ladedadede
Along the path, the Smell of spring in the air, workers lovingly tending to the spring pruning of the olive trees, piles of wood at the side of the road
He came riding on a donkey. He came riding with the dawn
Perhaps people stopped work and looked and where swept up in the excitement,
And the beat goes one,
There before them the beautiful city touched by the morning sun, Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem a tear glistens in his eye, For the city? For what he knows will happen to the temple? To his people? For himself?
And the beat goes on.
Just a week before Passover, a week before the celebration of God’s people’s freedom from bondage to Egypt. The road thickens with pilgrimage crowd and the excitement grows.
And the beat goes on
They cross the great arched bridge over the Kidrone valley the colts little hooves tapping out a staccato beat on the cobbles of the bridge soon to be muffled by coats flung on the road, A for shadow on how the high priests hope to muffle a man. ?
And the beat goes on.
Then, cries …shouts…praise….Hos and hosa and hosanna and a ho and a ha and a hosanna. Sings the crowd. As the merry band the parade, the liberator comes to the great Golden gates to the city, It seems like prophecy is being fulfilled in every step,
And the beat goes on
He came riding on a donkey he came riding into town, slow and easy kind of lowly he came riding with the dawn
And the beat goes on
Well it felt like the whole city was there, however Jacob and his dried fish stall by the fish gate on the west of the city, well he didn’t stop business, nor anyone around him.
And the beat goes on
The temple sellers of sacrifice and money changing? Like they would close for anything.
And the beat goes on
Herrod, having tea with one of his advisors who he did not trust.
Pilot, relaxing watching a saucy little play at the amp theatre surrounded by well to do city folk
And the beat goes on
But at the golden gates Hos and hosa and hosanna and a ho and a ha and a hosanna.
The priestly officials. Tell this rabble to be quiet, we anticipate a riot this common crowd is to loud. They should disperse
And jesus says Why waste your breath moaning at the crowd, nothing can be done to stop the shouting. If every tongue was stilled the noise would still continue the rocks and stones themselves would start to sing.
And the beat goes on.
Into the city, He rode he came riding on a donkey he came riding into town, slow and easy kind of lowly he came riding with the dawn
And the beat goes on History has turned the page ladedadeda ladedadede
Tomorrow, Monday will come the dawn , and we will start our week, we will stop and think on Tuesday where did March go, is it out like a lion or lamb?
And the beat goes on
Wednesday a fools morning and the middle of the week.
And the beat goes on
Thursday comes. Is there not something special about today ?
And the beat goes on
Friday, God’s Friday. To depressing can’t deal with that,
And the beat goes on
Saturday shop for the feast on Sunday, family coming chocolate to buy flowers to get
And the beat goes on
Each year the same, ladedadeda ladedadede Perhaps just maybe this year could be different.
The moment comes near, not just another manic Monday, not just another TGIF (thank God its Friday) no it is holy week, Maundy Thursday, God’s Friday, holy Saturday Easter. They are our days. Days that do not follow the beat, days to remember for they are the Days to remember when God so loved the world that he gave wholly of himself
Today, the Gate Jesus, rode through the Golden gate lays under a gate build by Hadrian, both sealed now until the trumpet shall sound. The great bridge, a line on a wall, the olive trees a quiet silent sentinel to what was. The road from the mount trodden by eager tourist modern day pilgrims and indifferent citizens.
And the beat goes on.
Stop this week, stop each day, stop and ponder what is about to happen.
Hold what is holy to us, come weep with me a while, survey the wondrous cross,
For the rhythm of faith is about to begin again, God drumming in your heart, as the beat goes on, rhythmically saying you are not alone. I am with you always. Thanks be to God
Prayers of the people
Slow me Down Slow me Down
Still my restless mind Still my restless mind
Quell my fears Quell my Fears
Quench my Thirsty soul Quench my thirsty Soul
Fill me with your love Fill me with your love
God of Truth God of Truth
God of love God of love
God of the Journey we come to you and prayer For justice, for freedom, and for mercy hear our prayers
We come to you O God and offer you prayers for those that know sorrow, and grief be near hear and hear our prayer, O God
We come to you O god and ask For wisdom, for courage, for comfort:
In our weakness and in our fear: be near, hear our prayer, O God
We come to you O God For healing, for wholeness, for new life hear our prayer. Be with those who we hold up to you. In sickness, in death be near, hear our prayers O God and hear the names of those we hold up to you.
God of the journey as we begin this Most sacred week be with us to draw us into a time of deep reflection as we walk the road to the cross and beyond. Open us once more to own and experience our story of faith.
Hear our own personal prayers and in your time and way answer.
Lord’s Prayer
Offering
We give thee but thy own. The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work. Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse. Let us make our offering and give thanks.
Prayer : God of many gifts we bring back to you this our offering as a means of thank you for your presence in our lives Use them to continue your work in our community and world.
Amen
Commissioning and Blessing
Commissioning and Blessing
One: Where Christ walks
All we will follow
One Where Christ stumbles
All We will stop
One Where Christ cries
All We will listen
One Where Christ suffers
All we will hurt
One When Christ dies
All We will bow our heads in sorrow
One When Christ rises again in glory
All We will share his endless joy
One There is no other way
All Christ is the only way.
One: Now may the blessing of God travel with you, May the teachings of Christ Illuminate you path and may the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit lead you forward. All Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, it is now, and ever shall be world without end, Amen.
Yesterdaywe honour our heritage.
Todaywe know that we are not alone,that we live in God's world.
Tomorrowwith God,we will discoverthe undiscovered country.
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