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27749518732500-546992-45909000Palm SundayNorthminster United ChurchApril 5, 2020Note from Rev. Sandra’s Home OfficeIt is hard for me to believe that it is already the beginning of Holy Week. There is nothing more that I would like than to be in the sanctuary this week to celebrate one of the most important weeks of our Christian faith. But that is not possible and I have given in and put aside what services I have prepared for this coming week by writing something that tells the story of the week so that we may enter into this last week of Jesus life. It is my prayer that this may help us all to enter anew the events of this week and find within it some fresh new meaning for our present time and circumstances. Please do not hesitate to call or email me so that we can have a visit or if you need some time away from the news casts of our day. It all becomes very overwhelming and we are certainly not used to having no appointments in our calendars or times with friends and family. This year what I have decided to do with the services for Holy Week is to tell the story in the form of a monologue as someone who is a follower of Jesus. I have chosen to tell the story through Salome eyes as an eyewitness account and reflection of the happening of this triumph, sadness, hate, violence and intertwined in all of the story the amazing love of God. Rev. SandraLet’s pray:God, as we enter into your sacred storyhelp us to open our heartsto hear the story fresh and new.Help us to meet you in our own faith story as weAnticipate your journey into Jerusalem.Amen.So let Salome begin to tell you the story…It was nearly time for the celebration of Passover. It is an exciting time in Jerusalem swells to welcome all the folk making the way here to celebrate. Passover is the time that the Jewish people remember the freeing of their people from the oppression of the Egyptians. We do so it what is call a “Sedar Meal”. Which we will join Jesus with later in the week. So Jerusalem is bustling. People are busy preparing and the merriment and celebration has begun to happen. The temple is full of activity in preparation. As I enter the temple I hear the words of Psalm 118 being chanted in today’s Holy of Holies.O give thanks to the?Lord, for he is good;????his steadfast love endures forever!2?Let Israel say,????“His steadfast love endures forever.”The words seem muffled and at times all most disappear in the excite of the market place within the temple…9?Open to me the gates of righteousness,????that I may enter through them????and give thanks to the?Lord.20?This is the gate of the?Lord;????the righteous shall enter through it.I can’t simply believe all the people that I am seeing here in the courts of the temple.456200828899700Lots of folk that I have not seen since last Passover. Some I have not seen since we were in school together so many, many years ago. Learning Torah…listening to the Sadducees ….21?I thank you that you have answered me????and have become my salvation.22?The stone that the builders rejected????has become the chief cornerstone.23?This is the?Lord’s doing;????it is marvelous in our eyes.Then I hear in the crowd…it starts out very low…and then as more and more people hear what is being said the crowd gets louder and louder. They are saying “Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming. He is almost at the city gates…come, come and see… come and see.”As I leave the temple the words of the psalm continue now in the background…24?This is the day that the?Lord?has made;????let us rejoice and be glad in it.[c]25?Save us, we beseech you, O?Lord!????O?Lord, we beseech you, give us success!People are all running towards the city gates…children….women….men. And there is a slow and steady chant rising over “Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming…..He’s riding a donkey. The one that they say is the Messiah…the one God’s sends to save is riding a donkey……As I get closer to the city gate I notice people in trees cutting down palms and throwing them to the crowd below and people are taking off their outer garments their cloaks and laying them on the ground. And as Jesus comes through the city gates of Jerusalem people begin to shout Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna! Hosanna! At first I cannot quite understand what is happening. At first I just want to stand off and take everything in. I am not quite sure if I want to participate…. if I want to be associated with. But before very long here I am joining in….I can’t help myself. I don’t quite understand why. I have been watching and following this Jesus around for a while.I have seen how he treats others…he even talks to women….women like me. And I have watched him heal people from the inside out. I have often sat and pondered the stories which Jesus told. Stories with heavenly truths which others are called parables. But I don’t understand quite why I want to join in. What is it that has changed within me? Is it that deep within me I now see Jesus as the Messiah. Something for sure deep within me has changed. But I am not sure how?And yet deep inside there is this anxious feeling. A feeling that something bad is about to happen. I have heard the whispering of the Sadducees and Pharisees in the corners of the temple when they think that no one is noticing. I have heard them whisper Jesus’ name and it was not with respect…it was with hate and animosity. But for now I am going to cease the moment. And bask in the excitement. They are celebrating Jesus just as they would a king. But only a king would never, ever ride into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey. But I join in shouting my “Hallelujahs” and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”. And we follow him right up to the doors of the temple and he enters the temple I remember the ending words of Psalm 118.-27940-1536700026?Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the?Lord.[d]????We bless you from the house of the?Lord.27?The?Lord?is God,????and he has given us light.Bind the festal procession with branches,????up to the horns of the altar.[e]28?You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;????you are my God, I will extol you.29?O give thanks to the?Lord, for he is good,????for his steadfast love endures forever.Indeed, God’s steadfast love endures forever in the person, in the presence of Jesus the Christ in our midst. But still the eeriness does not leave me. Maybe I am being too sensitive but somehow I know that this is not over by any means.Ride on, Ride on in majesty!Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry;O Saviour meek, pursue your roadWith palm and scattered garments strowed.Ride on, ride on in majesty!In lowly pomp ride on to die:O Christ, your triumphs now beginO’er captive death and conquered sin.4487545444500Ride on, ride on in majesty!The winged squadrons of the skyLook down with sad and wond’ring eyesTo see th’approaching sacrifice.Ride on, ride on in majesty!Your last and fiercest strife is nigh; The Father on his sapphire throneExpects his own anointed Son.Ride on, Ride on in majesty!In lowly pomp ride on to die;Bow your meek head to mortal pain,Then take, O God, your pow’r and reign.Let us pray:Holy One,This day we gather in many places to worship.We wish the we could join together in our sanctuary at NorthminsterBut the unsafe conditions of our world right now.Leaves us outside of the place that gives us refugee during the storms of life. Loving God, we would pray for each person in our church family. These are not easy times. Help us to know that our lonely times that you are ever present.This day we also pray for our sister churches may they know that we think of them often in our thoughts and prayers.We also pray for our leaders of this country Canada and the world leaders As they each make difficult decision as Covid-19 continues to plague our world.As we reach Holy Week and enter into Jerusalem for Palm Sunday, meet us God on the road to Easter Sunday.As we come together for online worship we remember Those who struggle with health, with grief and struggle to know they are loved.And now God in the silence of our own prayers we bring to you our joys and sorrows, our laughter and our tears….Silent prayer……421830521082000 God go with us in the days ahead. Be the light that warms our heartsBe the courage we seek for each new day.We pray all these things in the name of the one who Taught us to pray saying….Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come;thy will be done;on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation;but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom,the power and the glory, for ever and ever.Amen.lefttopFor Holy Week, my plan is to continue the story Jesus last week through the eyes of Salome. Watch for the next service for Maundy Thursday, then Good Friday and Finally Easter Sunday. It is definitely not the same but it is the best we can do at the moment.Take a moment to have a look at Northminster’s website. You will find their each of the Lenten Lunches devotions that we have missed, worship each week, along with some words from me in the form of a blog. Please, remember that I am still here to receive your phone calls and emails. And I look forward to chatting with you. My home phone number is 905-576-4220 and my email is revsandrafarrow@. You are each in my prayers each day.I miss you all very much.Blessings, Rev. Sandra ................
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