Palm Sunday 2020
This page contains all of the resources for our Sunday act of worship. You are encouraged to join us at 9:30am if you are from Widford or Wareside or 11am if you are from Hunsdon because these are the normal times of the services in these villages. However, if you are unable to make this, please follow in your own time. Our use of common resources means that, though we are separated, we can nonetheless worship together.
Sentence of Scripture
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.
(Psalm 47:6-7)
Prayer of Preparation
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hymn
Choose either “All Glory, Laud and Honour” (traditional) or “Make Way” (contemporary).
Collect for Palm Sunday
True and humble king,
hailed by the crowd as Messiah:
grant us the faith to know you and love you,
that we may be found beside you
on the way of the cross,
which is the path of glory.
Amen
Prayers of Penitence
John writes:
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:8-9)
Let us admit to God the sin that always confronts us.
Lord God,
we have sinned against you;
we have done evil in your sight.
We are sorry and repent.
Have mercy on us according to your love.
Wash away our wrongdoing
and cleanse us from our sin.
Renew a right spirit within us
and restore us to the joy of your salvation,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
(cf. Psalm 51)
Hear the words of comfort our Saviour Christ says to all who truly turn to him:
God so loved the world
that he gave his only-begotten Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life.
(John 3.16)
Hear what Saint Paul says:
This saying is true and worthy of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
(1 Timothy 1.15)
First Bible Reading
Hymn
Second Bible Reading
Creed
Let us affirm our faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Though he was divine,
he did not cling to equality with God,
but made himself nothing.
Taking the form of a slave,
he was born in human likeness.
He humbled himself
and was obedient to death,
even the death of the cross.
Therefore God has raised him on high,
and given him the name above every name:
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
(cf. Philippians 2.6-11)
Sermon
Prayers
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love for us sinners; that at just the right time, when we were powerless, you sent your Son to die for us. We thank you for his single-minded determination to obey your will and to live your love; for the way he resisted the temptations to take short-cuts to glory or to satisfy felt needs instead of real needs.
We pray for your church: grant your people a fresh experience of your empowering Holy Spirit, that we may all, like your Son, our King, be similarly obedient to your call on our lives and live all our days in faithful witness to you. In these days of social isolation, lead us into a deeper knowledge of your companionship and a richer understanding of what it means for us to be your children.
Sovereign Lord, you made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. You are the ruler of all things, the King of kings and the Lord of lords; no government is in place except by your permission, no authority exercised except by your consent.
We pray for our leaders and the leaders of the nations: at this time of worldwide crisis, endue them with Christlikeness of character, that they might truly be servants of the people. We acknowledge the magnitude of the challenges they face and the complexity of all the decisions they must take. We recognise there is no easy fix; that any path through the current storm will be both costly and open to painful criticism. Grant them wisdom to know and the courage to do what is right. Gracious Lord, in your great mercy, prevent them from making hasty decisions out of ignorance or fear which lead people to greater peril, either now or in the future.
We pray for ourselves, our loved ones and our communities: Lord of love, grant us resilience and patience and sensitivity to the needs of the most vulnerable amongst us. Help us to serve one another and to bring our concerns to you in prayer, trusting always in your great love revealed to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, the author of life who gave himself to death that we might truly live.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
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.
Hymn
Choose either “Ride on, ride on in majesty” (traditional) or “The Servant King” (contemporary).
Blessing
Christ crucified draw you to himself,
to find in Him a sure ground for faith,
a firm support for hope,
and the assurance of sins forgiven;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
be among you now
and remain with you always.
Amen
Epilogue
Some material in this service is from Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000) and is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council. cf. www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship