Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week and the start of our journey with Christ through the final days of his life. Today we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Opening Sentence – Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem.
See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey.

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

We have come together in the name of Christ to offer our praise and thanksgiving, to hear and receive God’s holy word, to pray for the needs of the world, and to seek the forgiveness of our sins,
that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may give ourselves to the service of God.

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.

Opening Responses

O Lord, open our lips:
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
O God make speed to save us:
O Lord make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now and shall be for ever. Amen

Confession

God shows his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Let us then show our love for him by confessing our sins in penitence and faith.

Silence is kept.

Let us return to the Lord our God and say to him:

Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you
and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name.
Amen.

Absolution

May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and for ever.
Amen.

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ,
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example
of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

First Reading

Gospel Reading

Address

Affirmation of Faith

Let us declare our faith in God:

We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit
who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Prayers

Let us pray in the quiet for our own needs and for the needs of the world:
Lord, in your mercy. Hear our prayer.

• For the world (for peace, for all leaders, for those suffering or in need)
• For the church (for our bishops, clergy, the diocese, local churches)
• For our community (for leaders, groups, and those in need or distress)
• For our friends and family (for those we love and those no longer with us)
• For ourselves (we give thanks and we ask for help and guidance)

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.

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:

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.

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you
And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord is here
His spirit is with us

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to give him thanks and praise

It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation; in your love you made us for yourself. When we turned away you did not reject us, but came to meet us in your Son.

You embraced us as your children
and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.

In Christ you shared our life that we might live in him and he in us.

He opened his arms of love upon the cross
and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.

On the night he was betrayed, at supper with his friends he took bread, and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his body is the bread of life.

At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine, he gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins; do this in remembrance of me.

Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his blood is shed for all.

As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory, send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.

As we eat and drink these holy gifts
make us one in Christ, our risen Lord.

With your whole Church throughout the world we offer you this sacrifice of praise and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Great is the mystery of faith.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ
Though we are many we are one body because we all share in one bread.

Dear Friends,
receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
with faith and thanksgiving.
Remember that he gave himself for you.
Remember that he died for you,
and allow him to feed and nourish
your body, mind, and spirit.

The Distribution

Prayer after Communion

Let us give thanks to God:

Almighty God,
we thank you for feeding us with the
body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him we offer you our
souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out in the power of your Spirit
to live and work to your praise and glory.
Amen.

A Song of Joy (Jubilate)

O be joyful in the Lord all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
Know that the Lord is God; it is he that has made us and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and bless his name.
For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting,
and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and shall be for ever. Amen.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
You humbled yourself in taking the form of a servant
and in obedience died on the cross for our salvation;
give us the mind to follow you
and to proclaim you as Lord and King,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Blessing

May the Father, who so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
bring us by faith to his eternal life.
Amen.
May Christ, who accepted the cup of sacrifice in obedience to the Father’s will,
keep us steadfast as we walk with him the way of the cross.
Amen.
May the Spirit, who strengthens us to suffer with Christ
that we may share his glory, set our minds on life and peace.
Amen.
And may the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.

Let us go in peace to love and serve our Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen