Today is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday introduces us to the events of Holy Week, beginning with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Each of the three synoptic Gospels tells the story in a slightly different way, but the key idea remains the same. Drawing on imagery from the Old Testament, the Gospel writers make it plain that Jesus is entering Jerusalem, riding on a colt, as Messiah. Some local churches capture the Palm Sunday theme by arranging a procession through the streets. Some of these processions include a donkey.
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of donkey. In popular imagination the donkey becomes involved in two major journeys in Jesus’ life, carrying him to Bethlehem (the place of his birth) and to Jerusalem (the place of his death). In today’s picture from his book, Lights, Teddy Horsley is seen alongside the donkey in Bethlehem.
Lord Jesus Christ,
when you rode into Jerusalem on a donkey,
you were greeted with shouts of praise.
Inspire us, your people, to shout aloud,
Yours is the glory,
Yours is the kingdom,
Yours is the praise;
for you are our God,
now and always.
Amen.
Next week, Easter Sunday, celebrates the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus. The image to help us prepare for next week’s theme is the Easter Bunny. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.
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Notice Sheet
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Fifth Sunday of Lent – Exploring the Sunday Gospel