Sunday 28th March 2021 – Palm/Passion Sunday

Opening Prayer

Through the noise of the world,

the cries of children,

the shouts of adults,

the screams of excitement,

the yells of unbelief,

You, Donkey-riding King, wander.

The gates of Jerusalem,

the gates of hearts,

the gates of Holy Week,

all thrown open,

as the crowds of faithful announce Your presence

to the world.

Coats strewn before You,

branches to make the path less rough,

all revealing on this day

the passions and hope of people

who have found their heartfelt need met 

in Your actions of love and compassion.

God of the celebration,

we praise You in the moments of celebration,

and in quiet solitude.

In the uncertainty of Your passion

we are inspired and guided

to wonder at the mystery of Your humanity,

the frail and wounded flesh

that overcomes the darkness of death.

On this day of celebration,

the darkness of what is yet to come

weighs heavy on the horizon.

We imagine ourselves 

as those waving our branches,

and throwing our coats before You,

and fail to notice

when we have turned our back upon You

present in the world today.

Where were we when the hungry needed fed;

when the homeless sought a coat;

when racism created another outsider;

when food wrappers added to the worlds pollution.

We are careless in our living,

and find our world overturned

by the forgiveness You gift

before we are ready.

Silence

With out stretched arms,

Christ forgives us.

With wounded hands,

Christ makes us whole.

With a loud cry to God,

Christ calls us to life.

Amen.

Holy Saturday, 11th April 2020

Shielding

Sealing the Tomb,

closing the door,

who is being protected?

 

If it is the one who is behind the door.

What are they being protected from?

 

Protected from those

who want to ensure 

that life is finally over.

Behind the door

with no light,

or warm embrace of people,

there is no possibility

that breath enabling potions

can be administered.

Behind the door,

creations work

of regeneration can begin,

as first the tissues of the flesh

break down,

and ready themselves

for the bacteria

that will return 

the body to the earth

and a new creation to begin.

Behind the door,

if there is any sign of life,

it cannot burst through the solidity

of a tomb,

and rabble rouse,

de-stable the cultivation of fear

that could lead

to political discontent.

 

What if the sealing of the tomb

if the shielding of the contents,

is not for the protection of the individual,

but for the purpose of the community.

 

Behind the door,

work is beginning.

Behind the door,

heaven is conversing 

with the earth,

to break the bounds of the possible

so that the impossible is revealed.

This pause in time,

this empty space

lacking in expectation,

because the hurt of watching agony

has dulled minds to hope,

is a pause

that is full of the potential

to change lives,

not just of individuals 

but of the community 

and the world.

 

Sealing the tomb,

locking the door,

who is being protected?

 

Prayer:

We dwell in the darkness,

Jesus of the tomb.

The memory of Your death

plays in our imaginations,

and we cannot escape the cruelty

of the human mind and hand

that would bring about

so tragic an end.

We dwell in the darkness,

searching through the stones

of brokenness,

uncertain that tomorrow

will have the hope You promise,

because wee cannot see light.

The seams of the entrance

to the world You have made

are tightly closed,

and wearied by emotion,

by words,

by loneliness,

we do not have the strength

to turn the handle 

so that Your presence might 

invade our thoughts.

 

You are with us in the darkness.

Even when we think that signs of You

are lost to us,

You are the whispers

that spur us on.

You are the breeze

that disturbs our thoughts

to move our focus to the world.

 

In the darkness of this day,

we pray for those

who feel that there is no light

to be found.

For those who have been recently bereaved,

those facing ill health and hospital

and knowing that family may not be able to hold them close.

We pray for all hospital staff

who must offer care,

and become family;

for chaplains 

who will speak words of comfort.

And we pray for ourselves,

acknowledging our own fears and doubts,

our frustrations of feeling limited

not just in life,

but in our ability to make a different.

 

In the darkness of this day,

we wait for Your light

to bring us the peace we crave.

Amen.