Year
A
Palm/Passion
Sunday
(Sixth Sunday in Lent)
13
April 2014
Eucharistic Preface
Let
us lift up our hearts.
........We
lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our
God.
........It is right to
give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give
you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you alone are good and your
steadfast love is forever.
The creation of the world was your
doing
and is a marvel to our eyes.
Your prophets told of the
coming one
who would teach your ways
and sustain us with your
word.
Your son, Jesus, though one with you
gave up all he
had,
taking on human flesh,
and walking the path of obedience
all the way to insult, betrayal and death,
trusting only in
your vindication.
Though he was rejected by those who had cheered
him,
you made him the cornerstone of new life
and raised him to
the highest place of honour.
He has opened the gates of justice
and become our salvation,
so with shouts of joy we greet his
appearing,
and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord
to your glory
forever.
Therefore with .....
©2002
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Short
Preface
(for insertion into Eucharistic prayers with
fixed prefaces)
We thank you for your son, Jesus Christ,
who,
giving up all he had
and walking the path of obedience
all the
way to insult, betrayal and death,
opened the gates of justice
and become our salvation.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton LaughingBird.net
General
Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Preface reformatted for use
apart from communion)
We give you all
thanks and praise, O God,
for you alone are good and your
steadfast love is forever.
The creation of the world was your
doing
and is a marvel to our eyes.
Your prophets told of the
coming one
who would teach your ways
and sustain us with your
word.
Your son, Jesus, though one with you
gave up all he
had,
taking on human flesh,
and walking the path of obedience
all the way to insult, betrayal and death,
trusting only in
your vindication.
Though he was rejected by those who had cheered
him,
you made him the cornerstone of new life
and raised him to
the highest place of honour.
He has opened the gates of justice
and become our salvation,
so with shouts of joy we greet his
appearing,
and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord
to your glory
forever.
Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer
you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our
Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
©2002
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Declaration
of Grace / Absolution
The Lord who vindicates you
is near.
God has heard your confessions
and you will not be put
to shame.
With the Lord God as your help
no one can declare you
guilty.
Sisters and Brothers,
........your
sins are forgiven;
................be
at peace.
©2002 Nathan Nettleton
LaughingBird.net
Commission
& Benediction
Go now and follow Christ
in obedience.
Have the same mind as was in Christ Jesus;
Keep
your ears open to God’s teaching;
Be humble, even in the
face of hostility
and do not turn back.
And may God help
you and keep you from disgrace;
May Christ Jesus lead you through
the gates of justice;
And may the Holy Spirit keep you in God’s
steadfast love
and fill your mouths with praise to the glory of
God.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
........In
the name of Christ. Amen.
©2002
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Paraphrases
of the Scripture
Lections
for Palm/Passion
Sunday - Year A - 13 April 2014
Lections from
The Revised Common Lectionary.
Copyright 1992 by the Consultation
on Common Texts (CCT)
P. O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville, TN
37203-0003, USA. Used with Permission.
Liturgy
of the Palms
* Matthew 21:
1-11
........Jesus and
his followers were getting close Jerusalem. Their last stop was just
outside the twin townships of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of
Olives. Jesus sent two of his followers into the township, saying,
“As soon as you get into the main street you’ll see two
donkeys tied up to a fence; a female and her awkward looking colt and
has not yet even been ridden. Collect them and bring them to me. If
anyone questions you, just tell them the boss needs them, and they
will let you take them.”
........These
events again showed up the truth of what the prophet had said:
“Broadcast this to the people of Jerusalem.
Look, here comes your king!
........He doesn’t big-note himself,
........but comes riding a simple donkey,
................and a baby one at that!”
........So they did as Jesus had told them and brought the donkeys to him. They made improvised saddles from items of spare clothing and got Jesus seated. As Jesus began riding slowly up the road, the crowd began giving him the red-carpet treatment. Some were spreading their coats on the road before him while others were cutting down branches of leaves and flowers and spreading them along the road. Both in front of him and behind him, the cheering crowd began to chant:
Hooray for the new King David!
God’s blessing is on the one
........who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hooray for God, the greatest of all!
........As he arrived in Jerusalem, it
was absolute mayhem. The question on everyone’s lips was “Who
on earth is this?”
........The
answer coming from the crowd was, “This is Jesus the prophet,
from Nazareth in Galilee.”
©2002
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29
Thank you, LORD,
thank you!
........Thank you for your
goodness!
........Thank you for your
love —
................rock
solid and timeless!
May all your people recognise
........that
your love and loyalty last forever.
The minute they open the
city gates
........— the gates
of justice —
we’ll be the first through,
LORD;
........eager
to tell you how thankful we are.
These gates belong to you,
LORD,
........those
you have put right can come on through.
Thank you for
answering our prayers, LORD;
........for
coming to our rescue and putting us right.
From a rejected
stone found in a rubbish pile
........you
cut and polished a priceless jewel.
This is obviously your work,
LORD,
........and
we can hardly believe our eyes!
Today is your day, LORD,
a day to honour you;
........we will
celebrate with joy and laughter.
Get us through safely,
LORD!
........In
the tasks ahead, give us success!
The one who comes in your
name, LORD,
........is
the one who is truly blessed.
Gathered here in your
house,
........we praise you for
sending him.
You, LORD, are our only
God,
........and you light up our
lives.
In a great procession,
........we
march to the sacred place,
waving branches and
banners;
........tossing flowers in
the air.
You are our God
........and
we give you thanks.
You are our God
........and
we give you our highest acclaim.
Thank you, LORD,
thank you!
........Thank you for your
goodness!
........Thank you for your
love —
................rock
solid and timeless!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton
LaughingBird.net
Liturgy
of the Passion
* Isaiah 50:
4-9a
The LORD
God has given me the gift of the gab
........so
that my words can teach others
........and
put a spring in the step of the weary.
As I wake up each new
day,
........God makes me hungry for
learning.
The LORD cleaned out my
ears
........so that I could hear
every word.
I learned eagerly;
........I
never rebelled or quit.
I was opposed by others,
........but
I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.
I looked them in the
eye
........when they insulted me and
spat in my face.
I took it on the chin and did not fight
back,
........when they gave me a
belting and tore out my hair.
The Lord GOD
is always there for me,
........so no
disgrace ever gets to me.
I have steeled my jaw and dug in my
heels,
........and I’m sure
I’ll never be ashamed of my stand
................because
I can trust God to back me up.
So, who thinks they can take me
on?
........Let them stand up and
face me!
Who are my opponents?
........Let’s
see what they’re made of!
The Lord GOD
is backing me;
........so who is
going to accuse me of doing wrong?
©2001
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
*
Psalm 31: 9-16
Be kind to me, LORD,
........I’m
a mess.
My eyes are bloodshot from crying;
........My
heart is breaking
................and
my whole body aches.
Grief gnaws away at my
life,
........sorrows piles up, year
after year.
Misery is draining my strength
........and
destroying my health.
I get no respect from my
opponents;
........nothing but
ridicule.
Those who know me can’t bear to look at
me;
........even strangers cross the
street to avoid me.
Everyone wants to purge me from their
thoughts;
........they’ve given
me up for dead;
................abandoned
me like a burned out car.
Everyone is out to get
me;
........they’re whispering
behind my back.
They’ve portrayed me as a
monster
........and put a price on my
head.
But I still put my trust in you, LORD;
........you
are my God and you’re all I’ve got left.
My future is
in your hands;
........snatch me from
the grasp
................of those
who are hunting me down.
I’m working for you; look on me
with love.
........Stand by me and
save me.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton
LaughingBird.net
*
Philippians 2: 5-11
Model your attitude on the
attitude of the Messiah, Jesus.
Although Jesus was the same as God in every way,
........he did not think of his God-like privileges
........as something to milked for all they were worth.
Instead, he laid it all aside
........and, with no more privileges than a slave,
........was born as a human being.
Having become a human being,
........he was the model of humility.
He didn’t demand his own way
........but let God set the agenda;
even when it included his own death,
........and a gruesome public death at that.
Because of all this,
........God has raised him to the status of number one
and honoured him more highly
........than anyone else in the universe.
So now, just the mention of the name ‘Jesus’
........should bring everyone to their knees;
........everyone who has ever lived or ever will.
Everyone, everywhere will honour God
........by openly acknowledging
........that Jesus the Messiah is Lord of all!
©2001 Nathan Nettleton
LaughingBird.net
*
Matthew 26:14 - 27:66 (or scroll down for the shorter
extract Matthew 27: 11-54)
........One
of Jesus’s twelve closest followers, a man named Judas
Iscariot, arranged a secret meeting with the High Priests, and asked,
“What would you pay me for the information you need to arrest
him.”
........They agreed on a
price of thirty pieces of silver, and from then on, Judas was looking
for the right moment to double cross Jesus.
........On
the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples
asked Jesus where he wanted them to book a room for their celebration
of the Passover Meal. He sent them to see a certain man in the city
with instructions to say to him, “The Teacher says, My time is
due. I want to celebrate the Passover with my disciples in your
house.” So the disciples did as he asked, and got everything
ready for the Passover Meal in the man’s house.
........When
the evening came, Jesus sat down to share the meal with the twelve.
During the meal, he said, “I kid you not; one of you will
double cross me.”
........They
were all quite shaken by this, and began asking him in turn, “Surely,
Lord, it is not me, is it?”
........He
answered, “I will be betrayed by one who has been sharing meals
with me; one who passes me the sauce and tops up my glass. And while
the fate of the New Human is well known to scripture, the writing is
on the wall for the one who stabs him in the back. That one is going
to wish he had never been born.”
........Judas,
who had already taken the blood money, said, “Surely you don’t
mean me, do you, Rabbi?”
........Jesus
replied, “Take a good hard look at yourself,
Judas!”
........Later during
the meal, Jesus took a loaf of bread in his hands and praised God. He
broke the loaf, and gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take
some of this and eat it. This is my body.”
........Then
he picked up a glass of wine, gave thanks to God, and gave it to
them, saying: “Drink this; all of you. This is my blood, which
is spilled for countless people in sealing God’s new alliance
and the forgiveness of sins. I’ll tell you now; not another
drop will pass my lips until the day when we will break out the new
wine together to celebrate my Father’s rule over
all.”
........Then, after
singing the hymn that concludes the meal, they went out to the Mount
of Olives. As they went, Jesus said to them, “You lot will all
drop your bundle and turn your backs on me tonight. It will be just
like the old saying in Scripture,
........‘Knock
off the shepherd,
................and
the sheep will run in all directions.’
But when I have been
raised, I will go on up to Galilee ahead of you.”
........Peter
protested, saying, “Everyone else might lose their nerve and
shoot through, but not me. I will be there for you, no matter
what.”
........Jesus said to
him, “Don’t bet on it. Even before the rooster crows
tonight, you will have sworn three times that you don’t even
know me.”
........“Over
my dead body!” said Peter. “I’d die before I’d
deny you.”
........And all the
other disciples swore the same.
........Soon
Jesus and his disciples arrived at the Gethsemene Gardens. He asked
most of them to wait for him while he found a place to pray, and took
only Peter and the brothers, James and John, with him. As they went,
he became increasingly disturbed and distraught. He said to the
three, “I feel totally gutted. It feels like it’s killing
me. Wait here and hang in there with me while I pray.”
........He
went ahead a little and threw himself down on the ground and prayed,
“My Father, if there is any way out of this, I want out. But
still, the bottom line is whatever you want.”
........When
he got up, he found that his disciples had fallen asleep. He woke
Peter, saying, “Couldn’t you hang in there with me for
even one hour? Stay on the watch, and pray that you will not have to
confront times that stretch you to breaking point. Your spirit is
raring to go, but your body can’t hack the pace.”
........Then
he moved off for a second time and prayed, “My Father, if there
is no other way to get rid of this bitter cup than for me to drink it
dry, I’m ready to do whatever you want.”
........When
he came back, he found them all asleep again, simply unable to keep
their eyes open. So he just left them and went off to pray for a
third time, praying in the same way as he had before. Then he
returned to the disciples and said, “Are you lot planning to
sleep right through? Come on; the time is up. A traitor has dealt the
New Human into the hands of the corrupt. On your feet, and get
moving! Look, here comes the one who has done the dirty on
me!”
........Even before he
finished getting the words out, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived on
the scene with a heavily armed mob. They had been dispatched by the
chief priests and political authorities. The traitor had given them
their cue: “The one I greet with a kiss is the target. Bust
him.”
........So he went
straight up to Jesus and said, “How are you, Rabbi?” and
gave him a kiss.
........Jesus said
to him, “Mate, get it over with.”
........Immediately
the mob surrounded Jesus, grabbed him roughly and began to drag him
off. All of a sudden, one of Jesus’s followers pulled a knife
and began lashing out, slashing a personal attendant of the High
Priest and cutting off his ear. But Jesus said, “Put that knife
away where it belongs. All who live violent lives will die violent
deaths. What were you thinking? You must realise that one word from
me and God would send a dozen elite fighting units of angels. But if
I did that, what would be left of the agenda outlined in scripture
that took all this into account?”
........At
the same time he addressed the mob, saying, “Do you think I am
some kind of dangerous thug, that you need your weapons drawn and
your batons ready when you come out here to take me in? I have been
sitting in the temple nearly every day, teaching the people, and you
could have easily busted me if you had wanted to. But it had to
happen this way didn’t it, just as the prophets in scripture
described.”
........By this
time, the disciples had all turned tail and run for their
lives.
........The mob who had seized
Jesus dragged him off to the home of Caiaphas the High Priest, where
all the religious lawyers and political heavy-weights were waiting
for him. Peter followed at a safe distance, trying to keep track of
what was going on. He got as far as the security guards stationed in
the High Priest’s entrance courtyard, but no
further.
........The chief priests
and the ruling council were doing their best to frame Jesus on
charges that would lead to a summary execution. Although a procession
of witnesses brought false allegations against him, they couldn’t
get anything to stick. Eventually though, two separate witnesses
testified that Jesus had claimed to be able to completely demolish
the Temple of God and rebuild it in just three days. The High Priest
put Jesus back on the stand and said, “You have heard the
allegations that you claimed to have powers which only God could
possess. What do you have to say in your own defence?”
........But
Jesus remained silent. Then the High Priest said to him, “I
remind you that you are under oath before the living God to tell the
whole truth and nothing but the truth. Tell us then: are you the
Messiah, the Son of God?”
........Jesus
replied, “You said it! And what’s more, from now on you
will see the New Human seated as God’s right hand man and
riding in on the clouds of heaven.”
........At
that, the High Priest feigned utter dismay and turned to the council
saying, “Blasphemy! This man is claiming to be on a par with
God. Why should we bother with further witnesses? You have all heard
him for yourselves. What is your verdict?”
........The
verdict was unanimous: “He must die for this.”
........There
was a near riot as they all began to stick the boots in, spitting in
his face and roughing him up. Some of them were even hitting him from
behind and then saying, “Come on, Mr Messiah. Show us how good
a prophet you really are. Name the person who hit you.”
........Peter
was still keeping a low profile out the front courtyard. A girl who
worked there recognised him and said, “You were with that
Galilean bloke, Jesus, weren’t you?”
........But
in front of everyone, he denied it, saying, “I’ve got no
idea what you are talking about.”
........A
short time later he was walking along the front porch when another
staff member piped up and said, “Look, that bloke there was
with Jesus the Nazarene.”
........Once
again Peter denied it adamantly: “I swear I don’t even
know the man. I give you my word on it.”
........Later
still, some of the bystanders became more insistent, closing in on
Peter and saying, “You’ve got to be one of them. Your
accent gives you away for sure.”
........Peter
began foul-mouthing them and yelling, “I’ve never even
set eyes on the bloke. I swear it on a stack of bibles!”
........But
the moment the denial was out of his mouth, a rooster began to crow,
and as the words of Jesus came flooding back — “Before
the rooster crows, you will have sworn three times that you don’t
even know me” — Peter ran off down the street bawling his
eyes out; a broken man.
........The
next morning, the chief priests and the ruling council met to work
out what steps they needed to take in order to get Jesus executed.
Setting the wheels in motion, they handcuffed him, marched him off,
and transferred him into the custody of Pilate, the Roman
governor.
........When Judas, the
traitor, saw that Jesus was now on death row, he couldn’t live
with what he had done. He took the thirty pieces of silver back to
the chief priests and the ruling council and said, “I am guilty
of a terrible thing. I have betrayed an innocent man to
death.”
........But they said,
“What has that got to do with us? You made your own bed; go lie
in it!”
........Judas threw the
money back at them, stormed out, and went off and hanged himself.
Gathering up the money, the chief priests said, “We can hardly
put this into the Temple offerings; it has got blood all over
it.”
........So they put their
heads together and decided to use the money to buy a property that a
nearby potter had put up for sale, and set it up as a cemetery for
foreigners. That is why the place came to be known as “the
Killing Field”; a name that has stuck. It shed new light on the
words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
“They took the thirty pieces of silver,
........the price set on the head of a man by his own people,
and they spent it on a potter’s field,
........just as the Lord had told me.”
........Jesus
was brought before Pilate for further interrogation. The governor got
straight to the point: “Are you the King of the
Jews?”
........“They
are your words,” said Jesus.
........The
delegation from the chief priests and the ruling council began
outlining all the allegations against him, but Jesus made no attempt
to defend himself. Pilate turned to him and said, “Do you
realise how serious all these crimes they are accusing you of
are?”
........But,
much to the governor’s amazement, Jesus continued to remain
silent, not even replying to a single charge.
........Now
a custom had developed that the Roman governor would release a
political prisoner — any prisoner nominated by the people —
during the annual celebration of the Passover festival. One of the
most notorious prisoners held at the time was a man named Jesus
Barabbas. Pilate realised that Jesus of Nazareth had only been
charged to get him out of the way of his religious rivals, and he saw
the annual custom as an opportunity to solve two problems at once. So
when the crowd had gathered he addressed them, saying, “Which
prisoner would you like me to release for you this year, Jesus
Barabbas or the Jesus they call the Messiah?”
........While
Pilate was still presiding over the court, his wife sent him a
message saying, “Don’t get yourself caught up in the
conspiracy against that innocent man, for I have had a long and
disturbing dream about him.”
........The
chief priests and the council members began putting the word around
among the crowd that they should call for the release of Barabbas and
the execution of Jesus. So when the governor asked them again which
of the two they wanted him to release, they all began to shout,
“Barabbas.”
........“Then
what am I supposed to do with the Jesus they call the Messiah?”
Pilate asked the crowd.
........The
shout came back, “Execute him!”
........“Why?
What evil has he done to deserve death?” asked
Pilate.
........But
the crowd just kept chanting, “String him up! String him
up!”
........When
Pilate saw that it was useless to go on, and that further argument
would only spark a riot, he called for a basin of water and made a
show of washing his hands as he said to the crowd, “This man’s
blood is not on my hands. Have it your own way and be it on your own
heads.”
........The
crowd responded, roaring as one, “It is on our heads. We and
our children take full responsibility!”
........So
Pilate gave orders for the release of Barabbas, and after having
Jesus flogged for good measure, he handed him over to the
executioners.
........The
governor’s security guards kept Jesus detained for a while in
the Roman headquarters while the whole battalion gathered round and
entertained themselves at his expense. They stripped him naked and
then dressed him in a scarlet robe. They twisted some barbed wire
into a crown and jammed it on his head. They put a flag in his hand
and made a big joke of coming up and saluting him and saying, “Heil,
King of the Jews!” Then they spat on him and gave him a serious
bashing with their batons. When they’d finished their brutal
sport, they stripped the robe back off him, put him back in his own
clothes, and marched him off to be executed.
........As
they hit the street, they pulled a Cyrenian man named Simon out of
the crowd, and forced him to carry the large wooden cross on which
Jesus was to be strung up. The place where the executions were
carried out was called Skull Hill, or in Hebrew, Golgotha. When they
got there, they offered Jesus a strong drink — wine spiked with
a common drug — but when he tasted what it was, he refused it.
They strung Jesus up on the cross by driving nails through his flesh.
Then they tossed coins for his clothes, and sat down to wait for him
to die. The sign hung on his cross to inform onlookers of the offence
for which he was dying, read, “This is Jesus, the King of the
Jews.”
........A
couple of convicted thugs were executed at the same time — the
three crosses erected in a row with Jesus on the middle one. People
passing by hurled insults and ridicule at him. They shook their heads
and said, “What happened to the big man who reckoned he could
demolish the Temple and rebuild it in three days? Show us what you’re
made of and save yourself now! Getting yourself off the cross should
be a piece of cake if you’re the Son of God!”
........The
chief priests, the religious lawyers and the members of the ruling
council were all there sticking the boots in with the best of them.
“He reckoned he could save everyone else, but he can’t
even save himself!” they said. “He is supposed to be the
King of Israel, so let’s see him prove himself to us by getting
himself down off the cross. He made a big noise about trusting God,
let’s see whether God is interested in getting him out of this
one. After all, he did claim to be God’s Son!”
........Even
the two thugs being executed alongside him joined in and hurled more
abuse at him.
........At
midday, the sky went black for three hours and it was dark
everywhere. At about three o’clock Jesus screamed out in agony,
“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God,
my God, why have you turned your back on me?”
........When
the people standing around heard this, some of them thought he was
calling for help from Elijah. Someone poured some wine that had
turned to vinegar into a sponge and held it up to his mouth with a
stick, but the others said, “Hold your horses, let’s see
whether Elijah will turn up to rescue him first.”
........Then
Jesus let out another loud cry, and breathed his dying breath. At
that very moment, the curtain that closed off the most holy place in
the Temple tore open, all the way from the top to the bottom. There
was a violent earthquake, that split rocks and broke open the tombs.
The bodies of many of God’s people who had been laid to rest in
peace were raised, and after Jesus had been raised they came out of
their tombs and went into Jerusalem where many people saw
them.
........When
the commanding officer and the security guards on duty with him saw
the earthquake and everything else that happened, they were scared
spitless, and said, “Fair dinkum, this bloke must have been
God’s Son!”
........There
were a number of women there too, watching it all from a distance.
They had been among Jesus’s followers since the days in Galilee
and had provided most of the resources needed by his group. Among
them were Mary Magdalene, another Mary who was the mother of James
and Joseph, and the mother of James and John, Zebedee’s
wife.
........That evening, a wealthy
man from Arimethea went to Pilate and asked permission to take the
body of Jesus for burial. The man’s name was Joseph, and he was
a follower of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be released
into his care. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linen
cloth. He buried Jesus in a new tomb which he had had cut into the
rock for his own eventual use. He rolled a boulder over the entrance
to the tomb to seal it, and then went away. Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary were sitting opposite the tomb watching all
this.
........The next day was still
part of the sacred festival, and a deputation of the chief priests
and members of the Pharisee party held an early meeting with Pilate.
They said, “Sir, we have remembered that while that con man was
still alive, he claimed that he would rise again three days after his
death. So please give orders to have guards secure the tomb for the
next three days so that his fan club can’t steal his body and
start telling everyone that he has been raised from the dead. A fraud
like that would be even more dangerous than the pack of lies he was
pushing before.”
........Pilate
said to them, “Fair enough. There are security guards at your
disposal. Go and do whatever you think is necessary to prevent anyone
tampering with the tomb.”
........So
they took the security guards, taped of the area around the tomb,
sealed the stone, and kept it under constant surveillance.
©2002
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net