Year
C
Palm/Passion Sunday
(Sixth
Sunday in Lent)
24 March 2013
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 marvellous to our eyes.
Your prophets told us of
the coming one
who would teach your ways
and sustain us with
your word.
Your child, Jesus Christ, 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 Christ is Lord
to your
glory forever.
Therefore with .....
©2001
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 marvellous to our eyes.
Your prophets told us of
the coming one
who would teach your ways
and sustain us with
your word.
Your child, Jesus Christ, 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 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.
©2001
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Declaration
of Grace / Absolution
The Lord who vindicates you
is near.
God has heard your confession
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.
©2001 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 Godís 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 Godís
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.
©2001
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net
Paraphrases of the
Scripture Lections
for
Palm/Passion Sunday - Year C - 24 March 2013
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
* Luke 19:
28-40
........Jesus and
his followers pushed on, heading up towards 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, ìJust as you get into the main street youíll
see a young donkey tied up to a fence. It is an awkward looking thing
and has not yet even been ridden. Collect it and bring it to me, and
if anyone asks you what you think youíre doing with it, just
tell them the boss needs it.î
........So
the two of them headed into the township, and sure enough, there was
the donkey tied to the fence, just as Jesus had said. As they began
to lead it off, its owner appeared and said, ìHey, what do you
think youíre doing with my donkey?î
........They
replied, ìThe boss needs it.î
........They
brought it to Jesus and made an improvised saddle from items of spare
clothing. Jesus got on and began riding slowly up the road to
Jerusalem. As he approached, people began giving him the red-carpet
treatment, spreading their coats on the road before him and cheering
as he passed. As he rode the final stretch from the Mount of Olives,
the swelling crowd of his followers were shouting and singing at the
top of their voices, praising God for all the remarkable actions they
had witnessed in Jesusí company. A loud chant began:
Godís blessing is on the king
........who comes in the name of the Lord!
God is on the throne
........and all is well in heaven!
........Some religious teachers from the
Pharisee party witnessed this from the crowd and confronted Jesus:
ìTeacher, get your students back under control!î
........But
Jesus answered, ìThe fact is, if I shut them up, the stones on
the roadside would take up the chant!î
©2001
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 ó
................rock
solid and timeless!
May all your people recognise
........that
your love and loyalty last forever.
The minute they open the
city gates
........ó the
gates of justice ó
weíll 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 ó
................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 Iím sure
Iíll 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?
........Letís
see what theyíre 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,
........Iím
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 canít bear to look at
me;
........even strangers cross the
street to avoid me.
Everyone wants to purge me from their
thoughts;
........theyíve
given me up for dead;
................abandoned
me like a burned out car.
Everyone is out to get
me;
........theyíre whispering
behind my back.
Theyíve 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 youíre all Iíve got left.
My future
is in your hands;
........snatch me
from the grasp
................of
those who are hunting me down.
Iím 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 didnít 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 ëJesusí
........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
*
Luke 22:14 - 23:56 OR Luke
23: 1-49 (scroll down for extract)
........When
the hour came, Jesus took his seat at the dining table, along with
his closest followers. He said to them, ìIíve been
hanging-out to eat this sacred Passover meal with you before I am put
through the wringer. You can take it from me: I will not get to eat
it until it is done to perfection and God rules over
all.î
........Then he picked up
a cup of wine, and after giving thanks to God he said, ìTake
this, and share it among yourselves. I kid you not: from now on, not
another drop of wine will pass my lips until the day comes when God
rules over all.î
........He
took a loaf of bread in his hands, and when he had given thanks to
God, broke the loaf and gave it to them, saying: ìThis is my
body. It is given for you. Do this so that I will be
remembered.î
........He did the
same thing with the cup at the end of the meal, saying: ìThis
cup, which is poured out for you, is Godís new alliance with
you ó an alliance sealed with my blood. But get this: the one
who will betray me is here passing food around the table with us. And
while the New Human will go to his fate according to the script, the
writing is on the wall for the one who stabs him in the
back.î
........That set them
questioning one another, trying to work out which one of them could
possibly be going to do such a thing.
........Before
long an argument had broken out among them over which of them would
be seen as the greatest. But Jesus broke it up, saying, ìOutside
of the people of God, those in power love to strut around, flaunting
their authority. They describe themselves as the benefactors of the
nation, but before you know it theyíve set themselves up as
dictators, above the law. Donít go making that your model.
Instead, the greatest among you must become as unassuming as a junior
recruit, and the one who is your leader must be like one who is at
everyone elseís service. Who do people think of as most
important ó the one seated at the table, or the one waiting on
the table? The one seated at the table of course. But I am at your
service when I am among you.
........ìYou
are the ones who have hung in there with me when Iíve been
under the pump. Now I am doing for you what my Father has done for me
ó elevating you to royalty, so that you can eat and drink at
my table when I rule over all. You will share my authority, sitting
on thrones and ruling over the twelve tribes of
Israel.î
........Jesus turned
to Simon Peter and said, ìListen here, Simon. The satan has
demanded the opportunity to take you lot apart and see what you are
really made of. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that you will have
what it takes. Once you are back on track yourself, you are to help
these others get back to full strength.î
........Simon
Peter said, ìLord, I am ready to be locked up with you; to
face death with you. Whatever it takes, Iíve got
it.î
........Jesus said to him,
ìYou can take it from me, Peter: The rooster wonít get
a chance to crow tonight before you have sworn three times that you
donít even know me.î
........Speaking
to all of them again, Jesus said, ìRemember when I sent you
out and told you to travel light ó no luggage and not even
your wallets. Did you find yourselves having to do
without?î
........ìNot
at all,î they replied.
........ìWell,
this is a whole new ball game,î Jesus said. ìYou will be
on your own and you will need all the resources youíve got. If
there is anything in your wallet, you will need it. There will be no
one to defend you, so those who canít defend themselves might
as well flog off their coats and buy swords instead. You can take my
word for it: what the scriptures said is about to take on a whole new
meaning here: ëHe was lumped in with the crooks and low-life.í
Indeed, everything that was written about me is proving itself
true.î
........They said,
ìLook, Lord, weíve got a couple of swords
already.î
........Jesus
replied, ìYou wonít need any more than
that!î
........Jesus went
outside and, as he usually did, headed off to the Mount of Olives
with his followers. When they reached their usual spot, he said to
them, ìPray that you will not have to face anything thatís
too tough for you to handle.î
........Then
he moved off by himself, about a stoneís throw away from them,
and fell to his knees in prayer, saying, ìFather, if itís
okay with you, get me out of this without having to drink this bitter
cup! But still, the bottom line is that Iíll go along with
whatever you want.î
........At
that point a messenger from heaven appeared and strengthened him.
Barely able to hold himself together, he prayed all the more
desperately until the sweat was pouring off him like blood. When he
got up and returned to his disciples, he found that the grief had got
the better of them and they had fallen asleep. He said to them, ìWhat
are you doing asleep. Pray that you will not have to face anything
thatís too tough for you to handle.î
........Even
before Jesus finished getting the words out, a mob arrived on the
scene, led by Judas, who was one of the twelve. Judas walked straight
up to Jesus and was about to kiss him, but Jesus said, ìJudas,
are you going to back-stab the New Human with a kiss?î
........When
those who were with Jesus realised what was going on, they called
out, ìLord, do you want us to put up a fight?î and
without waiting for an answer one of them began lashing out with a
knife, slashing a personal attendant of the High Priest and cutting
off his ear. But Jesus yelled, ìStop! Put it
down.î
........And he touched
the injured manís ear and healed him. Then he turned to the
chief priests, the temple security guards, and political heavies who
had come for him, and said, ìDo you think I am some kind of
dangerous thug, that you need your weapons drawn and your batons
ready when you come for me? I have been sitting in the temple with
you nearly every day, and you never laid a finger on me. But this is
your way, isnít it? Deeds of darkness in the darkest
hour!î
........The mob arrested
Jesus and dragged him off to the High Priestís house. Peter
followed at a safe distance. Some of the security guards lit
themselves a fire in the middle of the High Priestís central
courtyard. When they sat down to warm themselves around it, Peter
slipped in among them. A girl from the High Priestís domestic
staff saw him there in the light of the fire. She took a good hard
look at him and said, ìThis bloke was with him
too.î
........But he denied it,
saying, ìSorry, lady. Youíve got the wrong man. I donít
know him.î
........A little bit
later, someone else recognised him and said, ìYou are one of
them.î
........But Peter said,
ìNot me, mate. No way!î
........About
an hour later, someone else became more insistent, saying, ìThis
bloke was with him, for sure. Heís a Galilean ó itís
a dead give away.î
........But
Peter held his line: ìMister, Iíve got no idea what you
are talking about.î
........But
the words were hardly out of his mouth when a rooster began to crow,
and the Lord turned around and looked straight at Peter. Peter heard
the words the Lord had spoken come flooding back ó ìBefore
the rooster crows tonight, you will have sworn three times that you
donít even know meî ó and he ran out into the
street, bawling his eyes out; a broken man.
........The
men who were holding Jesus in custody began to taunt him and rough
him up. They blindfolded him and kept saying, ìCome on,
prophesy for us! Tell us who bashed you that time!î
........The
insults and abuse were flowing thick and fast.
........First
thing the next morning, the whole Ruling Council held a meeting,
including the chief priests and the religious lawyers, and Jesus was
brought before them. They said to him, ìIf you are the
Messiah, tell us.î
........But
Jesus replied, ìIf I tell you, you wonít believe me
anyway, and if I question you, you wonít give me an answer.
But from now on the New Human will take his seat as Godís
right hand man.î
........They
all jumped at that and asked, ìSo then, are you saying you are
the Son of God?î
........He
said to them, ìYou are saying yourselves that I
am.î
........At that, they all
said, ìWhat further evidence do we need? We have all heard him
condemn himself with his own words.î
........The
Ruling Council rose as one, marched Jesus off, and brought him before
Pilate, the Roman governor. The began reeling off all sorts of
charges against him, saying, ìThis bloke has been stirring up
trouble on a national scale. He tells people to stop paying their
taxes, and he is setting himself up as the Messiah in opposition to
the Emperor.î
........So
Pilate began his interrogation by asking Jesus, ìAre you the
King of the Jews?î
........ìThey
are your words,î answered Jesus.
........Pilate
turned back to the chief priests and the mob, and said, ìI
canít see that he has broken any laws. You have got nothing
that will stick.î
........But
they dug their heels in and kept insisting, ìHe is trouble. He
stirs up the people with his teaching, and not just around here. He
started up in Galilee. He has worked his way all around Judea, and
now he is at it here.î
........When
Pilate heard this, he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean, and when
this was confirmed, he figured he could pass the buck to Herod, since
Galileans came under Herodís jurisdiction. Herod was in
Jerusalem at the time anyway, so it was easy to palm Jesus off onto
him. Herod was only too happy to see Jesus. He had been wanting to
see him for some time, because he had heard plenty of stories about
him and was hoping he might get to see Jesus perform some miraculous
sign. So Herod interrogated him at length, but Jesus remained silent
and answered nothing. The chief priests and religious lawyers stood
there, making all sorts of vicious allegations against him. The
silent treatment got up Herodís nose and he and his soldiers
began to treat Jesus like dirt and bad-mouth him. They made a joke of
him, dressing him up like royalty, and then sending him back to
Governor Pilate. Herod and Pilate had never had any time for each
other before, but from that day on, they got on like a house on
fire.
........Governor
Pilate then called together the chief priests, the political leaders,
and the representatives of the people, and said to them, ìYou
dragged this man in here and alleged that he was stirring up trouble
among the people. But I have interrogated him here in your presence
and I canít find any basis to your allegations. None of your
charges seem to stick. Herod obviously hasnít found anything
to pin on him either, because he has sent him back without recording
any convictions. Quite clearly the man has done nothing to warrant
the death penalty. So I will get my men to give him a flogging as a
warning, and then release him.î
........But
the crowd went berserk, shouting together, ìRid the earth of
this man! Free Barabbas for us!î
........Barabbas
had taken part in a violent uprising in the city, and was being held
in prison on charges of insurrection and murder. Pilate wanted to
release Jesus, and spoke to the crowd again, but they just kept up a
loud chant of, ìString him up! String him up!î
........Pilate
tried a third time, asking, ìWhy? What evil has he done? I
canít find any evidence of anything that would warrant a death
sentence. I will have him flogged as a warning, and then release
him.î
........But
the mob was in a frenzy, shouting louder and louder, and demanding
that Jesus be executed. In the end they got their way. Pilate caved
in and signed the order granting the people their demand. He set free
the prisoner they asked for ó the one who had been locked up
for insurrection and murder ó and handed Jesus over to them to
do as they wished.
........As
they marched Jesus off to be executed, they grabbed a man called
Simon of Cyrene, who was just arriving in town from the bush. They
made him lift the large wooden cross on which Jesus was to be strung
up, and carry it behind him. A huge crowd of people followed him out,
and among them were many women who were weeping and wailing and
carrying on loudly. But Jesus turned to them and said:
ìDaughters of Jerusalem, it is no use crying for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. You can bet the days are coming when people will say that the fortunate women are the ones who couldnít have children. Theyíll say ëHow lucky are the women who never conceived! How lucky are those who never held babies to their breasts!í People will cry out to the mountains saying ëFall on us now!í They will wish the hills would collapse and bury them. For if this is what is done to a healthy green tree, imagine what will happen to all the old dead wood.î
........Two
convicted criminals were dragged off with him to be executed at the
same time. The place where the executions were carried out was called
Skull Hill. When they got there, they strung Jesus up on the cross by
driving nails through his flesh. They executed the two convicted
criminals in the same way on crosses on each side of him. As he hung
there, Jesus prayed out loud, saying, ìFather, forgive these
people. Theyíve got no idea what they are doing.î
........The
executioners divided up his clothes among themselves, tossing a coin
to see who should get what. The people stood around staring, but the
community leaders were hurling insults and ridicule at him and making
a huge joke of it, saying, ìHe reckoned he could save everyone
else. Letís see him save himself from this if heís
really the Messiah, Godís chosen one!î
........The
soldiers were sticking the boots in, too, offering him drinks of wine
that had turned to vinegar, and saying, ìCome on. If youíre
the king of the Jews, pull rank and get yourself out of this
trouble!î
........They
also hung a sign above his head saying, ìThis is the King of
the Jews.î
........One
of the criminals who was strung up alongside him joined in the
insults, shouting, ìWhat sort of Messiah are you?! Get your
act together and save yourself, and save us while youíre at
it!î
........But
the other criminal pulled his mate up short, saying, ìPut a
sock in it! Donít you care what God could do to us? We are
about to meet our maker, the same as he is, but you and I have done
the crime and we are copping what we deserve. There was no
miscarriage of justice over us. But what has this bloke ever done
wrong? Nothing!î And then he said, ìJesus, remember me
when you come to rule over everything.î
........Jesus
replied, ìYou have my word for it; today you will join me in
Paradise.î
........It
was now about midday, but darkness fell over the whole land for three
hours. The sun was blacked out, and the curtain that closed off the
most holy place in the Temple tore in two. Then, with a loud cry,
Jesus said, ìFather, I lay down my life, and place it in your
hands.î
........That
said, he breathed his last. When the commanding officer saw what had
happened, he spoke highly of God and said, ìThis bloke was
innocent; Iíd bet my life on it!î
........Crowds
of spectators had gathered to witness the gruesome show, but when
they saw what really took place, they were completely gutted and
headed back to their homes sobbing.
........Those
who knew Jesus, including the women who had been among his followers
since the days in Galilee, stood at a safe distance and kept watch
over all that happened.
........There
was a man named Joseph who came from the Jewish town of Arimethea. He
was a man of integrity who always did what was right, and he was
looking forward in genuine anticipation to the establishment of Godís
reign. So although he was a respected member of the Ruling Council,
he had opposed their plot and the action they took.
........Joseph
went to Pilate and got permission to take the body of Jesus for
burial. He took the body down from the cross, wrapped it in a linen
shroud, and buried it in a tomb which had been cut into a rock wall,
but had never been used. It was the day of Preparation, and the
sabbath was about to begin at sundown. The women who had come with
Jesus from Galilee followed along and saw where the tomb was and how
his body was laid out. Then they left, and prepared the spices and
lotions required to anoint the body of Jesus in the customary way. On
the sabbath, they took the day off, as the law required.
©2001
Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net