Prayers and Reflections for Palm Sunday

Age old Psalms and familiar stanzas,
Crowds and choirs in common voice,
Stirring tunes and stunning anthems,
Palm leaves and banners, cheers and hosannas,
Declare that you are Lord and King.

It's a song we find so easy to join,
When everyone else is humming our tune,
When its words can thoughtlessly tumble from our lips,
Then lives continue again, untouched by the refrain
That you are Lord and King.

Squawking Birds and jangling coins,
Angry traders and startled punters,
Commotion and confusion,
Exasperated questions at your unwelcome interjection,
Declare that you are Lord and King.

I lay out my stall and offer my wares,
Set about my business and do the things I do,
But the eyes of the Saviour meet mine,
And ask of me questions that words alone can never answer:
'What does it mean to call me Lord and King?'

God of all things,
Who came to us as Jesus,
Inviting us to pray together,
That your Kingdom may come,
Help us to embrace afresh the realities contained within that profound invitation.

We pray for those – who like the visitors to the temple,
Feel excluded and driven away
By the interests and priorities that we pursue.
Forgive us for when we fit you into our world,
Rather than seeking to make you the centre of all we seek to do.
Help us in every aspect of our lives,
To live as those who truly declare
That Jesus is King.

AMEN

Click here for other lent resources