Lectionary for Lent 6
Open the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. Psalm 118:19
Collect. Let us pray: Jesus, you enter the holy city, approaching your passion and death; today the crowd acclaims you. May we sing your praises every day, for you are the servant Lord, now and for ever. Amen.
Reading. Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29. The opening verse of this psalm marks a good beginning as the church begins to prepare for Holy Week. O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 118:1. It is a personal exclamation, a reminder that ours is a personal faith. What ‘I’ believe is important for it is what I believe that shapes my life. But then the psalmist widens the appeal and wants to draw everyone into the peals of praise. It is a reminder that personal faith is important but that faith is strengthened when we are with likeminded people. One of the reasons for worship gatherings is that all are encouraged: All find their faith refreshed after collective worship. As the Wesley him says, “He bids us build each other up; And, gathered into one, To our high calling’s glorious hope, We hand in hand go on”, (All Praise to our Redeeming Lord.) It is this principle that the psalmist is recognising: In this way the truth about the nature of God is stamped on our hearts and lives. The psalmist further develops the theme by envisioning entering into the place of worship and finding most clearly that God is active in the lives of all the people, bringing healing and health. As we read about the stone that the builders rejected we remember the phrase used by Jesus in Mark 12 10, to remind his hearers that so often God’s way is not chosen by his people. However the psalmist moves on to celebrate that God continues to build and presents to the nation a new day in which to celebrate and be glad that God is a faithful God. As well as each new day it is recognised that God is presenting the people with a future which the promised one will inaugurate. As the people celebrate together the hope that this future, presented by the one who is to come is reinforced which brings us back to the opening phrase, O give thanks to the Lord for he is good and his steadfast love endures forever. This is a great theme for us to contemplate as we steadily move towards the festival of Easter.
Prayer. Lord in this quiet time we come to you for comfort and strength. Though we acknowledge our many faults do not let shame overwhelm us as we seek always to serve you. Through your righteousness and loving-kindness continue to equip us to serve you joyfully and faithfully. You are the one who always hears when we call for you are a faithful God and we want to give you thanksgiving and praise. You alone Almighty God, are the shield which we trust to protect us from all that would lead us astray. Help us to pay close attention for you are the one who saves us and allows us to live in the freedom that Jesus Christ has delivered. To Him be all praise, now and forever. Amen
Reading. Mark 11:1-11 On Sunday we celebrate Palm Sunday and this stirs memories of waving palm branches and generally celebrating as we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem with crowds of people cheering. As we recall those memories we need to remember that in Jerusalem at this time Pilot was in charge and he represented the authority of Rome. Pilot controlled everything. He had the power of life or death for he dispensed justice. He appointed the high priests, and even kept the special religious robes the High priests wore, releasing them only for special occasions. Pilot had control of the temple treasury and even used money from the temple to build an aqueduct in Jerusalem which raised such protest that his troops slaughtered scores of Jews. During the festival of Passover there would have been extra Roman Soldiers arriving into the city because of the prospect of riots: Not to mention rebellion. To put it mildly, Pilot and the authority of Rome that he represented was hugely unpopular. When we remember that picture it is easy to see why Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that day would be welcomed with such enthusiasm. The symbolism of riding on a colt was to come as a king who had conquered and therefore had the right to enter the city without a weapon. For the Jews it would also have echoes of the coming of the promised Messiah. Messiah was the One who under God would come to free the nation from the oppressors. The release from Roman rule was greatly anticipated. However in Marks recounting of this incident, while he describes the enthusiasm of the crowd the mood he gives to Jesus is very different. Jesus looks around, takes everything in and then simply retires to rest in Bethany. The two differing moods highlight in some ways what is to transpire. Jesus does not meet the expectations of the crowd and they are quickly turned against him: The same crowd that cried “Hosanna” will, in just a few days’ time cry “Crucify him”. We should not be surprised at this sudden change. Furthermore Jesus did not come to fulfil the expectations of the crowd but to be obedient to God’s will and do all that God required. Think of how many people no longer follow Jesus because things did not turn out the way that they wanted. How many of us have been disappointed when prayers seem to be unanswered. Mark in a very simple way is reminding us that with the coming of Jesus a bigger picture is coming, the picture of what God has planned both for Jesus and for all believers. The message is that Jesus comes to fulfil God’s plan. He takes everything in and in just a few days will act decisively to bring to a climax the perfect plan. As we think about Mark’s passage it helps us to recognise that through Jesus, God is at work in the way that he chooses: it may not be the way that we want or expect, but in the end it will be perfect for each of us.
The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. 2 Peter 3:9–10.NRSV
Prayer. Gracious Lord, we thank you that you are the one who both hears and answers our cry to you. Forgive us when we are impatient and demanding: Like little children who want their own way. Help us to remember that you do not turn away from us when we are in need but are always ready to help and heal. Give us the understanding that your plan for each of us is the perfect plan. Strengthen our faith and our trust in you. You are the One who is from everlasting to everlasting. Your name endures to all generations, and you are always the Rock to which we can cling. So we thank you and praise you for through Jesus our future with you is secure. Through him alone is our way secured. Amen
Collect. Let us pray (that we may share Christ’s humility): Father of all, who gave your only-begotten Son to take upon himself the form of a servant, and to be obedient even to death on a cross: give us the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. that, sharing in his humility, we may come to be with him in his glory; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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