Pew Sheet, Sunday the 13th of April, 2025 The 6th Sunday of Lent / Palm Sunday
Today, we celebrate Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and hear the crowds proclaim him as the King, ‘who comes in the name of the Lord’. It is this, I suspect, which makes the pharisees ask Jesus to stop them calling out, for many had been identified as the Messiah in the past, and on each occasion, it had not ended well for the country or its rulers, whether religious or secular. Much as they despised him, the pharisees knew that there was only one King in Judaea, and his name was Herod Antipas. It was moreover, the emperor who had appointed Herod as King of Judaea, so any attempt by the people to replace him, or even to hail him as their King, was a direct affront to the emperor’s honour and dignity, and was likely to presage an immediate and crushing military response.
We often say ‘better the devil you know’ when talking about those who govern us, and this may well have been in the minds of the pharisees as they suddenly realised that they were losing not only their spiritual control over the people as they cried ‘Hosannah’ and welcomed Jesus as their Messiah, but also realised that the comfortable status quo in which they were left alone by Herod to do what they did best, so long as they did not irk him too much. They had, in other words, capitulated to, and were fraternising with ‘the enemy’ to such a degree that they could not even contemplate the benefits of the true Messiah’s coming into their midst, and wanted the crowd to be silent and for Jesus, ideally, to go away and cause trouble somewhere else.
Sometimes in our own lives, it is much easier to settle for what we know, even though we may complain bitterly about it, or even hate the situations we find ourselves in. It might be an unsatisfying job or an unhealthy relationship, a commitment made in haste which we now wish we hadn’t made, or a besetting sin which we hate ourselves for engaging in, but it brings gratification or relief of some sort – for a while at least, when we engage in it. And even in those bigger things, the things beyond ourselves, the things over which we feel we have no real control, such as poverty or climate change, unjust economic systems, racial hatred, bigotry and misogyny, or war; we may find ourselves unable or unwilling to take a stand and make the small incremental changes which can make all the difference because secretly, we find the status quo easier to accept. It makes fewer demands on us, and in a way, we prefer that to the changes needed to usher in the Kingdom of God into our lives.
Easter of course, and Holy Week in particular, offers us the opportunity for a fresh start, to wipe the slate clean, and to try, even if we fear that we might not be able to sustain the change, to live our lives differently for the sake of the Gospel, and the one who died for us in our stead. On Easter Sunday we will be renewing our baptism vows with the opportunity they provide for a fresh start, a new life, and a chance to put Christ back at the centre of our lives in the place he truly deserves, for he is indeed the King of Glory, and the only one who can bring that deep sense of inner peace when all else in the world seems awry.
Collect
True and humble King, hailed by the crowd as Messiah; grant us the faith to know you and love you, That we may be found beside you on the way of the cross, Which is the path of glory.
Psalm 118:1-2 and 19-end
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his mercy endures for ever.
Let Israel now proclaim,
‘His mercy endures for ever.’
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Come, O Lord, and save us we pray.
Come, Lord, send us now prosperity.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God; he has given us light;
link the pilgrims with cords right to the horns of the altar.
You are my God and I will thank you;
you are my God and I will exalt you.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his mercy endures for ever.
Luke 19:28-40
After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying:
‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’
Post Communion Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you humbled yourself in taking the form of a servant, and in obedience died on the cross for our salvation. Give us the mind to follow you as Lord and King, to the glory of God the Father.
This Week’s Events
Tonight
‘The Cross of Christ’ Passiontide Reflection, 18.00 hrs at St Laurence.
Monday
Bell Ringing, 7.30pm in St Laurence. Contact Jan on 07835 461361.
Tuesday
Zoom In Morning Prayer, 9.00 am, Meeting ID: 539 3978774 password: TuaR0T or contact Sue on [email protected] (The 0 in R0T is a zero not an ‘O’)
Wednesday
Morning Coffee, 10.00-11.45am in the St Laurence Room.
Midweek Holy Communion, 12.00 noon, St Laurence.
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday Communion service with stripping of the altars, followed by silent prayer, 15.00 hrs, St Laurence.
Good Friday
Good Friday Reflections, 12.00 noon to 14.00 hrs, then Holy Communion at 14.15 hrs, St Laurence. Reflections every 15 minutes. Come and go as able.
Stations of the Cross, 18.00 hrs, St James.
Junior Choir at 6.30 pm followed by full Choir Practice at 7.30pm. Contact Derry on [email protected] if you would like to join in this term.
Holy Saturday
Passiontide Evening Prayer (Book of Common Prayer) at 17.00 hrs, St Mary’s.
SCHOOL GOVERNORS
We still need Foundation Governors for both Winslow and Great Horwood Schools. Please consider whether you might be able to serve both them and the parish in this way, and talk to Steve if you feel able to help out.
LAST OPPORTUNITY TO BOOK YOUR EASTER LILIES
The flower arrangers will be including lilies in their flower displays in church for Easter. If you would like to make a contribution towards the cost of the lilies in memory of a loved one, please give your donation to Chris or Cathy Ryalls or to Liz van de Poll; and print the name of the loved one to be remembered on the sheet on the desk by the south door of the church. Thank you.
The POP-UP-VACCINE CLINIC is returning to Winslow on Wednesday, April the 16th at Winslow Public Hall from 11.00 am to 3.00 pm and will be offering Covid boosters to anyone who is eligible to receive them. No appointment is necessary, just turn up and enjoy some free refreshments as you do so. Also in attendance will be Age UK, Carers Bucks, and the continence nurses who will be happy to answer any queries or questions you might have about those issues. Other dates will be announced for May and June in due course.
Home groups will be making arrangements for their own special activities during Holy Week.
