At the end of a week during which we have marked the one-year anniversary of lockdown, the Scottish Episcopal Church and 13 other denominations join together in prayer at 7pm on Palm Sunday, as they have done on Sundays throughout the year of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many of those joining together in prayer, which appears in English and Gaelic below, will also light candles.
“As we stand at the threshold of the final journey of Jesus into Jerusalem and on towards the Cross, we find ourselves in the company of those who have gone before us on that journey. The ‘great crowd’ who enter into Jerusalem are those who gather for the annual marking of the Feast of the Passover. They come to remember and to give thanks for the enduring love of God. One of the Psalms used in the Feast opens with the call: ‘O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!’ In turn, the Psalmist cries: ‘Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.’ (Psalm 118: 1, 19)
“In the Gospel of John, we see Jesus entering Jerusalem and welcomed, as one ‘who comes in the name of the Lord!’, with shouts of ‘Hosanna!’ and ‘palm branches’. (John 12: 12-16) The cry ‘Hosanna!’ shall soon be replaced by ‘Crucify!’ and the ‘palm branches’ by a Cross, but in faith we believe that ‘the enduring love of God’ shall remain unvanquished.
“On this Palm Sunday, we stand on the threshold of a time of renewal within our community and in the life of the Church and we join the company of all God’s people to give thanks for the love that endures and conquers even death.”
We pray:
God whose love endures,
Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hear us, as we remember
All that you have done in times past
And give thanks that your enduring love has embraced even us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God whose love endures,
Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hear us, as we gather in the company of your people,
Or in company alone with you,
And lift up our voices to cry: Hosanna!
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God whose love endures,
Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hear us, as we journey
Through the week that is to come.
May we journey in the presence of the One who goes before us, even to the Cross.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God whose love endures,
Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hear us, as we listen to the voices
Who now cry: Crucify!
And may we know it was for us he hung and suffered there.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God whose love endures,
Hear us as we welcome the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hear us, as we wait
For the dawn to break
And for your enduring love to vanquish the darkness.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Signed by:
Most Rev. Mark Strange, Primus, on behalf of the College of Bishops, Scottish Episcopal Church
Rt. Rev. Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
Most Rev. Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Roman Catholic Church
Rev. John Fulton, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
Rev. Donnie G. MacDonald, Moderator, Free Church of Scotland
Rev. Paul Whittle, Moderator, United Reformed Church (Scotland)
Rev. Martin Hodson, General Director, Baptist Union of Scotland
Rev. Mark Slaney, District Chair, Methodist Church (Scotland)
Rev. May-Kane Logan, Chair, Congregational Federation in Scotland
Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Secretary for Scotland, Salvation Army
Adwoa Bittle, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Rev. Claire Fender, District Superintendent, British Isles North District, Church of the Nazarene
Pastor Chris Gbenle, Provincial Pastor, Province of Scotland, Redeemed Christian Church of God
Bishop Francis Alao, Church of God (Scotland)/Minority Ethnic Churches Together in Scotland (MECTIS)
Rev Fred Drummond, Director, Evangelical Alliance (Scotland)
Gairm gu ùrnaigh: Latha na Sàbaid, 28mh dhen Mhàrt, ùrnaigh aig 7f
Tha sinn a-nis aig tòiseach turas Ìosa a-chum Ierusalem agus a’ chrainn-cheusaidh, a’ siubhal maille ris an fheadhainn a chaidh romhainn air an t-slighe. B’ e am “mor-shluagh” an latha sin an fheadhainn a thàinig còmhla airson Fèill na Caisge ann an Ierusalem . Thàinig iad gus taing a thoirt do Dhia, a’ cuimhneachadh air a ghràs dhaibh. Aig tòiseach na Fèille, bhiodh iad a’ seinn:
O molaibh Dia, oir tha e math,
sìor mhairidh tròcair Dhè
agus:
O fosglaibh domh gu farsaing rèidh
geatan an ionracais:
Is racham orrasan a-steach;
Iehòbhah molaidh mis’.
(Salm 118: 1, 19)
Ann an Soisgeul Eòin, chì sinn Ìosa a’ tighinn a dh’Ierusalem agus an sluagh a’ cur fàilte air mar neach “a tha a’ tighinn ann an ainm an Tighearna”, ag èigheach “Hosanna!” agus le geugan pailme. (Eòin 12: 12 – 16). Aig ceann na seachdainne bhiodh iad ag èigheach “Air falbh leis, ceus e!” seach “Hosanna!”, agus bhiodh crann-ceusaidh ann seach geugan pailme, ach tha dòchas againn fhathast, oir “sìor mhairidh tròcair Dhè.”
An-diugh, air Sàbaid na Tùrnais, air stairsneach àm ùrachaidh, tha sluagh Dhè gu lèir a’ tighinn còmhla gus taing a thoirt dhan Tighearna airson a ghràidh a mhaireas agus a chuir an ruaig air a’ bhàs fhèin.
Dèanamaid ùrnaigh:
A Dhè, sìor mhairidh do thròcair,
Èist rinn agus sinn a’ cur fàilte airsan a tha a’ tighinn ann an ainm an Tighearna.
Èist rinn, agus sinn a’ cuimhneachadh
air do bheannachdan anns na làithean a dh’fhalbh,
agus a’ toirt taing gu bheil thu a’ dòirteadh do ghràidh bhithbhuain a-nuas oirnne.
A Thighearna, na do thròcair,
èist ri ar n-ùrnaigh.
A Dhè, sìor mhairidh do thròcair,
Èist rinn agus sinn a’ cur fàilte airsan a tha a’ tighinn ann an ainm an Tighearna.
Èist rinn, an fheadhainn a tha air ar cruinneachadh còmhla nad ainm,
agus an fheadhainn a tha leat fhèin a-mhàin,
oir tha sinn a’ togail ar guth agus a’ seinn: Hosanna!
A Thighearna, na do thròcair,
èist ri ar n-ùrnaigh.
A Dhè, sìor mhairidh do thròcair,
Èist rinn agus sinn a’ cur fàilte airsan a tha a’ tighinn ann an ainm an Tighearna.
Èist rinn, agus sinn a’ siubhal tron t-seachdain a tha romhainn.
Deònaich dhuinn comhfhurtachd làthaireachd an Aoin a thèid romhainn, fiù ’s dhan chrann-ceusaidh fhèin.
A Thighearna, na do thròcair,
èist ri ar n-ùrnaigh.
A Dhè, sìor mhairidh do thròcair,
Èist rinn agus sinn a’ cur fàilte airsan a tha a’ tighinn ann an ainm an Tighearna.
Èist rinn, agus sinn ag èisteachd ris na guthan ag èigheach “Ceus e!”
Deònaich gum bi fios againn gur ann air ar son a dh’fhuiling e agus a chaidh a cheusadh.
A Thighearna, na do thròcair,
èist ri ar n-ùrnaigh.
A Dhè, sìor mhairidh do thròcair,
Èist rinn agus sinn a’ cur fàilte airsan a tha a’ tighinn ann an ainm an Tighearna.
Èist rinn, agus sinn a’ feitheamh air beul an latha,
agus buaidh do ghràidh shìoraidh air an dorchadas.
A Thighearna, na do thròcair,
èist ri ar n-ùrnaigh.
Soidhnichte:
Am Fìor Urramach Marcus Strange, Primus as leth Colaiste nan Easbaigean, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba
An Ceart Urramach Màrtainn Fair, Moderàtor Àrd-Sheanadh Eaglais na h-Alba
Am Fìor Urramach Leo Cushley, Àrd-Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn agus Dùn Èideann
An t-Urramach Iain Fulton, Moderàtor, Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte na h-Alba
An t-Urramach Pòl Whittle, Moderàtor, Eaglais Ath-Leasaichte Aonaichte (Alba)
An t-Urramach Dòmhnall G. Dòmhnallach, Moderàtor, an Eaglais Shaor
An t-Urramach Màrtainn Hodson, Àrd-Stiùiriche, Aonadh Baisteach na h-Alba
An t-Urramach Marcus Slaney, Cathraiche Roinn-Dùthcha, Eaglais nam Methodach (Alba)
An t-Urramach May-Kane Logan, Cathraiche, Caidreachas Co-thionalach ann an Alba
Lt. Col. Carol Bailey, Rùnaire na h-Alba, Feachd na Slàinte
Adwao Bittle, Comann nan Caraidean (Cuagairean)
An t-Urramach Claire Fender, Àrd-Neach-Stiùiridh Roinn-Dùthcha, Eileanan Bhreatainn, Eaglais an Nàsaraich
Aoghaire Chris Gbenle, Aoghaire Roinn-Dùthcha, Mòr-Roinn na h-Alba, Eaglais Chrìosdal air Saoradh le Dia
Easbaig Francis Alao, Eaglais Dhè (Alba)/ Eaglaisean nam mìon-shluagh còmhla ann an Alba (MECTIS)
An t-Urramach Fred Drummond, Stiùiriche, Caidreachas Soisgeulach (Alba)
