Pause for Prayer: SUNDAY 3/24

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Our worship on Palm Sunday begins with blessing and waving palm branches and singing Hosanna! Even here, on the first day of Holy Week, there's room for joy in Lent!  But moments later the mood of our prayer changes with the day's readings, culminating in the gospel of the passion (the suffering and death) of Jesus.  Today's scriptures tell the story.

Let's pause for prayer on this Palm Sunday weekend with two songs: first, Rory Cooney's Palm Sunday Processional, a piece I used for years in my parish in Concord and which brings me to the streets of Jerusalem as Jesus entered his city.  Second, Chanticleer's beautiful rendition of Orlando Gibbons' 16th century composition, "Hosanna to the Son of David."

If two videos don't appear below, click here!

When they heard that Jesus was coming.

    Sing Hosanna to the Chosen One!

All the people went out to meet him.

    Sing Hosanna to the Chosen One!

 

Spread their cloaks and branches before him.

Children sang with palm branches waving.

 

Blest is he like David before him.

Blest is he, God's blessing upon him.

 

Guiding cloud and pillar of fire.

Satan's foe and friend of the sinner.

 

Word of God and firstborn of people.

Promise kept and crown of creation.

 

Vision blest and hope for the future.

God's beloved and radiant with glory.

 

Wondrous bread and stream in the desert.

Holy thirst and God's living water.

 

Eye of God who see to the heart of us.

Healing touch, the sight for our blindness.

 

Rising sun, the light of the world.

Word of life who give us your Spirit.

 

Friend in death who weep for our dying.

Freed in death, who roll back the stone for us.

 

Friend in death, who wake us to new life.

Friend in life, we sing glad hosannas.

 

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