Here’s
an opening prayer for Palm Sunday, which includes both adoration and
confession. It comes from a collection
of Palm Sunday resources put together by Rev. David Lunan, and posted on Starters for Sunday.
Prayer
for Palm Sunday
Lord
Jesus Christ, we welcome you,
our
Lord and our Saviour, our Servant and Friend.
We
welcome you to this place, where your people have gathered.
We
welcome you to our worship, we welcome you to our lives.
Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Blessed
art thou Redeemer King,
for
you reign sovereign in our hearts.
Hosanna
in the highest. Blessed art though
O
saviour of the world,
for
you have saved us from ourselves,
giving
yourself for us in love.
We
greet you that we might learn of you,
we
learn of you that we might love you.
Yet
our love is lukewarm so quickly;
we
forget you so easily;
we
disown you so readily.
We
are changeable in our devotion to you,
bending
with the strongest wind, blown off course,
capitulating
to our culture.
Lord
have mercy.
We
want you to help us, without our helping you;
we
want your words of comfort, but not your words of rebuke.
Lord
have mercy.
We
want you to be nice, even if we are not.
We
seek heaven hereafter, but worldliness now.
Christ
have mercy, and grant us your peace.
Lord
save us from our fickleness;
help
us to stay the course, to stay with you,
to
stand with you, and for you, and beside you.
Grant
us your grace to overcome our sin,
grant
us your Holy Spirit to enable us to follow you, Lord Jesus,
to
have your compassion, your courage, your obedience;
that we might be strong enough to forgive
others,
to love our neighbours, to strive for justice,
to endure the cross,
and
to conquer all things with love.
Help
us o Father, to open ourselves to receive your Spirit,
and
to walk with your Son;
that even we might be blessed in the name of
the Lord;
that
even we might sing, now and forever,
‘Hosanna
in the highest!’
Hear
this our prayer o God,
through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
~
written by the Very Rev. David Lunan, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters
for Sunday website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/
