Here you can find resources for our liturgy to pray at home or wherever you are.
The readings for today and some of the prayers of our liturgy are on the downloadable pew sheet.
"Hosanna to the Son of David"
Our liturgy today begins joyfully, as the crowds acclaim Jesus
This joy is soon tempered by a change to
"Crucify him!"
At Holy Trinity, we begin today in the hall, gathered to hear the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem
Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
And blessed be God's kingdom.
Dear friends in Christ, in our observance of Lent we have been preparing, by self-examination and spiritual discipline, to celebrate the mystery of our Lord’s death and resurrection. In baptism, we are marked with the cross of Christ. Today we begin the solemn celebration of our salvation through his death on the cross and his resurrection to glory. We now recall our Lord’s entry as king into Jerusalem, to suffer, to die, and to rise again. Let us follow him, that, as we died with Christ in our Baptism, so we may share his risen life.
Assist us Lord God of our salvation: that we may enter with joy into the celebration of those mighty acts whereby you give us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 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. 31 If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.”’ 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ 34 They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ 35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 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, 38 saying ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’ 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ 40 He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’
Palms are brought to the presiding celebrant, who says:
Almighty and everlasting God, may these palms be for us a sign of Christ’s victory over sin and death; and may we who have been baptised in his name, worship him as king, obey him as Lord, and follow him in the way of the Cross, which leads to eternal life. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The palms are distributed to those present.
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy, but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: mercifully grant, that we, walking in the way of his cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Let us proceed in peace. In the name of Christ. Amen.
The procession to the church begins during the hymn All glory, laud and honour.
Almighty God, who, in your tender love for the human race, sent your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take our nature upon him, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of his passion, and also, be made partakers of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
please join in saying the text, pausing shortly at the *asterisk
Refrain: I have trusted in you. You are my God.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; *
my eye is consumed with sorrow, and also my throat and my belly.
For my life is wasted with grief, and my years with sighing; *
my strength fails me because of affliction, and my bones are consumed.
I have become a reproach to all my enemies and even to my neighbours,
a dismay to those of my acquaintance; *
when they see me in the street they avoid me.
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; *
I am as useless as a broken pot.
For I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around; *
they put their heads together against me; they plot to take my life.
But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. *
I have said, ‘You are my God.
My times are in your hand; *
rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
and in your loving-kindness save me.’
Refrain: I have trusted in you. You are my God.
In church, the Passion Reading is read
God is love and we are God’s children, there is no room for fear in love.
We love because God loved us first. Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.
Silence
God our Father, we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil.
For the sake of your Son who died for us,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
God, who is both power and love,
forgive us and free us from our sins,
heal and strengthen us by the Holy Spirit
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
We meet in Christ's name.
Let us share his peace.
In church, we continue with the Liturgy of the Sacrament
Let us present our offerings to the Lord.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory,
the splendour and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you, and of your own we give you.
Please join in the prayer Jesus himself taught us:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Monday 11th April
Tuesday 12th April
Wednesday 13th April
Thursday 14th April Maundy Thursday
Friday 15th April Good Friday
Saturday 16th April Holy Saturday
Sunday 17th April Easter Day
online resources will be available on this website
We have decided to support the work of Start Up Stirling for our Lent Collection this year.
We do collect items for Start Up all year round, but we thought to give it a special focus as, sadly, the need for food banks and other kinds of support is rising in our area. Items can be dropped off at HT, but we’ll also collect cash donations.
See Start Up for more details: startupstirling.org.uk/how-to-help
You might also be interested in how best to help people in crisis in Ukraine. The College of Bishops have highlighted these two organisations:
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal:
https://donation.dec.org.uk/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal
Among the DEC partners are Christian Aid, the British Red Cross, and Tearfund. The UK Government has pledged to match donations from the public to the DEC fund, pound-for-pound, up to £20 million.
The UK for UNHCR:
https://www.unrefugees.org.uk/where-help-is-needed/ukraine-situation/
Our Lent Book this year is Saying Yes to Life by Dr Ruth Valerio, who is an environmentalist and theologian working at Tearfund.
This is the blurb:
As people made in the image of God, we are entrusted to look after what has been created: to share in God’s joy and ingenuity in making a difference for good.
Ruth Valerio imaginatively draws on the Days of Creation (Genesis 1), as she relates themes of light, water, land, the seasons, other creatures, humankind, Sabbath rest and resurrection hope to matters of environmental, ethical and social concern.
