Palm & Passion Sunday
March 29th, 2026

You are welcome to print this liturgy at home and bring it with you on Sunday.

The Sentence
The one who enters in the Lord’s name is blessed; we bless all of you from the Lord’s house.
—Psalm 118:2

Opening Reading Matthew 21:1-11

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:

“Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The Liturgy of the Palms
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Jesus, when you rode into Jerusalem the people waved palms with shouts of acclamation. Grant that when the shouting dies we may still walk beside you even to a cross; for the glory of your holy name. Amen.

Praise God, praise God, praise God we say,
welcoming Jesus along the way.
Waving our branches of palms we say,
hosanna, hosanna along the way.
Welcome to Jesus, our blessed king.
Praise God, praise God, praise God we sing. Amen.

Let us go forth in peace.
In the name of Christ. Amen.

Song of Praise
Hosanna in the Highest (Sojourn)

Bright the stars over Bethlehem
Shining in the darkest night
Guide the hearts of mortal men
Leading them to lasting light.

Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!
Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!

Come to where the manger lay
Mary with her child asleep
List'ning to the angels say
"Here is born the glorious king."

Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!
Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!

Hear the shepherds with one voice:
"Hail the king of Israel!"
Tell the people to rejoice!
"Christ the Lord! Emmanuel!"

Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!
Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!

Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!
Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!

Song of Praise
For the Beauty of the Earth (Folliott Sandford Pierpoint)

For the beauty of the Earth, for the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth, over and around us lies

Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise
Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise

The Earth is filled with your glory
The Earth is filled with your glory

For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night
Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light

Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise
Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise

The Earth is filled with your glory
The Earth is filled with your glory

For each perfect gift of thine to our world so freely given
Graces human and divine, flowers of earth and buds of heaven

Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise
Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise

The Earth is filled with your glory
The Earth is filled with your glory

The Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

O God of eternal glory, whose servant, Jesus Christ, bore our sins, encouraged the weary, and raised up the fallen: keep before our eyes his passion and resurrection, so that our lives may be signs of his obedience and victory. We ask this in the name of Christ, our liberator. Amen.

First Lesson Isaiah 50:4-9

The Lord God gave me the ability to teach. He has taught me what to say to make the weak strong. Every morning he wakes me. He teaches me to listen like a student.

The Lord God helps me learn. And I have not turned against him. I have not stopped following him. I offered my back to those who beat me. I offered my cheeks to those who pulled my beard. I won’t hide my face from them when they make fun of me and spit at me. The Lord God helps me. So I will not be ashamed. I will be determined. I know I will not be disgraced.

The Lord shows that I am innocent, and he is close to me. So who can accuse me? If there is someone, let us go to court together. If someone wants to prove I have done wrong, he should come and tell me. It is the Lord God who helps me. So who can prove me guilty?

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Psalm 118

O give thanks to the *Lord,
for he is *good;
his steadfast love endures for*ever!
Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures for*ever."

Open to me the gates of *righteousness,
that I may enter through them and give thanks to the *LORD.
This is the gate of the *LORD;
the righteous shall enter *through it.

I thank you that you have *answered me
and have become my sal*vation.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief *cornerstone.
This is the Lord's *doing;
it is marvelous in our *eyes.

This is the day that the LORD has *made;
let us rejoice and be glad in *it.
Save us, we beseech you, O *LORD!
O LORD, we beseech you, give us suc*cess!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the *LORD.
We bless you from the house of the *LORD.
The LORD is God, and he has given us *light.
Bind the festal procession with *branches,
up to the horns of the *altar.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to *you;
you are my God, I will ex*tol you.
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is *good,
for his steadfast love endures for*ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the *Son
And to the Holy *Spirit
As it was in the be*ginning
is now and ever shall be, world without end. A*men.

Second Lesson Philippians 2:5-11

Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus:

Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. When he found himself in the form of a human, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore, God highly honored him and gave him a name above all names, so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!
Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest, in the highest!

The Gospel Reading Matthew 27:11-54
+ This is the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them, and after flogging Jesus he handed him over to be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to, for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’ ” The rebels who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Gospel Acclamation

Homily Rev. Danny Bryant

A Creed from the United Church of Canada

We are not alone, we live in God’s world.

We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God.

We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.

The Prayers of the People
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world.

Silence is kept.