Common Prayers for Palm Sunday

Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed: Blessed is he who comes, the king in God's name! All's well in heaven! Glory in the high places! Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, "Teacher, get your disciples under control!" But he said, "If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise." Luke 19:37-40

It is right to praise you, Almighty God, for the acts of love by

which you have redeemed us through your Son Jesus Christ

our Lord. On this day he entered the holy city of Jerusalem in

triumph, and was proclaimed as King of kings by those who

spread their garments and branches of palm along his way.

Let these branches be for us signs of his victory, and grant that

we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our King,

and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life; who lives

and reigns in glory with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for 

ever. Amen.

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 the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and

peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the

human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ 

to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon 

the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: 

Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his 

suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through 

Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you 

and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Light Reading

For my fellow bibliophiles here is a quick rundown of my current reads and what's on deck.


First And Second Samuel, Walter Brueggemann - I've come to really enjoy reading a commentary all the way through. Brueggemann has a scholar's mind and a poet's eye.


Lake Wobegon Days, Garrison Keillor - A masterful storyteller and down-right funny


Evil and the Justice of God, N. T. Wright - I am becoming a student of Wright's work and can't wait to wrestle with the hardest question of our time with him: "what to do with evil?"


Setting the Table, Danny Meyer - A restaurant entrepreneur's memoir focusing on the art of hospitality


Tell it Slant, Eugene Peterson - My reading for Lent, Peterson is quickly becoming my favorite author, similar to Brueggemann but also with a pastor's heart


Kindle- I know, why have all these actual books if I have a Kindle? I just can't give them up! On deck in the ebook world: Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton and The Importance of Being Foolish by Brennen Manning.


Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe - My all-time favorite work of fiction


Mystery and Manners, Flannery O'Conner - A collection of essays on faith, writing, and the south from another of my favorite fiction authors. What a storyteller!


Classic Colorado Summit - Gearing up for mountaineering this summer


Life With God, Richard Foster - Foster's work on the discipline of spiritual reading and study. I've been putting this one off too long.


Father, Son, and Spirit, Andreas Kostenberger and Scott R. Swain -A biblical theology study of the Gospel of John's portrayal of the Trinity, really enjoyed Professor Blomberg's additions to this series.


Bird by Bird, Anne Lamont - The humility and honesty with which Lamont writes comes through even stronger in this work on writing. What a valuable resource, it was the primary inspiration for me to write 3 blogs a week.


A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis - I have enjoyed Lewis so far and look forward to reading this personal book about the loss of his wife, I have much to learn in the realm of grief.

The Great Omission, Dallas Willard - A modern William Carey, Willard here is calling us to the heart of the Great Commission: to make disciples not merely converts.

Secrets in the Dark, Frederick Buechner - A collection of sermons, most of which I've read, that I want to finish this year. Buechner inspired the name of this blog and has been my greatest influence in the art of preaching.

Sermons from Duke Chapel, edited by William Willimon - Over 50 years of diverse sermons each prefaced by Willimon, this is a treasure.

So what are you reading? Share a picture like mine perhaps, but let us know. Enjoy Palm Sunday.

Peace.