Palm Sunday
for Legionary Nathan and his Friends
All powerful God who lives forever, because of your mercy to men, you sent your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take on him human nature, and to die on the cross, so that everyone might follow his example of goodness; In your mercy, grant that we might follow his example of patience, and also join in his new and glorious life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Read the Bible Story
Read the Lesson
Do the Lesson Exercises
Matthew 27, selected verses
In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus. Then they tied him up and paraded him to Pilate, the governor.
Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, saying, "I've sinned. I've betrayed an innocent man." ....Jesus was placed before the governor, who questioned him: "Are you the "King of the Jews'?" Jesus said, "If you say so." But when the accusations rained down hot and heavy from the high priests and religious leaders, he said nothing. Pilate asked him, "Do you hear that long list of accusations? Aren't you going to say something?" Jesus kept silence--not a word from his mouth. The governor was impressed, really impressed... [He asked the crowd] what do I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?" They all shouted, "Nail him to a cross!" ... They stripped him and dressed him in a red toga. They plaited a crown from branches of a thorn bush and set it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mocking reverence: "Bravo, King of the Jews!" they said. "Bravo!" ....
After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they whiled away the time by throwing dice for his clothes. Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. .... From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" ...But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last. At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces.... The captain of the guard and those with him, when they saw the earthquake and everything else that was happening, were scared to death. They said, "This has to be the Son of God!"
LESSON
Grace and Peace be with you Legionaries!
Today is the saddest Sunday of the Church year, because we hear the story of how they crucified our Lord. The story began when the bad disciple named Judas, made a deal with a bunch of bad men to turn Jesus in. He got 30 pieces of silver for that. After dinner one night, Jesus went to the garden. Judas walked up and gave Jesus a kiss on the cheek so the bad men would know who Jesus was, and then all the guards of the bad men took him and they beat him up.
The next morning they took him to the Roman governor named Pilate. The bad men then got a whole bunch of people to start yelling to Pilate... crucify him - crucify him. Pilate did not want to do it; but he did. He told the soldiers to take Jesus away and crucify him.
After they beat Jesus with some whips, they made him carry a cross to the big hill outside of town. There they put nails in his arms and feet on the cross, and hung him up.
Jesus had a lot of pain, and finally he died. But just then there was a big earthquake. Everyone was scared. The legionaries said that Jesus was a good man and that he was the Son of God. What do you say?
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus Christ, you died on the cross even so that we might one day be glorious like you, and that all of our sin might be forgiven. We thank you and praise you for your love for us. Amen
- Can you draw a picture that tells the Gospel story? Do so and then explain it to your friends.
- See if you can remember these: (1) Who is Judas and what did he do? (2) Who was Pilate and what did he do? (3) What did the crowd tell Pilate to do with Jesus? (4) What did the legionaries say about Jesus? (5) Did Jesus really die?