Father, forgive them, for they do know not what they are doing

Father, forgive them, for they do know not what they are doing

Welcome to St Philip s York Street Palm Sunday 17-4-2011 ~LENT~ A period of 40 days (sans Sundays) starting on Ash Wednesday and ending with Good Friday. It s a time of refection, remembrance, repentance and reconciliation. We've called our Lent Series "Gravitas: The final Words of Jesus". We are spending 7 Sundays looking at Jesus' last words. Tonight is the second last word, and a reflection on PALM SUNDAY. 1. Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43) 2. Woman, here is your son... Here is your mother. (John 19:26-27) 3. Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (Matt 27:46) 4. I am thirsty. (John 19:28) 5. It is finished. (John 19:30) 6. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) Good Friday Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23:46) Easter Sunday Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? (John 20:15) ii

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. ~ Jesus in Luke 23:34 ~ To bind a Roman citizen is a crime, to flog him is an abomination, to slay him is almost an act of murder, to crucify him is - what? There is no word that can possibly describe so horrible a deed. ~ Cicero ~ It is the Second Person of the Trinity who asks, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." The Son intimately addresses the Father. We look away, embarrassed by a love so publicly displayed. According to Herbert McCabe, these words, "Father, forgive," are nothing less than the interior life of the Triune God made visible to the eyes of faith. The Son asks the Father to forgive, a forgiveness unimaginable if this is all about us and our struggle to comprehend the meaning of our lives in the face of death. ~ Stanley Hauerwas ~ As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. ~ Psalm 103:13-14 ~ iii

SCRIPTURE - Psalm 103:11-14 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. SONG - We Hope Our lives are like the grass And flourish like a flower of the field Here one day and gone the next It s place knows it no more The steadfast love of the LORD is what we hope on The steadfast love of the LORD Is what we hope on East from West He has removed our sins from us For he knows how we were formed Remembers that we are dust ~ Written by Matt Straw & Tess Parker, 2010 ~ Used by permission iv

SCRIPTURE - Psalm 103:8-10 8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. SONG - The Lord is Gracious & Compassionate The Lord is gracious and compassionate Slow to anger and rich in love The Lord is gracious and compassionate Slow to anger and rich in love And the Lord is good to all He has compassion on all that He has made As far as the east is from the west That s how far He has removed our transgressions from us As far as the east is from the west That s how far He has removed our transgressions from us Praise the Lord, oh my soul, praise the Lord Praise the Lord, oh my soul, praise the Lord ~ Graham Ord ~ Copyright 1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (Admin. by Vineyard Music UK) Used by permission. CCL license no. 227856 v

SONG - It was alone the saviour prayed It was alone the saviour prayed In dark Gethsemane Alone he drained the bitter cup and suffered there for me The silver hit the floor the price they paid that day and so in shame the disciple came and with a kiss betrayed It was alone the saviour braved The dark assembly In silence took without defence the sentence set for me Chorus So sing Hallelujah Every tear shall fade Hallelujah Jesus rose again It was alone the saviour walked led through the streets of dust as children mocked, he bore their cross the price prepared for us It was alone the saviour prayed Forgive their troubled souls! Alone, alone, his dying prayer, Their burden mine alone! Chorus x 2 So sing Hallelujah Every tear shall fade Hallelujah Jesus rose again Bridge Red was the blood that flowed from his side Black were the clouds that covered the sky Father it s finished! was his final cry the innocent slain for mankind ~ Words & Music by Matt Straw & Blake Nuto, 2010 ~ Based on poem by Ben H. Price Alone, 1914 Used by permission vi

READING - Psalm 118:19-26 19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. 20 This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; 23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. vii

READING - Luke 19:28-40 28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, Why are you untying it? tell him, The Lord needs it. 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, Why are you untying the colt? 34 They replied, The Lord needs it. 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, Teacher, rebuke your disciples! 40 I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. viii

NOTES ~ Luke 23:32-34~ 32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ix

WELCOME TO OUR CHURCH If you are new or visiting please fill out a Welcome Card at the end of the pew and drop it into the perspex box at the back so that we may be of service to you. ~ Kids Ministry this evening ~ Exciting things are happening in Kids Ministry at St. Philips. We would like to invite you to an event that celebrates Kids Ministry and looks forward to the future. TONIGHT you can learn about this growing ministry, pray for it and find out how to become a part of it. 7:30pm after the evening service in the church. ~ Easter Services ~ Easter is next week! As Christians, we solemnly remember Christ s sacrifice, yet celebrate in the new life he offers. Details of services are on the Easter flyer in your Zine. We strongly encourage you to attend the Book of Common Prayer Service on Good Friday at 9:30am. This may be your first BCP service! ~ The Festival of St Philips~ The artists of St Philips have come together to present an Art Exhibition in the beautiful space of St Philips. It will take place on Saturday April 30 th from 4:00pm until 8:00pm. There will also be live music. The artworks will be left on display for our Evening Church 1 st Anniversary the following day (Sunday May 1 st ). ~ Our Evening Church 1 st Anniversary ~ On Sunday May 1 st our Evening Church will celebrate its First Birthday! We will be taking this opportunity to celebrate and thank God for all that he has done for our congregation over the past year. There will be a cake and dinner after the service. We d love you to be a part of it! ~ Community Groups ~ Groups meet mid-week on Tues, Wed and Thurs nights. Please fill out a card if you are interested in joining, or speak to a member of staff. ~ New Zealand & Japan quakes ~ If you d like to make a donation we suggest: The Red Cross: www.redcross.org.au or 1800 811 700 Anglican Aid: www.anglicanaid.org.au or 1800 653 903 Grace City Church, Tokyo: www.gracecitychurch.jp and donate via paypal by clicking on the Donate button on their homepage. ~ Serving at Evening Church ~ If you are a member of Evening Church, you will be keen to serve others who attend here. The Serving Roster can be found online where it is regularly updated. Please speak to Huw or email him (huw@yorkstreetanglican.com) if you are keen to help. x

~ Power Hour ~ People gather to pray for our church and our city in an apartment on Kent Street, on Sundays at 4:30pm. If you would like to take part, please contact Jasper on 0402 026 300. ~ Parking Fines & Security ~ Parking inspectors come through the area during evening church. It's always better to put more money in the meter than you think you may need. Also, there have been a couple of break-ins to people s cars on Sundays. Please, don't leave any valuables in your car when you park. ~ Giving ~ Take your place in financially caring for our church. Here are our account details: Account No: 810878 ~ BSB: 032 000 ~ Reference: 6pm Giving Want to stay up to date with events and happenings at our church? Write your email address on a welcome card, visit our Facebook Page (York Street Anglican) or our website www.yorkstreetanglican.com OUR MINISTRY TEAM Our staff are available for counsel and questions, please feel free to contact any staff below: Justin Moffatt (Senior Minister) - justin@yorkstreetanglican.com, 0403 569 502 Ray Smith (Senior Associate) - ray@yorkstreetanglican.com, 9247 1071 Jenny Ihn (Assistant Minister) - jenny@yorkstreetanglican.com, 9247 1071 Huw Jones (Lay Minister) - huw@yorkstreetanglican.com, 9247 1071 Adrian Foxcroft (Student Minister) - adrianfoxcroft@gmail.com Nathan Campbell (Student Minister) - nathan@yorkstreetanglican.com Rachel Warner (Student Minister - Kids ministry) - rachel@yorkstreetanglican.com xi

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