Palm Sunday reading

Sing and rejoice, daughters of God!
Shout for joy, sons of the Father!
Here comes your King travelling to his victory;
Riding humbly on a donkey, on a foal not ridden before.
Hosanna! All joy to our King!
To the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
But my countrypeople will not cheer;
my people grumble at his coming.
Though their idols are useless,
and their heroes are deceivers,
Though they wander like lost sheep
without a loving shepherd,
Yet they will not listen, nor obey the word of the Lord.
He speaks up for true justice:
'Give loyalty and compassion;
Care for the orphan and the pensioner;
aid the refugee and those in poverty;
Do not ruthlessly exploit, or plot trouble for each other'.
But people will not listen;
they shrug their shoulders and prepare a cross.
Hosanna! Keep steady your hands!
Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:
Love shall reign in the city of God,
old people shall sit in its squares;
its streets shall be filled with children
playing without any fears.
This Kingdom which seems impossible
shall surely come to be.
The lord will dwell with his people,
and banish all sorrow and cares. #
material drawn from Bruce Prewer, Australian Psalms and Australian Prayers