By IPN Coordinator
What has become an annual observance, a Palm Sunday
Procession and Service for Peace was held Sunday, April 13, at the New Beginnings
Christian Church in Urbandale. Walkers
gathered at 2:40 pm and were given palms if they had not already brought some,
and signs were offered which read different Scriptures or spiritual sayings,
related to Jesus coming in peace and teaching peace.
The Des Moines Faith Committee for Peace planned the walk
and service. There were many cosponsors,
including Iowa Peace Network. In all, there
were 43 cosponsors. Walkers were led by
two donkeys and their caretakers starting at 3:00 pm, remembering Jesus rode
into Jerusalem on a donkey over 2,000 years ago. Walkers processed from the New Beginnings
Church into the frontage road that took them around several area businesses and
other buildings. Palms were waved, signs
held, and more than several passersby in cars honked in support. Walkers processed for about 15-20 minutes,
ending back up at New Beginnings Christian Church. Approximately 80-90 people were present.
Donkeys with owners (IPN)
Walkers along Hickman Rd. (IPN)
The service was to start at 3:00 inside the church. The event started with a piano prelude before
commencing with a welcome and land acknowledgement, standing with our
Indigenous siblings, honoring the land and our holy connection to it. The acknowledgement finished with “Let us
acknowledge our place in the great river of humanity- and drench ourselves in
the knowledge of those who have stood here before us.”
Next, a member of the Des Moines Faith Committee for Peace
led the Call to Worship, which was a responsive reading with the gathered
body. It was taken from Psalm 118:1-2,
and 19-24. “We give thanks to You, O
Beloved, for You are kind; and “Your steadfast loves endures forever,” was the
first response. It ended with “This is
the day which You have made;” and “Let us rejoice in be glad in it.”
The Opening Hymn was “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” followed
by the Children’s Moment, where the children were led in a lesson about the
first Palm Sunday.
A Responsive prayer was next, with responses of: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of
the Lord,” and “Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!” This prayer was based on Zechariah
9:9-12 and Mark 11:1-11.
A member of the DM Faith Committee for Peace, introduced the
speaker. Scripture was read: Luke 19:28-40, the story of Jesus asking his
disciples to untie a donkey for him, and to tell anyone who asks, “The Lord has
need of it.” He then rode into Jerusalem
and palms and cloaks were laid out ahead of him. He spoke about the current climate surrounding
the need for peace, especially in Ukraine, Palestine, and Sudan, and that if we
don’t speak about Jesus and peace, the stones will cry out.
Next was a hymn, “Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace,”
followed by a Litany of Peace which a member of the DM Faith Committee for
Peace led. An offering was then taken,
and then a Closing Litany, adopted from Psalm 130 and a prayer by Jeanyne Slettom
was read. A closing hymn was “The Peace
of the Earth.” A Benediction was offered,
and the service was finished. There is a
thank you to New Beginnings Chrisitan church for hosting the service and
providing electronic support for livestreaming and slides.
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