This week, Reverend Mark led our Palm Sunday worship and shared the beautifully story of “Heaven’s Big Secret.”

The children heard how all of Heaven was bursting with excitement because God had a wonderful surprise planned for the world. The angels knew something amazing was coming—but they had to keep it a secret!

That secret was Jesus.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a royal horse. Crowds lined the streets waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” They were welcoming a king, but many didn’t yet realise what kind of king Jesus truly was. His kingdom would be built not with power or armies, but with love, peace, and kindness.

Reverend Mark explained that the big secret was this:
Jesus had come to show God’s love in the most extraordinary way—through His life, His sacrifice, and His rising again.
What looked like an ordinary man on a humble donkey was actually the moment God’s great rescue plan was unfolding.

The children enjoyed the idea that Heaven had been holding onto such a joyful secret—one that brings hope, new life, and the promise that Jesus is always with us.

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for Palm Sunday.
Help us welcome you with happy hearts
and share your love with others every day.

Amen.

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Reverend Mark led collective worship this week on perseverance and the importance of not giving up.  

Good things come to those who work for it.

He talked about Geraint Thomas 

Geraint Thomas did not just wake up one day and decide to win a race; he had to work hard over many years to get to this stage. Geraint loved sport at school and took up cycling when he was ten, after watching other cyclists at his local velodrome. He was very good at it and soon started winning races and events. However, being good at cycling still wasn’t enough to win him the Tour de France; Geraint needed something else, too - perseverance.

In the Tour de France, a yellow jersey is worn by the rider who has completed the stages of the race so far in the least time. Even wearing the yellow jersey for even one stage of the race is a lifetime achievement for some cyclists. To be the overall winner is an amazing achievement.

In the Bible, Paul wrote about this many times when he described what it means to be a follower of God. On one occasion, he said, ‘we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.’ (Romans 5.4) Paul knew that being a follower of Jesus would be tough, and that it would require a lot of perseverance.

Geraint Thomas is a great example of this: he struggled through his suffering and persevered to demonstrate his hope that he would win the prize.

Persevering is not easy, but there is a huge sense of achievement when you keep trying and don’t give up easily.

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for Geraint Thomas and his example of perseverance.
Please help us to try hard to achieve our goals and dreams.
May we find something worth striving for and not give up easily.
Help us to see obstacles as opportunities.
Help us never to give up trying to do our best.
Amen.