Hello St. Paul’s,
It seems like just the other day that we were imposing ashes and launching into the season of Lent, but here we are already on the verge of Holy Week, the center and heart of our year.
Palm Sunday is a complicated day that attempts to commemorate not only the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem but also his arrest and death. There are several components to the liturgy:
We begin with the story of how Jesus led a procession into Jerusalem, coming down the steep hill from the Mount of Olives (still a steep path for pedestrians as the contemporary picture shows), gathering followers and tourists all the way to the Temple Mount. Each of the four Gospels tells this story slightly differently, focusing on details We follow our three-year lectionary on Palm Sunday, reading both the Palm Gospel and the Passion Gospel from each of the first three Gospels in turn, and this year we hear from Luke, who doesn’t actually mention palms at all.
The emotional range on Palm Sunday is extreme, as we first celebrate the Triumphal Entry, waving our palms and shouting or singing praises to the King of Peace as we march around the neighborhood; and then plunge headlong into the dark story of the arrest, passion, and death of that same King. You might wonder why we hear both stories on this day, given that we are still five days away from Good Friday: the reason is that for many people Good Friday is not a holiday, and if they don’t hear the Passion story on Sunday they won’t hear it at all. If we miss the opportunity to walk the way of the Cross with Jesus, to participate in the grim shouts of “Crucify him”, we miss some of the emotional impact of Easter when the day of resurrection finally arrives.
St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians includes an ancient hymn text that illustrates the roller-coaster nature of our liturgical experience in Holy Week, describing how “Jesus… though he was in the form of God … emptied himself … humbled himself and became obedient … even to death on a cross”; and then how “God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:6-11). Listen for this pattern in the Epistle reading on Sunday.
Our 10:00 celebration on Sunday will include a very public witness to our faith, as we follow the Super Sonic Samba dancers around the immediate neighborhood of the cathedral before entering the church and making the abrupt transition to the Passion. It is a rare opportunity for us to testify to our faith before a world that increasingly disregards the value of religion. I hope you will invite friends and neighbors to join us for this solemn day as we begin the painful journey to Good Friday, holding to our faith in the one who died and rose for us, and remaining confident that for God’s faithful people Good Friday is always followed by Easter.
See you on Sunday.
Your sister in Christ,
Penny
