Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday: The Events of Holy Week Are Our Life's Stories

Today's Scripture Readings

Mark 11: 1-11 (NRSV)

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, `Why are you doing this?' just say this, `The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'" They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

"Hosanna!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. 

Isaiah 50: 4-9a (NRSV)

The Lord GOD has given me

the tongue of a teacher,

that I may know how to sustain

the weary with a word.

Morning by morning he wakens--

wakens my ear

to listen as those who are taught.

The Lord GOD has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious,

I did not turn backward.

I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face

from insult and spitting.

The Lord GOD helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame;

he who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who are my adversaries?

Let them confront me.

It is the Lord GOD who helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

Philippians 2: 5-11 (NRSV)

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death--

even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Mark: 15: 25-39 (NRSV)

It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!" In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah." And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"

Blog Reflection

The human heart.  It is a fickle thing.  All of us have the power to be in love with another person one moment, and totally hate or condemn them in the next.  This kind of thing plays itself out when ever a married couple experiences difficulties that appear to change their feelings for each other.  The love/hate relationship often happens when people work to elect someone to office that spoke all the words they wanted to hear.  But, when she/he gets into office and doesn't do quite what people expected, those same people can smear the now elected individual pretty badly.

The Liturgies of Holy Week have their beginnings from the diary of a nun named Egeria, who visited the Holy Land in 385.  They were eventually adapted and created through the work of St. Cyril of Jerusalem.  During this period the events that once took place in Jerusalem were re-enacted from the Mount of Olives all the way to the site of Golgotha.  It is said that pieces from the original Cross in which Jesus died, were brought out to remember that day when he gave up his life.

The various services of Holy Week with all of their emotional trappings are designed to help us know that through all of the ups and downs of life, God is there with us at every point of the journey.
Each of us have experienced in some way what this Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday is about.  How many times might some of us have been hired for a new job, were ushered in with the usual "welcome, we are glad you are here," only to find ourselves at odds with the new boss and/or co-workers within hours if not a couple of days?    The person who comes up to be your best friend in the new work place, later on becomes your worst snitch just because you forgot to do something, no one told you about in the first place?

During today's Liturgy and through out this week, we will read and remember how Jesus was insulted, humiliated, betrayed and experienced every kind of injustice.  Almost too much for one person. Yet, one thing that will be quite unmistakable to see, is that Jesus loves even the worst of his enemies right to the very end.  Even if they make a choice or decision, from which they cannot turn back.

Holy Week is for every one of us who have ever experienced rejection, discrimination, injustice or oppression.  I am a gay man, with Asperger's Syndrome.  I am developmentally challenged.  I have known what it is to have a job and be able to make ends meet pretty well, to going to having to depend on others to help me, because I really do not have any other choice.  I know what it is to be angry as hell with God and others around me.  I also know what it is to be unable to see the entire picture in front of me, before I rush to a judgement.  I have experienced what it means to feel lonely and rejected, to finding unconditional love, the kind that never gives up, and never lets go.  Yet, there are those whom I have met, who have never uttered the Name of Jesus Christ, who have taught me just as much if not more about what unconditional and holy love means, as any one else.

All of us have experienced things similar to what I wrote about in the last paragraph.  So did Jesus Christ, God's perfect revelation. Even now, Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the throne of God, with all of our wounded and broken humanity, pleading and loving us, and calling upon us to see in him and each other God's unique and all-inclusive love and mercy.

If most of us have experienced what Jesus did, then we have also at one time or another betrayed a friendship. We have thought too much of ourselves so as to decide that someone else needs to go.  Maybe we don't actually take a weapon and shoot or kill someone. Yet, we have all perhaps gathered with a group of people, determined that someone we dislike, must be destroyed through senseless gossip and unfair stereotyping.  How many times might we have distorted facts in order to harm the reputation of someone else, for the benefit of our own cause?  Might some of us have asked for a person to prove their qualifications or love for us, by a bargain that we knew was unrealistic?

The events we are making present through memorializing them this week, are for those of us who need to be forgiven by God.  If we are in need of God to show us another way, through the stories of those interacting with Jesus, or the Son of God, Himself, this week is for us.

As LGBT people, we have a lot to learn about how we make this Christian Faith, that we have been told has rejected us, the actual living Gospel stories of our lives.  All that we experience by being of a different sexual orientation and/or gender identity or expression, is something that Jesus Christ shares with us in his own flesh.  Many of us have been rejected by our own families, friends, churches and communities. In these and other moments of coming to terms with who we are, we have experienced the excruciating pain of a crown of thorns on our brow, as we experience the mental and emotional agony of those who hurt us so very deeply.  The very crown of thorns that Jesus wore as he hung dying on the Cross.  As many of us have experienced people mocking and so happy that we are hurting, because Christianists win elections of taking away our marriage equality rights and so much more in many other scenarios, Jesus cries out with us, and for us: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"   When we have experienced every pain and rejection imaginable to the point where it has killed us internally to bring about the change of entire generations towards LGBT people, and others who are marginalized by the Church and society, with Jesus we can say: "It is accomplished."

We too will discover as did Jesus, that the only way we shall find greatness and victory, is through allowing ourselves to be at the service of others.  Even those, who are so bloody wrong in what they say and write about us.  We do not have to agree with them, or justify them.  Nor should we ever apologize to them or others about who we are, and who we love.  However, we will be called upon, by the holy example of Jesus, to love them as he loves us.  Should we find that too difficult for us to do, Holy Week reminds us that God meets us at the point of our weakness and failure, and in God's mercy and forgiveness, gives us the strength and hope to rise up again, and continue on. 


Prayers

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the
human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to
take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross,
giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant
that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share
in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.  (Collect for Palm Sunday, Book of Common Prayer, p. 219).


Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Collect for Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer, p. 217)


Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Fridays, Book of Common Prayer, p. 99).


O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth:
deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for our Enemies, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).