Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday: With Whom Are You Entering Holy Week?

Today's Scripture Readings

Liturgy of the Palms

Matthew 21:1-11 (NRSV)

When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, `The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, 

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

Psalm 118 (BCP., p.760)


Liturgy of the Word

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?

Psalm 31 (BCP., p.623)


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.

Passion Reading: Matthew 26:14-27:66 (NRSV) 


Blog Reflection

Marcus Borg in a blog post about Holy Week: Palm Sunday writes the following...

What most Christians know about Holy Week centers on Good Friday and Easter, Jesus’s death and resurrection. The former is commonly understood as payment for our sins. The latter is most often understood as the proclamation of life beyond death – that God not only raised Jesus from the dead, but will someday also raise us, or at least those who believe.

But there is so much more to the story of Holy Week. Not only is there more, but the more challenges and indeed negates the common understanding of Good Friday and Easter.

In this blog, I focus on what Christians call “Palm Sunday.” The story is familiar: as the week of Passover begins, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey and people cheer him, shouting “Hosanna – blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Less well-known is the historical fact that a Roman imperial procession was also entering Jerusalem for Passover from the other side of the city. It happened every year: the Roman governor of Judea, whose residence was in Caesarea on the coast, rode up to Jerusalem in order to be present in the city in case there were riots at Passover, the most politically volatile of the annual Jewish festivals. With him came soldiers and cavalry to reinforce the imperial garrison in Jerusalem.

It is clear what Pilate’s procession was about. By proclaiming the pomp and power of empire, its purpose was to intimidate. But what about Jesus’s procession, his entry into the city?

Thus for Passover that year, two very different processions entered Jerusalem. They proclaimed two very different and contrasting visions of how this world can and should be: the kingdom of God versus the kingdoms, the powers, of this world
The former is about justice and the end of violence. The latter are about domination and exploitation.

On Friday, the rulers of this world kill Jesus. On Easter, God says “yes” to Jesus and “no” to the powers that executed him.

Thus Palm Sunday announces the central conflict of Holy Week. The conflict persists. In words from St. Paul, the rulers of this world crucified the Lord of glory. That conflict continues wherever injustice and violence abound. Holy Week is not about less than that. 

Are we beginning Holy Week by entering Jerusalem with Pilate in a search for domination, power and exploitation?

Christians would like to believe that all of our yearly rituals of getting our Palms today, kneeling at the words that Jesus breathed His last during the reading of the Passion and shaking our heads at how fickle the human heart is.  Yet, if that is all we do, then Holy Week is a fable.  In so doing, we do not give God the opportunity to bestow on us the wonderful graces during Holy Week that make a difference in our lives.  The story of Holy Week might as well be put on the library shelves with the other religious based myths, to fade away with the coming of the electronic/digital age and quick fix self-help programs.

As long as Christians remain silent and apathetic about how much wealth and power have taken over not only the world's politics, but also in the Church, Holy Week looks like a fiction still in someone's imagination.

When Christians turn our heads and pretend that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are not being bullied in our schools, neighborhoods, homes and churches; and pour money into campaigns to stop anti-bullying measures; we are entering Holy Week with Pilate, not Jesus. 

If we continue to use the events of this week to promote antisemitism saying that the Jews killed Jesus, and/or support prejudice towards Muslims and other religions; we might as well be judging Jesus with Pilate.  Or we probably do not realize that we too are among those shouting "Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!"

If we enter Holy Week with Pilate, we might be tempted to think of ourselves as our own god.  It is our way or the highway.  All the world and it's many resources are ours for the plundering.  We excuse the polluting of the waters of the world with oil, or cause earth quakes because of the Keystone Pipeline all with the dishonest thinking that it is creating jobs.   

On the other hand, if we enter Holy Week with Jesus, we will discover that the path to holiness comes through humility.  The same humility that Paul writes about in the ancient hymn in Philippians 2:5-11.   The humility that is prepared to set aside all thoughts of being God, to become a servant of others even to the point of the death of self.   God's love in Jesus Christ is not about seeking self-honor or indulging in the self that is false.  Full of the "what I think...." and refuses to "walk according to the judgement and commands of another...." (Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 5:12).

Jesus enters Jerusalem today knowing full well what is coming later in the week.  Yet, He will face immense hate, injustice and the losing of His life on the Cross.  He is willing to go through it all out of loving obedience to His Father and for all of us.  He will not stop loving those who falsely accuse and refuse to believe in Him.   He will chose to love even Judas who will betray Him with a kiss.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus will become the sin that God cannot look at, and take it all unto Himself and go so far as the Cross to redeem us all.   He will love the outcast, the woman, the LGBT person, the immigrant, the mother who weeps for her son lost to gun violence.  Jesus will love and redeem the one who chose no religion at all, because organized religion just hurts that person(s) so much.  There will be an outpouring of God's mercy that none of us can understand, explain or put into words that make sense.   One thing we will definitely know, is that God's love for us is unstoppable.   To make scapegoats of anyone for any reason, would be to look at what Jesus did for all of us and our Baptismal Covenant and would be the equivalent of Peter denying Jesus three times, or Judas selling Him for thirty pieces of silver.

In Christ, God tells all of us during this Holy Week, that God is with us, hurts with us, and is there to help us know that there is Easter Day after Good Friday.   That is why Jesus enters Jerusalem today.

Hosanna!  Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord.

With whom are you entering Holy Week?


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.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.219).

Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony
and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to
take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.252).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.260).