Category Archives: Palm / Passion Sunday

Palm / Passion Sunday A

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, April 13, 2014

Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey. (From ProgressiveInvolvement.com)

Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey.

Procession: Liturgy of the Palms A

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
As we celebrate Palm Sunday, recalling Jesus’ traditional entry into Jerusalem before a cheering crowd, these verses from Psalm 118 portray another festive procession in honor of our Lord and God; in familiar words we celebrate “the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11
Matthew tells of Jesus’s triumphal procession into the city, complete with the odd image of Jesus riding two animals at once, recalling Zechariah’s prophecy that Israel’s shepherd-king would come, “mounted on a donkey, and on a colt.” It is an exciting time: Crowds surround Jesus, and he has warned the disciples that he will be mocked, flogged and crucified. Soon he will anger the authorities again when he drives the money-changers out of the temple, as the narrative leads inexorably to his passion and death on the cross.

Liturgy of the Passion A

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
This song of the Prophet Isaiah is called “the suffering servant.” Written about the people in exile in Babylon, it looks forward to a servant leader who will guide them back home to Jerusalem. Christian readers can hardly encounter these verses, though, without thinking of Jesus, our messiah and king, who suffered for us and who taught us to give our backs and turn our cheeks to those who strike us.

Psalm: Psalm 31:9-16
Suffering continues in this Psalm of lament, as the Psalmist recites a litany of sorrow, distress, grief, sighing, misery, scorn, horror, dread and more. He suffers, his neighbors scheme; they plot his death. Yet amid all this misery, hope glows like the sun breaking through clouds: Trust in God, place our faith in God’s love, and wait to be saved.

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
Might Paul have had Isaiah’s “suffering servant” in mind as he wrote of Jesus’ death on the cross? We understand Jesus as both fully human and fully divine, yet he was willing to set aside his divinity – “emptying himself” – to bear the horrific pain of crucifixion as a vulnerable, frightened human. Jesus took on the full weight of all that suffering to show us the true exaltation of God’s love, calling us only to respond with love for God and our neighbor.

Gospel: Matthew 26:14 – 27:66
There’s a lot packed into this long Gospel, from the Last Supper to the crucifixion; but let’s focus for a moment on just one point: When Jesus warned the apostles that one of them would betray him, they all fretted. Every one wondered if he could turn traitor. One after another they asked, ‘Surely not I, Lord?” No matter how much we think we love, deep inside we worry. Like the apostles, we all know we are human, frail and weak. Yet Jesus, taking up the cross for our sake, loves us all the same.

Palm / Passion Sunday C

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, March 24, 2013.

The Entry into Jerusalem, unknown artist, Ottonian, Regensburg, about 1030 - 1040.

The Entry into Jerusalem

Procession: Liturgy of the Palms C

Gospel: Luke 19:28-40
Jesus rides a colt into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday, an allusion to the prophet Zechariah that wouldn’t have been lost on the Jewish throngs: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.!” The Roman rulers and Jewish authorities wouldn’t have been happy about that, but the crowds, says Luke, responded with a song of joy right out of Psalm 118: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”We repeat this song of praise every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

Psalm: Psalm 118
As we read these verses, which are thought to be an ancient collection of Temple songs of celebration and praise titled “A Song of Victory,” imagine a joyous crowd clapping hands and singing loudly. celebrating the Lord their God, whose steadfast love endures forever.

Liturgy of the Passion C

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Grief and pain fill our readings as Holy Week comes near; but there is hope here, too, the hope that lies in faith and trust. To the ancients, Isaiah’s Servant figure probably stood for Israel suffering in exile in hope of returning home with God’s help. It’s not hard for Christians to find Jesus symbolism here, though, particularly in the prophet’s clear call to turn the other cheek against our enemies, knowing that God is with us.

Psalm: Psalm 31:9-16
If you’ve ever suffered from serious depression or known and loved anyone who has, you’ll see that the Psalmist deeply understands this numbing anguish that can sap the strength of body, mind and soul. But even in the black depths, there’s hope! Even when things seem darkest, trust in God and pray: “Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.”

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
Paul, writing to the people of Philippi from prison in Rome, might very well have had Isaiah’s Servant in mind as he wrote. Jesus’s death on the cross is significant, Paul says, because Jesus “emptied himself,” becoming one with us even in suffering, accepting human frailty as he bore the gruesome pain of crucifixion. We, too, like Paul, are called to serve God and our neighbor in the name of Jesus, who became “more” through becoming ‘less.”

Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:49
Palm Sunday brings us to Holy Week with Luke’s full account of Jesus’s Last Supper, Passion and Crucifixion. And now Jesus, too, calls us to service: “The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. … But I am among you as one who serves.” What might this look like in your life? How are you called to serve?