Reflections for the Last Sunday in Lent - Palm/Passion Sunday, 2014

Wow. Hard to believe that Palm/Passion Sunday is this week. The older I become, the quicker the time seems to pass. As my friend Sr. Judith used to say, "It's all due to math, fractions actually."

Here are the readings for this coming Sunday.

Liturgy of the Palms (April 13, 2014)

• Psalm
  • Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
• Second reading
  • Matthew 21:1-11

Liturgy of the Passion (April 13, 2014)

• First reading
  • Isaiah 50:4-9a
• Psalm
  • Psalm 31:9-16
• Second reading
  • Philippians 2:5-11
• Gospel
  • Matthew 26:14-27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54

As a church culture, we seem to have shifted a bit. Among some clergy, on the one hand, there is trepidation about people not participating in the Maundy Thursday - Good Friday - Easter Vigils anymore. On the other hand, there is a concern that we don't want to have people going from one uplifting experience to another (Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday). There fore, we give them the Passion Readings the Sunday before Easter. Might there be a correlation? What happens if we skip the Palm Sunday readings?

For one thing, might we miss out on what they might be telling us? And what might they be telling us? They might lead us into examining what Jesus' ministry was really all about, and they might also bring to mind why it was that the authorities decided to eliminate him. After all, roughly half (1/2) of Mark's gospel occurs after Jesus enters Jerusalem. Something to ponder going into this week.

On the other hand, over the years I have been guilty of letting the narrative speak during the Maundy Thursday - Good Friday services. And I have come to a realization: not everyone sees what I see, or hears what I hear when I listen/read these narrative accounts. Oh the depths to be probed! But that entails taking the time to probe them ... Hmm ... that might give a reason to go with the Passion Narrative.

Well, as you can see, if it were up to me to pick the readings for this week - I'm not sure what I might do. We all might be in for a surprise. But isn't that the best way to enter worship - ready for the Divine to surprise us - indeed expecting it?

Blessed Be

Joel