Dear Children of God,Holy Week begins tomorrow. It will be like no Holy Week we have experienced before. For the church around the world it will be a week in which it will be a challenge to “be together by being apart.” Though we are separated physically we will always remain united spiritually.
I reflect often on a conversation Jesus had with a Samaritan woman and which is recorded in John ch. 4. One issue raised in their conversation is whether true worship can take place outside of Jerusalem, home of God’s temple. Jesus said “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 God can be worshiped in any place and at any time.
True worship takes place when you: pray, read the Bible, spend time with devotions, listen to and/or sing sacred music, and love others in the name of Jesus. This is not an exclusive list, but it serves as a reminder that we still worship our God even when we are apart. We worship God in spirit and truth. The truth is Jesus. When we reflect on the last week of his life we worship our God who has revealed in Jesus that the truth is that God loves us more than we know.
That being said, if you would like to relive last year’s Sunday of the Passion / Palm Sunday worship service at St Paul as part of your devotions that is now possible. Thanks to Vickie Schlosser and Anne Butcher for the idea. Thanks also to Ryan Kennedy and Tim Eiterman for making the recording available. You can watch it by clicking on this link:
Here is your Sunday’s Message for this year:
Sunday’s Message for Sunday of the Passion / Palm Sunday
April 5, 2020
Processional Gospel Matthew 21:1-11
Prayer of the Day
Everlasting God, in your endless love for the human race you sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take on our nature and to suffer death on the cross. In your mercy enable us to share in his obedience to your will and in the glorious victory of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Second Reading Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel Matthew 26:14-27:66
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
The title of this Holy Day says it all: Sunday of the Passion / Palm Sunday. It captures the mystery of the Christian faith and the reason for our hope in heart-breaking times.
The word “passion” comes from the Latin root word, patior, which means to suffer. So, this day could correctly be called Sunday of the Suffering. Today is also called Palm Sunday. In ancient times the palm branch was a sign of victory.
Victory through suffering is the theme of the day. The readings assigned for this day and referenced above speak to this theme and the last week of the earthly life of Jesus. Victory through suffering should also be our theme for the month of April, 2020.
The book of Isaiah contains amazing passages about God’s “suffering servant” who becomes a savior of all people. Christians believe that the suffering servant is God’s Son, Jesus. Isaiah 50:4 reveals that the suffering servant will “sustain the weary with a word.” We are living in a time when many are weary and in need of being sustained with some good news. We need a savior. We need Jesus. We need one who has suffered to comfort those who are now suffering.
Psalm 31 captures the plight of the weary. “Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; my eye is consumed with sorrow.” (v.9) Yet in the midst of weariness, by God’s grace, a statement of faith is made, “But as for me, I have trusted in you, O LORD, I have said, ‘You are my God. My times are in your hand … Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.” (vss. 14-16) This is a prayer asking God to bring forth victory to those who are suffering.
The crowd that welcomed Jesus as he triumphantly entered Jerusalem on the first “Palm Sunday” included many people who were downtrodden, marginalized and oppressed by forces beyond their control. They were “the weary.” They cried out to Jesus saying, “Hosanna!” which means “Come and save us!” They were praying for victory over the causes of hardship and sorrow. Their prayers were expressed by the palm leaves which they placed in the Lord’s path. In the midst of their suffering they were looking to Jesus to be a savior.
Today, we are looking for relief from hardship and sorrow. Our hearts are saddened by the events unfolding before our very eyes. We pray for all of those who are in harm’s way due to the insidious coronavirus that is lurking and seemingly stalking everyone. We desperately want a victory over this oppressor. “Hosanna!” we shout to God. “Come and save us.” “Our times are in your hand.”
Jesus came to save. His name means “the LORD saves.” In order to save, he suffered. He suffered death on a cross. His suffering and dying was consistent with his Father’s will. He struggled with that reality in the Garden of Gethsemane. But in obedience to the Father Jesus said, “Not my will but your will be done.”
Jesus came to die. Repeatedly he told his disciples that in Jerusalem he would be rejected, suffer, and die, and then on the third day rise again. He was telling them that he is Isaiah’s “suffering servant.” He was teaching them the concept of victory through suffering.
What the prophet said about Jesus is true: “by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 His suffering is the cause of our salvation. It is the reason we can claim victory even in a time of suffering. The one who suffered for us and overcame even death, is the one who suffers with us. Jesus will not permit any oppressive force (sin, death, evil, a virus) to keep us from the steadfast love of God. And God’s love conquers all!
On the cross, Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” The suffering Son of God entrusted his times, his life, and his suffering into the hands of his Father. He was not spared death but death could not hold him. Our Easter proclamation is just around the corner. Victory through suffering.
The suffering of Jesus was and remains redemptive. His suffering is the price of ultimate victory for the human race. Victory is coming! By God’s grace, we will overcome our present challenges. By God’s grace in Christ Jesus, we will overcome even death. Victory is coming! The human race will outlive the virus that taunts us. Because we are assured of a future victory we can wave palm branches in the midst of a troubled present. Give thanks that our times are in God’s loving and powerful hands!
Victory is coming! Come Lord Jesus and save us! Hosanna! Sustain the weary with your word. Your will and not ours be done. Bring victory to your world by way of your suffering on the cross! Amen.
RIDE ON, RIDE ON IN MAJESTY! (Henry H. Milman)
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Hear all the tribes hosanna cry;
O Savior meek, your road pursue,
with palms and scattered garments strewed.
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
O Christ, your triumphs now begin
o’er captive death and conquered sin.
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
The hosts of angels in the sky
look down with sad and wondering eyes
to see the approaching sacrifice.
Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die,
bow your meek head to mortal pain,
then take, O Christ, your power, and reign!
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace. AmenPastor Bill
Thank you Pastor Bill, Vicki, Anne, Ryan and Tim! It was wonderful to see so many beautiful faces. We miss you all! Stay safe!
Phil & Pam Weber