Double Sunday
This Sunday, we have two Gospel readings. One is joyful and the other is totally deflating.
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. - John 12:12-16
Known as both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday, today we are taken on a journey of the last week of Jesus' life here on earth.
We begin with a triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem. He is treated like a king by the people who are elated to see him. They lay down palm branches to cover the stones and make his entry a royal one.
But in less than a week, the crowd will be turned against him, or pushed aside, and a louder, angrier mob will take center stage, calling for his execution.
The crowd Pilate will see is the one that wants Jesus dead. But if he saw the other crowd, the one that holds him up as a king, would he have been eager to keep him alive, or would he have been so terrified of the crowd that he wouldn't have hesitated to condemn him?
As we leave church today, we will be holding our palms. How sad.
We will have in our hands a symbol of Christ's glory while weighing heavy on our hearts is the sadness of his torture and crucifixion.
Perhaps today is intended as a reminder of what our lives are like. There are joyous moments and there are devastating disappointments where we feel closest to the abyss.
We will, though, remember the good times. We will have memories we will carry forever, like the palms we carry home today.
And that is what no one can take from us.
Throughout history people have overcome horrors by holding onto the memories of the good times and the good people they knew. This is how we enter Easter Week, holding tight the memories of all God has done for us, even though we know, in today's preview of what is to come, that darker days are coming.
More to come...