______________________________________________________

PALM SUNDAY

The passion of Jesus Christ with all of its surprises, rendezvous’, and suffering are gathered up in the lessons for this Sunday. The Palm/Passion combination can begin with the usual triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem before shifting to the somber death-knell of Psalm 31 and suffering passages of Isaiah 50 and Luke 22 and 23.

 LESSONS OF THE PALMS:

PSALM 118:1-2, 19-29-OPEN THE GATES OF TEMPLE . . . I WILL GO IN

What a powerful entrance liturgy! Parts of this poem speak to both Jewish and Christian worship. The theme, God’s love endures forever, resounds around a God who has and thus can in the present, deliver from danger and trials. In ordinary time, Christians have joined the voice of this psalm to open their respective worship centers; we’ve set it to a jazzy tune-this is the day . . . that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made . . . that invites our children and even entire congregations to join in. But on Palm Sunday, this psalm shifts from ordinary to extraordinary and becomes a poetic lesson that connects us to the final entrance of Jesus as he enters through the gates into Jerusalem.

LUKE 19:28-40-THE GRAND ENTRANCE

Notice how Luke sandwiches the Grand Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem: Jesus enters amid the back drop of a parable just uttered that foreshadows rejection, judgment, and destruction; and the entrance story is immediately followed by Jesus weeping over the city. The entrance itself is marked by familiar Lukan vocabulary-peace, glory, heaven, blessed. This passage clearly reflects and refracts the light of earlier Hebrew narrative especially that of the Psalm 118 lesson. You’ll want to make excursions between the two lessons as you think about Palm/Passion worship.

LESSONS OF THE PASSION:

PSALM 31:9-16-I AM IN DISTRESS

This psalm captures the pathos and internal struggle of the Christ that we recently saw portrayed in Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of the Christ." The text could easily have formed Jesus’ prayer in the garden-I am in distress . . . my strength fails . . . terror all around . . . my times are in your hand . . . deliver me . . . save me. This psalm finds camaraderie with the laments of Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Jonah’s prayer in the fish’s stomach. In the Hebrew language the particle, ki ("for"/"indeed") introduces seven statements that form the psalm’s structure: vv. 3, 4, 9, 10, 13, 17, 21.

 

ISAIAH 50:4-9a-TESTIMONY OF THE SERVANT

It is nigh impossible for Christians to read through this passage without overhearing critical segments from the life of Jesus. In this passage the "Servant" (Israel? An unidentified prophet? An ideal Israel?) testifies to God’s wisdom, gifting and an ongoing vital relationship. Next (vv. 5-7) the Servant testifies to suffering-"I gave my back . . . and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard." Yet this ends with an assurance of trust in God-"God helps me" (v. 7). The final section raises rhetorical questions of which the resounding answer is "No!" and "None!"

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11-HUMILITY

Again, this passage could be heard in relation to all the lessons above. Here, Paul draws upon a characteristic of Jesus-humility-that moves us theologically from pre-existent eternity in the cosmos to the historical Christ and on into the experience of the Christian community. At each of the three points, the humility of the Son is delineated: as pre-existent Son, he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, as earthling-taking the form of a servant . . . he humbled himself. The result of this self-imposed abasement is high honor and glory such as Paul describes in doxological language to end the lesson.

 

LUKE 22:14-23:56-THE PASSION OF JESUS

Should you and your worship team decide to use the normal homily time to read the passion of Christ, this is your lesson. The lesson begins with the "Last Supper," and includes . . .

the argument among the disciples of "who’s the greatest"

Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denials

the movement from upper room to Mount of Olives

the betrayal and arrest of Jesus

the denial by Peter

the mocking and beating of Jesus

Jesus before the Sanhedrin Council

Jesus before Pilate

Jesus before Herod

the death sentence

the crucifixion

the death

the burial