By Sister Doreen, SSJD
“Dear friends in Christ, during Lent we have been preparing for the celebration of our Lord’s paschal mystery. On this day our Lord Jesus Christ entered the holy city of Jerusalem in triumph. The people welcomed him with palms and shouts of praise, but the path before him led to self-giving, suffering, and death. Today we greet him as our King, although we know his crown is thorns and his throne a cross. We follow him this week from the glory of the palms to the glory of the resurrection by way of the dark road of suffering and death. United with him in his suffering on the cross, may we share his resurrection and new life.” (Book of Alternative Services, Anglican Church of Canada, page 297)
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!’” Matthew 21:8-9.
Rebecca Barlow Jordan, inspirational writer and greeting card writer wrote the following: “Palm Sunday and the Easter story, Jesus’ story, never grow old. Jesus is still what Easter is all about. I’ve begun a tradition each year of posting this short Easter meditation about Palm Sunday that I wrote several years ago and wanted to share it with you again. I pray it blesses and encourages you as you begin this Easter season of celebration.”
Palm Sunday
“On Palm Sunday…
They did not see Him coming. Not Him. They saw hope re-kindled, an end to their injustice, and an easier path to follow.
They waved their palm offerings and laid down their finest clothes, but they saw only a temporary king, not a Suffering Servant.
On Palm Sunday…
They sang alleluia from the depths of their hearts and would have crowned Him there if they could. But they didn’t understand.
They didn’t see Jesus. Son of God. Messiah. Soon and Coming King. They misunderstood: His kingdom was not of this world.
On Palm Sunday…
Jesus knew. Astride on the back of a donkey, He knew why He had come.
The Son of God humbled Himself, set aside royalty, and exchanged Heaven’s robes for a towel and a basin of water.
He received their praise that day, but He saw their hearts, young and old alike.
And He wept for them.
And then He died for them.”
And later, “At daybreak, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took formal action against Jesus to put him to death. They bound him and led him away to be handed over to Pilate, the governor. … Pilate said to them, “then what am I to do with Jesus, the so-called Messiah?” “Crucify him!” they all said. “Why what crime has he committed?” Pilate asked. But they only shouted louder, “Crucify him!” Matthew 27: 1-2, 22-23.
Quotation from “Seeing God in Art”: “In the centre of this painting by Norman Adams [1993, see image above], The Golden Crucifixion, Christ is on the cross, arms outstretched. As we look, however, we can begin to make out other figures. Some are clearly grieving: two figures stand, one in blue reaching out, one in red on the other side looking away; one in green is kneeling. To the right of these figures are two soldiers in green, who, together with the patches of black in the picture, exude a sense of menace. But the painting is dominated not by the cross but by a pair of fabulous butterfly wings.”
We see the cross in the light of the resurrection, which reveals its true meaning, a relationship with God, perfectly at one with God. In Jesus we, all humanity, all the earth – the cosmos, are joined to God, united and taken into relationship with God.
For you and for me it contains the central message of salvation, a simple message of living with trust and love towards our God, whose unconditional, tenacious love will not ever let us go. We are made one with God.
Palm Sunday is an action time that reveals that this unity is lacking. It is a day of stark contradiction. We read or watch the news and know without a doubt this same contradiction, that collectively humanity and the earth are estranged or alienated from the good purposes and plans of God. That we should love God and love one another – we fail to do this – but, still, always God continues to reach out in mercy and forgiveness and invites us with open arms, into that new resurrected life.
I can only respond with this hymn: My Song is Love Unknown
(#184 Common Praise, Anglican Church of Canada):
My song is love unknown, my Saviour’s love to me; love to the loveless shown,
that they might lovely be. O who am I, that for my sake my Lord should take frail flesh and die?He came from his blest throne, salvation to bestow; but all made strange, and none the longed for Christ should know: but O my friend, my friend indeed, who at my need his life did spend!
Some-times they strew his way, and his sweet praises sing, resounding all the day hosannas to their King then “Crucify!” is all their breath, and for his death they thirst and cry.
Why, what has my Lord done? What makes this rage and spite? He made the lame to run, he gave the blind their sight. Sweet injuries! Yet they at these themselves displease, and against him rise.
They rise and needs will have my dear Lord made away; a murderer they save, the Prince of life they slay. Yet cheerful he to suffering goes, that he his foes from thence might free.
Here might I stay and sing, no story so divine; never was love, dear King, never was grief like thine!
This is my friend, in whose sweet praise I all my days could gladly spend.
Yes! Yes! “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you” Isaiah 60:1.