For March 29, 2015, The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, Sixth Sunday in Lent, Year
B, Readings: Mark 11:1-11, Is 50: 4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Phil
2:5-11,
Mark 14:1-15, 47
Mark 14:1-15, 47
The Sunday of the Passion:
Palm Sunday
It's that time again. We read about Jesus riding triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey, the crowds wave palm branches, throw their cloaks on the ground in front of him and cheer him on with loud "Hosannas". Then suddenly it all goes wrong, things go beyond ugly and by the end of the week his friends have betrayed and deserted him and Jesus suffers a terrible death by crucifixion. But we all know the story and also that was then and this is now. So how much of it do we really hear, feel, think about? Is it just another way to mark the time and season of the year? Oh, Palm Sunday, that means it's time to buy the peeps, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans...
My 4 year old granddaughter was singing I am following Jesus with great gusto this morning, a song she learned last summer in Vacation Bible School. A happy-clappy little ditty that she loves and her volume measurably increases - as she learned also at age 3 - on the line that he changed my life forever. A question suddenly struck me this morning, after having heard this piece by her a few dozen times, am I following Jesus? Has he changed my life forever - or, more to the point, have I let him? When have I deserted him - or if that's too hard for me to acknowledge - when have I ignored him?
It isn't just Palm Sunday, it's also the Sunday of the Passion. Have I just suffered through long readings about then or am I willing to look at the world as it is now, how many times such political murders take place each day, and wonder what it is that I could possibly do about it? Anticipating the Gospel events as they arise this week, I'll start over, re-read the lessons, ask God for mercy, trust that God will help me find my way, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God [Phillipians 2:11]... It is the season for me to look at each day in this Holy Week as a time of reflection, penance, and re-commitment.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE,
PRAY
Leader: ~ Jesus, Light of the World, how quickly
the joy and exuberance of the people on this day was turned hostile and angry
by political manipulation, and even Your friends betrayed You. Let us walk with
You through this coming Holy Week, remain in Your presence, and never deny that
You are our Savior.
Hosanna
to our Messiah!
RESPONSE: Blessed is the one who comes in the
name of the Lord!
~ Jesus, Light of the World, help us to engage the hearts and minds
of the leaders of this world, our country, and our community, that we may
eliminate the fear-mongering, posturing, and oppression that leads to a death
like Yours. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Hosanna to our Messiah!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
~ Jesus, Light of the World, enfold with Your loving arms, those who are
ill, desperate, or hopeless, and those who worry and care for them. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
Hosanna to our Messiah!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
~ Jesus, Light of the World, as You came to lead us all into the glory of
eternal life, turn our grief into joy and comfort knowing those we mourn are
with You now in everlasting peace. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
Hosanna to our Messiah!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
~ Jesus, Light of the World, we pause
in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud
or silently…
Hosanna to our Messiah!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
~ Jesus, Light of the World, as we begin this sacred week, endow
our spiritual leaders with extraordinary grace, that through You and them, we may all
be drawn together in Your saving embrace. We pray especially for:
add your own petitions
Hosanna to our Messiah!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
The Celebrant adds:
God of Mercy, as we re-experience the events
of this day and of the week to come, help us to see the times in our lives when
we, too, have deserted Jesus and given in to the ways of the world instead. Grant
us the willingness to confess through our words and actions that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the Glory of You, our God. We ask this through Christ, Your
Sacrificial Son, and Your Most Holy Spirit, who live and reign with You, One
God, now and forever. Amen.
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