Liturgy of the Palms
Mark: 1-11
Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29
Liturgy of the Word
Isaiah 50: 4-9a
Psalm 31: 9-16
Philippians 2: 5-11
Mark 14:1-15:47
Palm Sunday is such a paradoxical time, an emotional roller coaster. First, we welcome our king, throwing palms in his path and shouting “Hosanna!” and then we shout, “Crucify him!”
There are two ways of thinking about the messiah which we can find in the Hebrew scriptures. One is the conquering military hero and the other is the suffering servant. Our reading from Isaiah describes the suffering servant. The great hymn from Philippians tells us how Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.
It is so much easier to follow a conquering hero. Years and years of foreign occupation made us want someone who would just throw those scoundrels (in this case, the Romans) out. Dr. Solomon Asch did years of research in order to explain how social pressure can make us do things we would not ordinarily do.
And so we turn against our King. We ridicule him, we beat him, we shout for him to be killed, we jeer at him when he struggles under the weight of the cross. A fellow Christian whom I respect deeply once told me that he can’t yell “Crucify him!” when we read the Palm Sunday Gospel. Can we be sure that we would not have followed that crowd? Can we be sure that we would have defended Jesus at the risk of our own lives? How can religious and secular authorities become so attached to their absolute power that they would kill the Son of God? What can we learn from this horrible story?
Jesus remained true to his call to be the servant of all. This week we will follow him. With our Lord and our King, we will walk the Way of the Cross.
Amen.
Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons |
Grace Episcopal Church (Sheldon, VT) 