By Deacon Timothy Siburg
Revised Common Lectionary reflection, Passion and Palm Sunday, Year B
March 24, 2024
Key Verse: Those who went ahead of Jesus and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” -Mark 11:9-10
There I was. On sunny Main Street on a Southern California Monday afternoon. I had been attending the Youth Ministry Extravaganza and was taking a little time to enjoy Disneyland with my wife, sister, and mother who also attended the conference. All of a sudden, it became clear a parade was about to happen. Now Disneyland has parades all the time, but this one felt just a little different. It immediately became clear why.
First, coming down the street were Disney characters in football and sports outfits. And then we saw him. On top of an elaborate float was the Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning, the winning quarterback from the Super Bowl that had taken place no more than 24 hours earlier.
You know the question athletes are asked, “You just won. What will you do next?” And the answer, “I’m going to Disneyland.” Well, at least this time it was true.
I share that, not because I am a Broncos fan. Rather, I share this because that afternoon I felt an energy that is hard to describe. Perhaps an energy drawn from people drawn to witness and see something big and new, and be part of something bigger than oneself. Have you ever come close and seen history before your eyes? What did you see?
Not to compare a football player to Jesus, but the illustration starts to unpack what it might have felt like to witness Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday so long ago. To help to imagine the energy, excitement, anticipation and wonder that might have been palpable. Wondering, what does this all mean? Could it be true? What might God be up to here?
We know the Palm Sunday story. We live it out every year at the start of Holy Week. And we know too that that the moment doesn’t last very long. Within hours, the story moves ahead. I a few days, at Passover, Jesus will enjoy a meal with his friends, wash their and issue a new commandment. They will go to the garden to pray, and Jesus will be betrayed. There will be a sham trial, an unjust conviction, a death sentence, an execution on a cross and a burial in a tomb. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. That’s for the rest of the week ahead.
There’s tension in celebrating and observing Palm Sunday and the Sunday of the Passion on the same day. Whether your congregation sits in worship with just the Palm Sunday Liturgy, or starts with Palm Sunday and moves to the longer Passion reading, tension arises because we know the rest of the story. And it’s complicated. It’s a story of love and beauty. It’s a story of betrayal and brokenness. It’s a story that brings us to tears, but also brings hope and life.
What’s a preacher to do? You can invite congregants to imagine themselves in the story, witnessing your Savior riding into town on a colt. Ask them: What might you say? What might you do? Would you join with the crowd shouting and singing, “Hosanna”? If so, what would be behind your Hosanna? What would be the deep hopes, yearnings, gratitude, and prayers you might bring? The answer to that question is a stewardship answer. It’s an answer about how we might might be changed by God coming near. It’s an answer to how we might respond to God in Christ for all that God has done for us and promises to do for us.
Ask congregants if they would share their colt with perfect strangers when disciples come and say, “The Lord needs it” (Mark 11:3? Would they come and see the parade for themselves? Would they be with the crowd later shouting, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:13).
If we’re being honest, we might say “yes” to both. And that’s part of the truth of the story too. Each of us is a saint and sinner at the same time. We’re beloved and broken. And we need a Savior who can do only what God can do. This is God’s work. Ours is to witness and respond. To acknowledge our sin and ask for forgiveness in the promise of God’s grace. To step up as Jesus invites and to change as God’s love moves and changes us through the Spirit’s work. To witness when God shows up, even if it’s in the darkest moments, as when Centurion proclaims after Jesus’ final breath, “Truly this man was God’s son!” (Mark 15:39). To follow where God invites. And to embody the love that God has first shown us to our neighbors near and far.
This week we move through all of the emotions of life and faith. We begin though with the shouts and songs of joy and hope with our deep “Hosannas!” I wonder, how shall we proclaim “Hosanna” today?
In Worship and Congregational Life
Central to stewardship is remembering that it is all about story. There is no greater story of faith than that of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. This week affords the opportunity not just to hear again the familiar story that begins with joy and hope with the Palm Procession, but to also hear and experience the ups and downs of emotions that the disciples might have felt as witnesses to the days of the week to come. Lean into the story. Let it be central in worship this day, and this week. Begin the service with a meaningful parade or palm procession. So that all who gather might begin to feel that they, too, are among God’s people and to experience the opportunity to respond and witness to Jesus coming near again today. Provide palms or branches or invite people to lay down their coats and let them walk, sing, or shout. Perhaps let the children or younger saints lead the congregation.
Then as worship moves along, if observing both Palm and Passion Sunday, turn the familiar passion story into an interactive reading of sorts. Invite others to help share the story and let it come alive. These aren’t new ideas, but they are ways that the whole congregation might again dwell in the story, as familiar as it is, and be invited and included to experience it anew. Perhaps offer an opportunity through the sermon time or offering time, to allow a few people to share what they are seeing, wondering, and experiencing this year as Holy Week begins. Let the emotions be real. That way, together as God’s people you might witness to God’s activity and presence among us even now.
With youth and children
Two ideas: First, if observing a Palm Sunday procession, invite the younger saints and children of the congregation to lead it. Invite them to show with their hearts and energy what joy and excitement might look like, especially in being part of a parade. If enjoying music or singing together during this experience, share some noisy instruments that kids can play with as they walk and lead the congregation. Because that kind of energy and spontaneity was likely on full display when Jesus came to town that first Palm Sunday many years ago.
Second, if your congregation will be gathering throughout the many different days of Holy Week, consider encouraging families and younger saints of the congregation to prioritize coming to all the services. Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion; Maundy Thursday; Good Friday; Easter Vigil; Easter Sunday, etc. Some congregations have done this by preparing what they call a Holy Week Passport. It’s basically a little booklet with pages for each of the Holy Days on which the ushers might stamp or draw something to show that the younger saint or their family has come to worship that day. There might be an incentive to provide a special treat or something if upon the close of Holy Week and Easter there is a stamp on every page. If nothing else, this might help the many households of the congregation to experience the many different emotions and moments of Holy Week in a new and different way, and hopefully a bit more intentional way too.
Previous reflections for Palm/Passion Sunday, Year B:
2021 – Deserters?
2018 – Lavish and costly stewardship
2015 – Stewardship Lessons from the Passion story
2012 – Of one mind
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