This week is Palm Sunday. In contemporary Christian worship, this day is often treated as a joyous and victorious day of celebration, where we wave palm branches and sing Hosanna songs. It is also the day for the annual peace march, or in more recent years the march for justice for refugees.
Yet in the Gospel records, Palm Sunday is a more ambiguous day. In these accounts we are told how Jesus stage managed his entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and how a large crowd gathered to cheer him on with shouts of Hosanna. Many onlookers, however, were critical, felt threatened or were unmoved.
According to John’s account, the disciples don’t yet understand the significance of what is happening. While in Matthew’s account the whole city is shaken (Greek seio from which we get English words like seismic). But what is really going on and what message are Jesus (and the Gospel writers) trying to convey?
We need to remember of course that this is the entry point to Holy Week, the first act in a rapidly moving drama that swirled around Jesus. So when we start to get overwhelmed by what is happening in the world around us, let’s remember that we are part of a much bigger story, God’s story, and let’s ponder our place in that bigger story.
Click here for worship@home resource 05 April 2020