Lent VI: Palm Sunday

The Sixth Sunday of Lent: Palm Sunday in the Lord’s Passion

Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14–27:66

To reflect upon before the proclamation of the Passion.

The Word of God is a living Word. Though written in the past, the sacred scriptures are about our present. These sacred and living words have sustained the Jewish and Christian people for millennia. If they had not, they would just be a dead letter and have no life in them and I expect long forgotten but they are the living Word of God.

The Passion accounts are the heart of our Christian faith. They are the lens through which the entire scriptures and our lives are to be examined, reflected upon and evaluated.  Through the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ our lives are interpreted by the Word shedding light, understanding, judgment and hope upon our pasts, our present life situations and our future.

I therefore invite you to intently listen to this story of betrayal and suffering. What does it speak to your heart? How does it afford insight into our lives? As you listen, ask yourselves,

Who has betrayed you? What person, institution of society, aspect of our culture is betraying you? Whom have you and I betrayed? And at what price?

Jesus says that “all who take the sword will perish by the sword”. How does this judge our society marred by another mass shooting? How does it judge our idolatry and worship of guns?

You will hear of earthquakes and rocks being split. How do these images speak to the shattered lives of people in Türkiye and Syria?

Jesus cries out, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” On whose lips are such words being uttered today? Why do they feel such abject abandonment?

Who today is being mocked and ridiculed in our church and society?

Like Judas, who is committing suicide in our society? Why are law enforcement who protect us and our societies’ future in LGBTQ youth taking their lives?

“they divided his garments…” Who is gaining from the spoils of the opioid crisis, gun violence, war, and the mining, drilling and harvesting of environmental sensitive parts of the planet?

How does the image of the veil of the sanctuary being torn in two speak to the sexual scandal and financial crisis in our Church?

Like Peter, who is crying bitterly; and why?

“I am innocent of this man’s blood”, Pilate declares. Despite all his power and authority Pilate then does nothing to save Jesus. Where do you see similar inaction in our culture? What is the ultimate result of such inaction?

“And they crucified Jesus…” Whose lives are unjustly being taken from them today…through poverty, street violence, addictions, our criminal justice system, or climate change?

These are just a few questions to consider.

Listen. Reflect. And let the Spirit through the living Word of God speak to your heart.

Finally, how will you respond to what you hear?