4th Passiontide
Palm Sunday
Matthew 21: 1-11
And they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage by the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus sent two disciples ahead and said to them, “Go to the village which you see before you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there and her foal with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will let you take them right away.”
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
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| Entry IntoThe City, John August Swanson |
‘Say to the daughter of Zion,
Behold, your king comes to you in majesty.
Gentle is He, and He rides on a donkey and on a foal of the beast of burden.’
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the foal, placed their garments on them, and Jesus sat on them.
Many out of the large crowd spread their clothes on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of them and followed Him shouted:
Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the Name and Power of the Lord!
Hosannah in the highest! [Sing to Him in the highest heights!]
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is he?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
4th Passiontide
Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017
Matthew 21: 1-11
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| Ninetta Sombart, Entry into Jerusalem |
The sun rises in the east, climbs to its noonday zenith, and descends to disappear in the west. In the morning it will rise again, once again shedding light and stimulating life.
Elements of our lives, too, follow the same pattern. Our work, our relationships, have their dawn, their zenith, and also their setting. We are delighted with beginnings, happy at their zenith. But we may grieve the decline, finding it hard to let go at the dusk.
Christ Jesus's life follows a similar pattern. Today, on Palm Sunday, his life is in decline. With praise, the crowds dimly perceive the glories of the setting of the Christ-Sun. Darkness will increase. In a few days, the same people will demand his death.
But that is not the end of the story. He will rise again as the dawn of a new era. Those who love Him will be comforted and strengthened. For the sun does not cease to exist upon setting; it continues to shine as the center of our universe. So, too, is Christ ever present to us now, on the earth, though our face may be turned away from Him and our awareness of Him clouded. He is the Day that no night darkens. He is deathless Life and the Light of our spirits, here and now. As the poet said:
Light leaps out of its star
everywhere in straight lines
bending only
out of its love
for matter.*
*Unknown. Attributed to Einstein.
