Palm Sunday
4/9When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying,
‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’
- Matthew 21:1-11
I love Palm Sunday processions that follow this reading. They are always awkward, which seems appropriate, because it sounds from the gospel accounts of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that it was awkward then too! Our Palm Sunday services give us the heads up that the week to come will be different than our usual worship. At Christ Church Greenwich at our 9:00 am service the procession is dramatic. We begin outside with banners, a pony, palms and music. People (regardless of how many times they have attended this service) mill about uncertainly. Then the bagpipes fire up and we gradually fall in line and work our way in. I’ve witnessed and participated in a number of different processions that are always defined by church architecture and
location. Yet the most awkward and moving procession I have heard of happened a few years ago. The church building that my husband’s Haitian congregation was using in the Bronx needed to close. They actually needed to relocate right around Palm Sunday to another church a few blocks away. So for their Palm Sunday procession, they removed their sacred vessels, crosses and linens – everything needed for worship – from one church to another in a Palm Sunday procession. These processions give us one of the few opportunities to put our faith literally on parade in the streets where we live. It is awkward. And I think that is part of what we discover this day. Sometimes our faith pushes us outside our comfort zone into unfamiliar and awkward places. Sometimes we do things that people are going to ask us about. It might be the
time we volunteer at church or at a community organization. It may be saying grace at the table in front of guests or in a restaurant. It may be participating in a public act of resistance or protest. When people ask what it is for, today we learn a faithful response – because the Lord needs it. Because it is part of what we are called to do in our response to the God who loves us and invites us to follow Jesus in all parts of our lives – and not just in church processions. But church is not a bad place to start. Let us go forth, however we can, even if it’s awkward and uncertain, in the name of Christ. - The Rev’d Jenny Owen
Assistant to the Rector
Today's
Offering8:00 am Chapel
Holy Eucharist, Rite II 9:00 am Circular Drive
Procession of the Palms
9:15 am Church
Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Pre-K/K Worship Family Room Children’s Worship Chapel
(grades 1 - 5) 10:10 am Chapel Foyer
Palm Sunday Fellowship
Church School Education Building 11:00 am Church
Holy Eucharist, Rite I 5:00 pm Church
Choral Tenebrae
Join us for a moving liturgy sung by the Christ Church Singers, featuring chant and unaccompanied choral music from the Renaissance and 21st century, centering around the darkness of the crucifixion. 6:30 pm Tomes-Higgins House
Sunday Bible Study
Led by seminarian Andrew Kryzak, this semester the Sunday Evening Bible Study group will be exploring the book of Exodus. At this study, members of the group are invited to offer differing and intriguing views of Scripture. Some participants are knowledgeable on the readings and others have never read the Bible before. Readings are short, and the meetings don’t require significant preparation. We welcome all to join interactive discussions that are guaranteed to open your eyes to new perspectives. For more information, contact Dick Hollister.
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