March 28, 2010

Palm Passion Sunday

Rev. Jeffrey M. Kemper

  Isaiah 50: 4-7   X   Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24  X    Philippians 2: 6-11  

                   Luke 19: 28-40      X  Luke 22: 14 – 23: 56



If you have ever been to a baby’s first birthday party,

you’ve probably seen the gift-wrap phenomenon:

the baby plays with the wrapping paper and not the toy.

I think that this Passion Sunday can be like that for us.

We are so intrigued with the palm we receive –

we weave it, fold it, hold it –

that we think that this is point of the day:

to get our palm for the year.

And yet, the palm is really only the wrapping,

so to speak, of this Sunday.

The real point of this day is that,

with palm in hand to honor the Lord

as did the children of Jerusalem so long ago,

we journey with the Lord through his Paschal Mystery –

his Passion, death, and resurrection.

Recall the words we heard just a few minutes ago

when we gathered for our procession:

            “Christ entered in triumph into his own city,

            to complete his work as our Messiah

            to suffer, to die, and to rise again. 

            Let us …follow him with lively faith.”

The point of this Sunday,

popularly called Palm Sunday but actually named Passion Sunday,

is precisely this: 

that we follow Christ with lively faith

into the mystery of his death and resurrection.

The enthusiasm of our procession with palms

has led us in a matter of minutes

to hear of the “Suffering Servant”

who humbled himself to death, death on a cross,

and the story of God giving Himself for our salvation.

And yet, what we celebrate on this day and in this week,

is not the entire story.

The story is complete for us

only when we truly listen to it,

and commit ourselves to living it daily:

            “United with Christ in his suffering on the cross,

            may we be united with him in his resurrection and new life.”

In a little while, we will go home

and (hopefully) reverently display our blessed palms;

may we also live the gift we have received:

the Paschal Mystery of dying and rising in the Lord. 

© 2010  Jeffrey M. Kemper   

6616 Beechmont Avenue  Cincinnati, OH 45230
513.231.2223   Fax 513.231.3254

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