Dearest Family and Friends of St. Margaret’s,
Greetings to each of you as we continue our journey together through Lent. We have now come to the central week of our faith – Holy Week: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and ultimately, the Resurrection on Easter Day.
We approach this Passion/Palm Sunday 2021 with a long season of suffering behind us.*
Reflecting on Jesus’ passion at this point in our nation’s history might be the last thing that any of us want to do, especially in light of the many other “passion” narratives our collective ears and hearts have been forced to endure —George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, COVID-19 victims, and just last week the victims of shootings in Atlanta and yesterday’s mass shootings in Denver.
The words of this week’s Psalm are tragically pertinent:
“my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones waste away (Psalm 31:9-10)”
It is fitting and appropriate that we are grieving, angry, and hold deep sorrow for our nation – the racial violence – the inability to agree to commonsense gun control legislation – the impotence to outlaw civilians carrying weapons of war – carrying semi-automatic assault rifles – these are everyday narratives in our country.
Jesus brings a better way. Jesus turns over the tables of the sellers of semi-automatic weapons of destruction. Jesus came into the world to break the cycle of violence. We are called, as disciples of Jesus, to also be persons who break the cycle of violence.
Let us, with eye-wide-open to the evils of this world, turn to the Lord who knows suffering. Let us heed His command to love one another.
May this Holy Week be one where we suffer with Christ as we walk with him to Jerusalem.
God bless you. God keep you. Pray to the Lord that we may be instruments of God’s peace.
Jane+
*Michael J. Chan, Asst. Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
The Liturgy of the Palms:
Hymn 155 Episcopal Hymnal 1982
All glory, laud, and honor
To thee, Redeemer, King
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring
Thou art the King of Israel
Thou David’s royal Son
Who in the Lord’s name comest
The King and Blessed One
Refrain: All glory, laud, and honor
To thee, Redeemer, King
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring
The company of angels
Are praising Thee on high
And mortal men and all things
Created make reply
Refrain: All glory, laud, and honor
To thee, Redeemer, King
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring
The people of the Hebrews
With palms before Thee went
Our praise and love and anthems
Before Thee we present
Refrain: All glory, laud, and honor
To thee, Redeemer, King
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring
To Thee, before Thy passion
They sang their hymns of praise
To Thee, now high exalted
Our melody we raise
Refrain: All glory, laud, and honor
To thee, Redeemer, King
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring
Refrain: All glory, laud, and honor
To thee, Redeemer, King
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring
Thou didst accept their praises
Accept the love we bring
Who in all good delightest
Thou good and gracious King
Refrain: All glory, laud, and honor
To thee, Redeemer, King
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring
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