Palm Sunday is the longest service of the year. The procession is long, the readings are long, and the liturgy is long. Yet year in and year out you and I find ourselves right here, preparing for the marathon. We don’t take shortcuts. We don’t shorten it. We don’t condense it. We don’t edit it. We clear our minds, weed out the distractions, and open our hearts. We become truly present.

We take a deep breath and let this story – this living story - breathe new life into us - for we are about to enter into the most momentous events in human history.

In Word and Sacrament we will witness:

-The Institution of the Eucharist
-The Dispute over who’s the Greatest
-Jesus’ Prayer at Gethsemane
-Judas’ betrayal and infamous kiss
-The Trial Before the Jewish High Priests’
-St. Peter’s Denial
-The Sentencing by Pilate
-The Crowd demanding crucifixion
-Jesus’ excruciating Walk with the Cross
-The gruesome Crucifixion
-The Thief on the Cross
-The Centurion’s Admission
-The Burial by Joseph of Arimithea

This is a story that’s changed lives. This is a story that’s changed our lives. This is a story that wants to change us today. What are we bringing to the story this year? Which aspect of this tale will speak to us? How will we be shaped even more into the Cruciform image we so desire? We don’t know. But we do know that God is at work -and all we need to do is to be present.

Reading
The Heart of Christianity - Marcus Borg
A Story of Shalom - Philip Cunningham
Understanding Poverty - Ruby Payne