Well.
What a quick change we have in the scriptures today; as we move with haste from the celebration of the palms to the challenging reality of the crucifixion.
The mood changes from a celebration, a festival atmosphere, very quickly to the utmost in devastation and depravity.
What a journey.
And what a symbol we have for this rapid transition: palms.
Palm leaves: An interesting choice.
Because palm leaves – well, for the folks near Jerusalem, they were easily accessible. They were locally grown. They were handy.
And… they’re not really useful for anything else. They’re not a food source, they’re too floppy to be effective in a broom. They are too rough and pointy to be used as a mattress for sleeping. They don’t even burn well – so they can’t be used as fuel for cooking or heating the house.
Palms. They’re: well, basically, they’re weeds.
Disposable. Unimportant. After the triumphal entry into the city, they were just cast down to the earth again – not even worth taking home as a memento of the occasion.
Not unlike the detritus we see after a parade or street party – the stuff that we use for a minute or two then can’t even be bothered taking home. Because the party hasn’t changed us in any way, it was just a party.
What an image then for this journey into Jerusalem.
Because the crowds – well the crowds are gathered for a number of reasons. Some of them are following Jesus, waiting for him to start a revolution. Some of them are with him protesting the current political system; and some are advocating for a new one.
Some are there because it’s a party, and who doesn’t like to party?
Some are there with high expectations on Jesus; some with low; some I’ll bet don’t really even know who Jesus is or why he’s there.
The palms carry similar connection for us today.
Some folks will enjoy the shared celebration, and we miss the times when we could do processions and parades and feel safe amidst a crowd of people. Palms and pom-poms. Happy days.
Some folks will appreciate that the symbol in their hands has a meaning, though they may not be entirely sure what it stands for.
There are some who will re-purpose the palm into a cross – I’ve never mastered this skill – and thus increase its symbolism for their devotions throughout this week as we enter the home stretch before Easter.
Some folks will cling to the palm; keep it for the year, and likely still have it next spring when we will burn the palms to be used in our Ash Wednesday liturgy. (Remember my comment that palms don’t burn easily or well? Personal experience.)
So: the palms: a powerful symbol of this journey.
So here’s a challenge for you this morning: what if there were no palms?
What effect would that have on your understanding of this Holy Week journey?
What if the entry into Jerusalem, some 2000 years ago, and our entry in Holy Week – every year of our lives, was marked not casually with something disposable, but with a high level of intentionality and something of personal meaning and value?
Because the journey with Jesus starts with a celebration and an entourage who are giving a LOT to follow him.
They are giving of themselves, in terms of time and skills and availability.
They are giving of what they themselves needed – but knew that giving to God meant more.
They are giving because they knew it was more important to honour God than to worry about their own personal goods.
They were giving – possibly without having taken any time to think about it – they were giving what mattered to them, to mark the significance of following Jesus, and their undeniable commitment to this journey.
And this level of giving, of commitment, of public declaration of support – well it takes a lot more than some festive foliage.
And indeed, that’s actually what Luke tells us today.
There weren’t palms.
Now, I expect some of you are thinking: it’s PALM Sunday. Of course there were palms.
But read it again: the people used cloaks to honour Jesus’ journey on the donkey. The word “palms” doesn’t appear at all in today’s gospel passage.
Instead, we see people so changed by their participation in this pilgrimage that they were
literally stripping themselves to honour God.
Stripping their clothing; yes; and also everything that goes with it: social status, egos, positions and titles, all of it. They were all coming as equals before Jesus, giving of what they had.
That’s a powerful witness.
And it’s one that would have stayed with them throughout the week: as a now donkey-trampled cloak would remind them of the thrill of the party; and the accountability of the aftermath.
Or the stains or smells that just cannot be removed, reminding folks of their complicit behaviour before Pilate.
Or a cloak that never returned from the back of the donkey, becoming an absence that speaks of a lack of clothing, yes, but also of protection and covering – as the daughters of Jerusalem weep for themselves.
Cloaks. A more powerful symbol, even than palms.
So today; as we mark this journey from the gates of Jerusalem to the foot of the cross; as we take our first step in the path of a week of prayer and reflection and intentional spiritual contemplation; I invite us to ponder a few things.
What will WE do to welcome Jesus, when we find the divine in our midst.
How will WE give of ourselves, to contribute to the ministry that Jesus is leading, and top participate in God’s mission for the world.
How will we remain faithful when the crowds fluctuate and turn against one another and spin in inconceivable ways?
How will we reflect the light and love of God to our families and friends, our community, and the world?
Much to ponder: and I hope you will be intentional in your prayers this week.
For we come with palms; it IS palm Sunday.
And we come with our cloaks: laying them down for Jesus – and the people Jesus loves.
And we come with our hope: not as a feeling that we just receive, but as a response to the complexities of the world: acting with confidence out of the grace that we have already received.
So let us walk our own journey: with faith, with hope, with love: and with God.
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