[RCL] Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36 “When wilt thou save the people? O God of mercy, when? Not kings and lords, but nations, Not thrones and crowns, but men… God save the people.” Famous words, not from the Gospel of John, but from the Stephen Schwartz musical, Godspell. Palm Sunday. It…

RCL:  Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 14:1-15:47or Mark 15:1-39, [40-47] With so much going on in the world, it may seem almost silly to insist on giving so much time and energy to the religious observance of Holy Week. This is especially true when one considers that so many people around us may…

How did this happen? How did Jesus’ life of peace end in such a violent death? We stand at the edge of this moment, looking on in horror and confusion — just as Jesus’ followers did on the day he was crucified. The violence we have seen is numbing: it robs us of the ability…

The story just proclaimed presents Jesus as mocked three times, by three different groups: first, the religious authorities; then the secular authorities; and finally, the ordinary people, the crowd. These instances of mockery have unexpected results. The pretensions of each group are dismantled. The stage is cleared of rivals, and the true king is enthroned….

It is often questioned why Palm Sunday is also the Sunday of the Passion. What starts off as what is sometimes called the “Triumphal Entry” to Jerusalem at the beginning of the Liturgy seems to race all the way forward to Good Friday by the end of the liturgy of the Word. The stock answer,…

What words can one utter after the reading of this gospel? The most dramatic events in all creation are recounted by Mark in his customary simplicity and minimal use of words, but both the telling and the hearing break the heart. We ask: How can people be so cruel? How could the disciples have been…

“At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Some day St. Paul’s beautiful, prophetic words to the Christian community in Philippi will be fulfilled. Some day—but not yet. Imagine what it must have been like in Jerusalem in the days surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion. Barely a…

Isn’t it odd how shy we all are about processions? We don’t mind the choir and clergy dressing up and marching about the place. If we are asked to join in, that’s quite another matter. Processions are mini-journeys. Journeys can be nerve-wracking. There’s all the packing to do. If we have children, they must be…

Today we begin the observances of Holy Week: to follow the ancient narratives of Christ’s passion and death. If we study them closely we have the chance to identify our world and ourselves in this sacred story. We know how it ends, but the power of the story lies in our conscious or unconscious identification…