Today is the Sunday of the Passion - Palm Sunday. Today is the Sunday with two
faces, and today we visit both sides of the last days of Jesus’ life on
earth. We remember the celebration of his triumphal entry to Jerusalem. Then
with the reading of the collect for the day, our mood shifts, and we remember
the denial, the pain, and the death on the cross.
In the last few weeks, as has happened every year in my memory, several people have asked me why we do Palm Sunday the way we do. Why don’t we just celebrate the triumphal entry? Why do we jump ahead to the events of Good Friday?
I think there are probably at least two answers to that question. The easy answer is that this tradition began in centuries and we’ve kept it up since then.
That’s the easy answer. I think that the real answer—the reason why we’ve kept it up all this time—is that this two-sided day allows us to be all the people. Beginning with Tenebrae, the service of shadows, we enter Jesus’ experience of the passion. On Maundy Thursday, we sit in the places of the disciples, receiving the commandment to care for one another as Jesus has cared for us, receiving the body and blood as reminder that Jesus is always with us. On Good Friday, we stand at the foot of the cross. On Easter, we rejoice with the disciples in the mystery and the glory of the Resurrection.
But today—today we stand as all people—people who are subject to a wide range of emotions—people who can get caught up in the moment—people who don’t always act as we would like to act—people who don’t always act the way we expect to act—people who don’t always act the way we remember we acted—people whose feelings and actions aren’t always connected to what we know or believe or hope.
Today we chant the hosannas. Today we’re very conscious of ourselves as we say: Crucify him! And today, even as we chant and speak, we’re aware that we are not truly back in that moment in time.
But I have an invitation for you. In a few minutes, we will read the account of Jesus’ Passion according to Mark. As we read, I invite you to be mindful of the moments of high emotion in your own life. I invite you to remember the time you were carried away with excitement—perhaps at a game or at hearing wonderful good news. I invite you to remember the time you found yourself filled with unexpected anger—perhaps at something a loved one did—perhaps at the actions of someone you experience as an enemy—or perhaps an attack of road rage that came at you from nowhere. I invite you to remember the time you were suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow. I invite you to remember all those times—to touch the moments if you can—to remember how close to the surface those powerful feelings were. I invite you to remember those times and know how very close we are to those people who shouted the hosannas and screamed “crucify!”