Holy Week, 2009

On Palm Sunday (also known as Sunday of the Passion), June and I visited St. John Lutheran Church in Griffin, GA, and we were welcomed by Pastor Katie Pasch and her parishioners. Joining some thirty or forty other worshippers, we began the service by walking slowly into the sanctuary, palm fronds in our hands, while singing a Palm Sunday hymn. During the service parishioners, previously assigned "voices" in the passion narrative of St. Mark, read most of chapter 14. Pastor Katie preached a fine homily on the second reading from Scripture, God's word in Chapter 2 of Phillipians. The Eucharist itself, simple and chaste (if that's the right word) was marked with clear articulations of "the Body of Christ for you" and "the Blood of Christ for you." After the final blessing, we shared breakfast with a number of parishioners, all of whom were welcomingly full of Christ's hospitality. It was a wonderful way to enter Holy Week. Now we look forward to the rest of Holy Week: Morning and Evening Prayer with special hymns, readings, and collects; the Paschal Triduum--Maundy Thursday and the Stripping of the Altar, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. And then we enter the Easter Vigil and arrive at the Feast of the Resurrection.

As together we pass through this week, each in her or his own way by parish and church tradition, June and I pray for deep repentance over our waywardness, a solid determination to amend our lives, and the overarching compassion and mercy of God so that his presence in both repentance and determination brings us to Easter with gladness.

As always, remember God's beloved poor and strive mightily to serve justice.