Palm Sunday
Mark 11:1-10 | Philippians 2:6-11 | Mark 14:1—15:47

Almighty, everliving God, who is an example of humility to the human race to follow, caused our Savior to take flesh and submit to the cross, graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering and so merit a share in his resurrection who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Before I read the gospel, I would like to tell you that this is going to be a different kind of program.  I’m not going to be giving a homily, and I am using music, but the music is music taken from the actual liturgy of this most sacred time.  But instead, I’d like you to focus on the story, the story of Jesus’ Passion and death.  We all know how powerful stories are.  They can have an incredibly powerful impact on us, and one of the ways in which that influence happens is that we’re watching.  And in any good story, a pattern, maybe multiple patterns of how people live, how we react to things like evil, goodness, forgiveness, resentment.  So I’m expecting you, or I’m inviting you, rather — so I’m inviting you to a meditation on this classic story, the story on the death and resurrection of Jesus, but this is going to focus on his death, on his surrendering to what he had to surrender to in order to save us.  Watching for, listening for the pattern is what I’m inviting you to do.  So I’m suggesting a kind of meditative listening to this story when you’re alone, simply quiet, and let it speak to you, because stories have power to change us. 

So there are two readings before we get to the gospel.  So each one is there to enhance and to set the tone for how we should listen.  The first one is from Isaiah, 50th chapter, fourth through the seventh verse.  “Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue that I might know how to speak to the weary word that will rouse them.  Morning after morning he opens my ears that I may hear, and I have not rebelled, have not turned back.  I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard.  My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.  The Lord God is my help.  Therefore I am not disgraced.  I have set my face like flint, knowing I shall not be put to shame.”  The word of the Lord.  Responsorial Psalm, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 

A reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, second chapter, sixth through eleventh verse.  “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.  At the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”  The word of the Lord.   The verse before the gospel, “Christ became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross.  Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name which is above every name.”

Now we turn to the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ from St. Matthew [sic], 14th chapter, first verse to 15th chapter, 47th verse.  “The Passover and the feast of unleavened bread were to take place in two day’s time.  So the chief priest and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest him by treachery and put him to death.  They said, ‘Not during the festival,’ for fear there may be a riot among the people.  When he was in Bethany, reclining at table in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly, genuine spikenard.  She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head.  There were some who were indignant.  ‘Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil?  It could have been sold for more than 100 days wages and the money given to the poor.’  They were infuriated with her.  Jesus said, ‘Let her alone.  Why do you make trouble for her?  She’s done a good thing for me.  The poor you always have with you, and whenever you wish, you can do good to them, but you will not always have me.  She has done what she could.  She has anticipated anointing my body for burial.  Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.’ 

“Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went off to the chief priest to hand him over to them.  When they heard him, they were pleased and promised to pay him money.   And he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.  On the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?’  He sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man you will meet there carrying a jar of water, follow him.  Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, the teacher says where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples.  Then he will show you a large, upper room, furnished and ready.  Make the preparations for us there.’  The disciples then went off, entered the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

“When it was evening, he came with the twelve, and as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said, ‘Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.’  They began to be distressed and say to him one by one, ‘Surely it is not I.’   He said to them, ‘One of the twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish, for the Son of Man indeed goes as is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.  It would be better for that man if he had never been born.’  While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them and said, ‘Take it.  This is my body.’  Then he took a cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, and they drank from it.  And he said, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which shall be shed for many.  Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’  And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be dispersed.  But after I’ve been raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.’  Peter said to him, ‘Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.’  Then Jesus said to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ But he vehemently replied, ‘Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.’  And they all spoke similarly. 

“Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’  He took with him Peter, James and John and began to be troubled and distressed.  Then he said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful even to death.  Remain here and keep watch.’  He advanced a little farther and fell to the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass by him.  He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible to you.  Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.’  When he returned, he found them asleep.  He said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep?  Could you not keep watch one hour?  Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’  Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing.  Then he returned once more and found them asleep.  They could not keep their eyes open and did not know what to answer him.  He returned a third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?  It’s enough.  The hour has come.  Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.  Get up.  Let us go.  See, my betrayer is at hand.’

“And while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who had come from the chief priests, the scribes and the elders.  His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying, ‘The man I shall kiss is the one.  Arrest him and lead him away securely.’  He came and immediately went over to him and said, ‘Rabbi,’ and he kissed him.  At this, they laid hands on him and arrested him.  One of the bystanders drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear. 

“Jesus said to them in reply, even so their testimony did not agree.  The high priest rose   before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying, ‘Have you no answer?  What are these men testifying against you?’  But he was silent and answered nothing.  Again the high priest asked him and said to him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed one?’  Then Jesus answered, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the power and coming with clouds of heaven.’  At that the high priest tore his garments and said, ‘What further need we have of witnesses?  We have heard the blasphemy.  What do you think?’  They all condemned him as deserving to die.  Some began to spit on him.  They blindfolded him, struck him and said to him, ‘Prophesy.’  And the guards greeted him with blows. 

“While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s maids came up, seeing Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, ‘You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus.’  But he denied it again.  ‘I neither know nor understand what you’re talking about.’  So he went out into the outer court.  Then the cock crowed.  The maid saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, ‘This man is one of them.’  Once again he denied it.  A little later, the bystanders said to Peter once more, ‘Surely you’re one of them for you too are a Galilean.’  He began to curse and to swear.  ‘I do not know this man about whom you are talking,’ and immediately a cock crowed a second time.  Then Peter remember the words that Jesus had said to him.  ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’  He broke down and wept.

“As soon as morning came, the chief priest, with the elders and the scribes, that is the whole Sanhedrin, held a council.  They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.  Pilate questioned him.  ‘Are you the kind of the Jews?’  He said in reply, ‘You say so.’  The chief priest accused him of many things.  Again Pilate questioned him.  ‘Have you no answer?  See how many things they accuse you of?’  Jesus gave no further answer, so Pilate was amazed. 

“Now on the occasion of the feast, he used to release to them one prisoner whom they requested.  A man called Barabbas was then in prison, along with the rebels who had committed murder in rebellion.  The crowd came forward and began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed. Pilate answered, ‘Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’  For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priest had handed him over, but the chief priest stirred up the crowed to have him release Barabbas for them instead.  Pilate again said to them in reply, ‘Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?’  They shouted again, ‘Crucify him.’  Pilate said to them, ‘Why?  What evil has he done?’  They only shouted louder.  ‘Crucify him.’  So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and after he had Jesus scourged and handed him over to be crucified.

“The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is the Praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.  They clothed him in purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, placed it upon him.  They began to salute him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews,’ and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.  They knelt before him in homage, and when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes and led him out to crucify him.  They pressed into service a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.  They brought him to the place of Golgotha, which is translated Place of the Skull.  They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it.  Then they crucified him, divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what each would take.  It was 9:00 in the morning when they crucified him.  The inscription of the charge against him read ‘The King of the Jews.’  With him, they crucified two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left.  Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha, you who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross.’ Alike the chief priest with the scribes mocked him among themselves and said, ‘He saves others.  He cannot save himself.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel come down from the cross that we may see and believe.’  Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.

“At noon, darkness came over the whole land until 3:00 in the afternoon, and at 3:00, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,’ which is translated, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me.  Some of the bystanders who heard it said, ‘Look, he is calling Elijah.’  One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait.  Let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.’  Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 

“The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.  When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God.’  There were also women looking on from a distance.  Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome.  These women had followed him when he was in Galilee and ministered to him.  There were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

“When it was already evening, since it was the day of Praetorium, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of the council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and courageously went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Pilate was amazed that he was already dead.  He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had already died, and when he learned of it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.  Having brought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of a rock.  Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.  Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, watched where he was laid.”  The word of the Lord. 

My prayer for this experience we’ve had together this morning is that you will grow in your understanding in the patterns that we find in these incredible, powerful stories of the Passion of Jesus.  We have four versions.  This one was from St. Mark, and each one opens us up to a way of understanding, not just getting information but really understanding and feeling the emotion in this story that is our story — our story.  So let me close with a prayer. 

 Heavenly Father, the fullness of revelation is found in this person Jesus. He’s the one who reveals completely who you really are and who we are and what we are together. Your presence living inside of us, your awareness you place within us of your indwelling presence is something that we need to grow into and accept and be blessed by. So thank you for this opportunity for us to grow in our awareness of who you are and who we are and why we’re here. Amen.