Celebration in the Midst of Struggle
I’m excited to be back with you in worship this week for Palm Sunday. A huge thank-you to Rev. Bill Sukolsky for preaching and leading worship while I was away for my annual gathering of my seminary prayer group. It was a huge gift in preparation for Holy Week and all the exciting things coming down the pike this Spring.
This Lent, as we make our way to Easter in 10 days, we’ve been going through Psalm 22 – the psalm that is on the lips of Jesus on the cross, as he cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – and we’ve been looking at all of the things that are in the background, in the mind of Jesus and the witnesses, that give so much more weight to that cry. I look forward to exploring more on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday.
But for Palm Sunday, we’re going to go back to Psalm 21, which has a slightly different feel. It too is a psalm of David, “For the director of music.” But it aligns more with the events of Palm Sunday – the pomp and circumstance, the celebration, the expectation, the jubilation that we normally experience. And I think it has great bearing on what we’ve been looking at so far in Psalm 22, and what will happen throughout Holy Week as we finish off the psalm.
Sometimes, in the midst of hard times, we actually need to plant a flag down and celebrate. Sometimes, in the midst of struggles, we need to look up and just praise – even if we’re not feeling it today. As I look up from my computer as I write this, I see the invitation to a surprise birthday party for someone who’s gone through it recently.
Palm Sunday, especially as we look at Psalm 21, after five weeks in the dirge of Psalm 22, can feel a little bit like that. As we look around at our world – the big picture and even just some of the stuff each of us struggle with – we can get frustrated or exasperation, we can become anxious and fearful. And I know it’s not beyond me to even get consumed by those kinds of feelings. I’m reminded of Psalm 42 – “in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” All of us need an opportunity to be broken out of that funk sometimes. We need Jesus to reach down, grab ahold of us, and pull us out. We need that flag of faith firmly planted by a friend, who will walk hand-in-hand with us through the dark – but even before that to just step out and say – “come what may, I’m here.”
Palm Sunday can be that for us this week.
It’s going to be great joy – our worship together with palm branches and the cherub choir, not to mention the mid-service Children’s Program. And I hope you’ll join us – online or on-site, AND, I hope you’ll make plans to continue through Holy Week with Maundy Thursday (my absolute favorite service all year) and Easter Sunday too!
Welcoming You to Grow in Jesus,
Pastor Don