“The Journey of Remembrance Begins Again—But Differently”

            This Sunday, April 5th, is Palm Sunday in Protestant and Catholic Christianity.  (Our Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters observe Palm Sunday a week later, on April 12th.)  Palm Sunday is an important celebration in the Church each year because on this day we commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event recorded in all four of the Gospels.

            The story begins with Jesus sending two of his disciples to a nearby village, where they are to find a young donkey, with a colt.  Jesus instructs his disciples to untie them and bring them back to him.  Before they leave on their errand, Jesus advises his disciples, “If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” (Matthew 21:3)

            In his Gospel, Matthew explains that this was done to fulfill a prophecy, which said:

Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
   humble, and mounted on a donkey,
     and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  (Matthew 21:6)

When the two disciples return with the donkey, Jesus mounts it and begins his entry into Jerusalem.  As he rides, Jesus’ followers begin spreading their cloaks on the road in front of the young donkey.  When they run out of clothes, the people begin cutting nearby branches off of palm trees and spreading these branches on the road—hence, the name, “Palm Sunday.”  People began joyfully shouting,

Hosanna to the Son of David!
   Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!  (Matthew 21:9)

As Jesus rides, more and more people begin to come out of their shops and homes.  They join in the shouting and singing.  Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem becomes a huge, triumphal parade.

            Every year, Christian communities of faith gather to re-read and reflect upon the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Palm Sunday marks the beginning of a seven-day journey of remembrance during Holy Week.  From the triumphal Palm Sunday, the journey of remembrance moves to Jesus’ righteous indignation, when he enters the Temple and turns over the tables of the money-changers and other businesses. 

This journey of remembrance winds its way downward to Maundy Thursday, when we remember Jesus’ Last Supper with the disciples in the Upper Room, followed by his betrayal by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.  On Good Friday, the journey of remembrance continues its downward trajectory, as we commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus on the Cross.  So far, this journey of remembrance has traced a deep downward trajectory, from Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  But, for its last stage, the journey of remembrance suddenly zooms upward, as we re-read the story of the Empty Tomb and Jesus’ Resurrection.

Each faith community—each congregation—has its own, unique way of re-telling this journey of remembrance.  Many churches re-create Palm Sunday by giving everyone palms to wave in the air, sometimes led by a parade of small children, winding their way through the Sanctuary to begin the service—as we do at Christ UMC.  Other congregations have “services of foot washing,” following Jesus’ example in John 13:3-15.  Finally, many congregations—including my church, Christ UMC—will have special services on Good Friday, commemorating the Crucifixion of Christ on the Cross.

Christian faith communities practice all of these customs of remembering, as well as many others, during their journeys from Palm Sunday to the Cross on Friday and finally to the empty tomb on Easter morning.  All of these customs of remembering are important, not only because they help us grow spiritually but also because they help us maintain and grow our faith communities. 

Participating in these rituals and customs helps to increase the bonds of relationship within our faith communities.  That’s why Easter Sunday is the most heavily attended worship service of the year.  People want to participate in remembering who Christ was and his Resurrection.

But, Palm Sunday this year will be like none other, for any of us.  The coronavirus pandemic has turned everything upside down in 2020.  There will be no live service, filled with outstanding music and a children’s palm waving processional to begin the service.  Instead, we will live stream a service online, using as few people as possible as we practice safe social distancing.  Yet, sadly, we need these rituals and customs even more this year than ever.

The coronavirus is taking its toll, not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.  In a recent article for The New York Times, David Brooks described it this way, “There’s an invisible current of dread running through the world.  It messes with your attention span.  I don’t know about you, but I’m mentally exhausted by 5 pm every day, and I think part of the cause is the unconscious stress flowing through us.”  Later in the article, he observes, “The pandemic spreads an existential feeling of unsafety, …changing the way you see and perceive threat.”[i]

Although we can’t practice the same customs and rituals of remembrance that we normally do during Holy Week, we can be innovative and creative in developing modified customs and rituals for this year of the pandemic.  For instance, instead of waving actual Palm branches this Sunday, my church is encouraging everyone to print or draw their own palm branch.  Then, we’re asking everyone to display their paper palm in a prominent place in their homes, such as the refrigerator or a bedroom door, as a way of beginning their journey of remembrance for Holy Week this year.

Everyone is always welcome and accepted at Christ United Methodist Church because God loves us all.  During the coronavirus, I invite you to join us virtually for our Facebook Livestream worship service this Palm Sunday, April 5th, at 11 am.  Our Facebook address is:  https://www.facebook.com/christumclinc/.  Alternatively, you can see the service later on our Facebook page or by going to our webpage at:  https://www.christumclinc.org/.

            Our Good Friday service will also be Facebook Livestreamed on Friday, April 10th, at 7 pm.  You are welcome to join us at that service, as well.

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[i] David Brooks, “Mental Health in the Age of the Coronavirus,” in The New York Times, 2 April 2020.  Accessed on telephone app, 3 April 2020.