Palm Sunday

Matthew 21:1-11

When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage,
at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village
ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie
them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, `The Lord
needs them.' And he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfill what had
been spoken through the prophet, saying,

"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."

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey
and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd
spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them
on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!

"

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?"
The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

On Palm Sunday, Jesus rides into the Perfect Storm by N.T. Wright

On Palm Sunday, Jesus rides into the Perfect Storm
by N.T. Wright in ABC Religion and Ethics

The crowd went wild as they got nearer. This was the moment they'd been waiting for. All the old songs came flooding back, and they were singing, chanting, cheering and laughing. At last, their dreams were going to come true. But in the middle of it all, their leader wasn't singing. He was in tears. Yes, their dreams were indeed coming true. But not in the way they had imagined.

He was not the king they expected. Not like the monarchs of old, who sat on their jewelled and ivory thrones, dispensing their justice and wisdom. Nor was he the great warrior-king some had wanted. He didn't raise an army and ride to battle at its head. He was riding on a donkey. And he was weeping - weeping for the dream that had to die, weeping for the sword that would pierce his supporters to the soul. Weeping for the kingdom that wasn't coming as well as the kingdom that was. What was it all about? What did Jesus think he was doing?

On Palm Sunday, Jesus was riding into the perfect storm. Recall the story of the famous "perfect storm." It was late October 1991. A New England fishing boat by the name ofAndrea Gail had sailed five hundred miles out into the Atlantic. But the weather was changing rapidly. A cold front moving along the American-Canadian border sent a strong disturbance through New England, while at the same time a large high-pressure system was building over the Maritime provinces of south-eastern Canada. This intensified the incoming low-pressure system, producing what locals called "The Halloween Nor'easter."

These circumstances alone could have created a strong storm, but then, like throwing petrol on a fire, a hurricane coming in from the Atlantic brought incalculable tropical energy to the mix. The forces of nature converged on the helpless Andrea Gail from the west, the north and the south-east. Ferocious winds and huge waves reduced the boat to matchwood. Only light debris was ever found.

The first two elements of Jesus's perfect storm are comparatively easy to describe; the third less so, but all-important if we are to understand both the original meaning of Palm Sunday and the meanings that it might have for us as we draw nearer to the cross in this holiest of weeks.

read it all HERE

Jesus enters Jerusalem - from Giotto's Arena Chapel - Blogging Holy Week - Palm Sunday

Image by Giotto, Arena Chapel frescoes

Jerusalem, Jerusalem...

Matthew 23: 37-39

37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you, desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' "

After casting judgment on the "scribes and pharisees," Jesus mentions his desire to gather up the "children of Jerusalem," but they were not willing.  These same scribes and Pharisees are among the "children of Jerusalem" for whom Jesus offers this lament, this desire.  He names the importance of the willingness of people to hear and see the good news that Jesus is proclaiming, and he is naming for us the willingness of us to hear and see the good news that was proclaimed in Jesus. 

Of course, for me, this passage is hard to hear without also thinking about the earthly Jerusalem here in 2010, which is surrounded by conflict, animosity, and long-held prejudice and violence.  Jerusalem also has people working for peace, and praying and hoping for peace in Jerusalem.  The conflicts of Jerusalem also remind us of the various conflicts, large and small, that are present all around our broken and hurting world.  The need for God's healing in the world was never more evident than today, and the need for followers of Jesus to live out God's healing and reconciliation and peace was never more evident than today. 

The good news is that this work is not for us to do alone.  The good news is that Jesus offers salvation and healing to us right now.  God's is working out healing and reconciliation and peace, and we can turn and offer our willing hands and hearts to this important work.  Jesus has gathered us up as a hen, and God has offered us healing, as well as the strength and courage to offer that healing and reconciliation to the world.

May we turn and be willing to hear and to work for healing, reconciliation and peace,

Peace and Blessings,

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

image credit HERE

Longing for Jerusalem, Psalm 137:1-6

Psalm 137:1-6 Super flumina

1	By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, * when we remembered you, O Zion.
2	As for our harps, we hung them up * on the trees in the midst of that land.
3	For those who led us away captive asked us for a song, and our oppressors called for mirth: * "Sing us one of the songs of Zion."
4	How shall we sing the LORD'S song * upon an alien soil?
5	If I forget you, O Jerusalem, * let my right hand forget its skill.
6	Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, * if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

The psalmist's lament from the shores of Babylon - far from the homeland of Jerusalem and the mountain of Zion, is a lament that resonates through the centuries. For people displaced by war, slavery, oppression, famine, and natural disaster, they may sing a song of lament for the land (and the life) left behind. For the exiles in Babylon, the city of Jerusalem was not only their homeland, and their lament was not solely homesickness. For the exiles in Babylon, the city of Jerusalem was the place where God resided on earth, where a bit of the sphere of God's universe overlapped with the universe of this world. So, to be exiled from Jerusalem was to be thrown out into a physical and spiritual desert where they had to find a new way to worship God.

The lament of the psalmist is one of the forms of this worship. At times, when we don't know how we can pray, when we are in turmoil and don't even know where to begin, THAT is the prayer we might offer. In our post-modern world of rapid change we may long for that place in our past where there was some peace. This is a wonderful place to begin our prayers. The exiles in Babylon began with their lament, and then had to find new ways to worship God, new ways to learn the teachings without access to the Temple. The lament of the psalmist is also our prayer, perhaps longing for the past, perhaps longing for a place where we experienced the Holy, perhaps also longing for that Jerusalem that is the City of God, the Jerusalem that will be where we all will reside, and will no longer need to sing songs of lament.

Much can be said, and much has been said, about Jerusalem here on earth, and also the Jerusalem above. From Paul in Galatians to Augustine, and beyond, these are rich images to ponder. These images also crop up in William Blake's poetry , and even more contemporary music. Sample a couple of clips below...

Have a blessed Saturday, may we each experience the spirit of Jerusalem, even here in this land,

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Click HERE, or on the image below, for the hymn "Jerusalem" based on William Blake's poetry

"We Remember Thee Zion" sung in Mad Men

Let the rivers run, Carly Simon (The New Jerusalem)

From Bishop Suheil S. Dawani, bishop of Jerusalem on the situation in Gaza

My prayers are with all the people affected by the conflict in Gaza, please offer your prayers, and, if you can, also your help!

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

From "Episcope" blog...

The Rt. Rev. Suheil S. Dawani, Anglican bishop in Jerusalem, issued the following statement on January 8, 2009 about the situation in Gaza and the Al Ahli Arab Hospital.

At a time when great tragedy is occurring in the Holy Land in Gaza, I want to share some insight into what we are experiencing on a moment to moment basis. Our Diocese has one of 11 hospitals serving a population of 1.5 million residents in the Gaza Strip. The Al Ahli Arab (Anglican) Hospital has been in operation for over 100 years and has a very dedicated medical staff of doctors, nurses, technicians and general services personnel.

During the best of times they are stretched to their maximum meeting the medical needs of this populous community. Now, during the current military conflict with its heavy toll on human life and material, the hospital faces even greater responsibilities and challenges. The result is growing strain on the hospital's resources. Every day since the beginning of military operations, the hospital has received 20-40 injured or wounded patients. A large proportion of them require hospitalization and surgery. These patients are in addition to those with non-conflict-related illnesses. About one-fourth of the patients are children.

In addition, the conflict has brought new type of medical and surgical conditions. For example, patients with burns and acute, crippling psychological trauma, are being seen more frequently. Because it is not possible for aid workers to enter Gaza at this time, the hospital's staff is working around the clock, struggling with the effects of exhaustion and against limited resources in a conflicted area of ongoing military operations.

Read the rest HERE, at "Episcope" blog...