The Rev. Dr. Bryan Franzen
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Theology and Calling
  • Westminster Presbyterian Church

Thoughts on Palm Sunday

4/10/2014

0 Comments

 
This week we celebrate Palm Sunday.  For many including clergy, biblical scholars, and theologians Palm Sunday is an awkward holiday.   First, since it is this huge celebration right before Easter some feel as if it takes away from the message of Easter.  Second, much like the first, many worry that because most people jump from Palm Sunday to Easter they skip over the passion that sets an important context for the resurrection.  Lastly, and maybe most importantly, while it is witnessed in all four gospels, each witness gives a very different interpretation of the story.  This leaves many in a quandary as to how to have a faithful witness of this day.
 
Unlike Christmas, which enters the Christian Calendar as a holy day much later in history, Palm Sunday is also not an initial celebration of the church.  However, it enters the Christian Calendar fairly early in the tradition, around the fourth century.  Like many Holy Days, the celebration of the palms was fairly devoid of the contemporary pomp and circumstance.  Rather it was a pilgrimage, usually public, carrying the palms that symbolized the Christ’s victory over evil.  The history of how we have celebrated Palm Sunday also leads to the awkwardness of the celebration because it has evolved into something that could very easily be seen as a stand-alone holiday almost trumping Easter.
 
So what the lectionary and many churches have done to step back from the pomp and celebration of Palm Sunday is to cram the entire holy week into the Sunday before Easter.  As you can imagine, often these services are far more “educational” then spiritual or even inspirational.  While there is a lot to be said for making convenience, there is something very real and important to each day of holy week.  Moreover, there is something about the story of Palm Sunday that causes every individual to ask where they are in the crowed and examine themselves one more time to ask where they stand.
 
The four accounts of the story are very different, In Matthew the people in Jerusalem do not know who Christ is, and need to ask.  In Mark, it was kind of like a parade that processed though town and left.  In Luke, Jesus recognizes and names the reality that if had he not come into town with the fanfare, he would certainly be killed.  Finally, John, as it usually does, is the most blatant.  In John the crowd is not necessarily followers or “believers” as is alluded to in Mark, or citizens of Jerusalem as getting wrapped up in the fanfare of Matthew, but rather the crowd that witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus.  This meant that the crowd was becoming almost sycophantic to the point that the Pharisees witness, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!” [1] which leads to plotting as to how they might take Christ down.
 
One thing that all four Gospels agree on is that whatever happened on that day, it was part of the preparation and it was never supposed to be equal to Easter.  More then anything Palm Sunday was set aside to be a day of deep reflection witnessing to Christ along with reflecting on where we stand with God. 
 
As we recognize that I all of the accounts, the same people that celebrated Christ were just as quickly persecute Him during the passion.  This is something that we must ask ourselves, could we have been one who turned their backs on Christ?  This is why I always like to celebrate Palm Sunday because it asked me in my joy and celebration, do I put God first?
 
In Christ,
 
Bryan
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Rev. Dr. Bryan James Franzen
    Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church
    San Jose, CA

    Archives

    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Theology and Calling
  • Westminster Presbyterian Church