Theological Truth: The peace of God comes through the sacrificial love of God in Christ.
Let us pray:
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Could we take a minute in silence to reflect and adjust to the complexity of this morning’s liturgy? Just sixty seconds to behold and be held in this wondrous love, this Great Mystery that holds us all? I’ll watch the time.
Thank you.
Palms, Passion, Peace
What a day. We should probably call it “Whiplash Sunday” rather than Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday. From “Hosannas” to “Crucify Him” in less than an hour.
We tend to divide today’s liturgy into two distinct parts: the palms and the passion. But the peace of Christ, God’s unwavering commitment to shalom, undergirds it all; transcends everything; with or without us; always for us, despite how we respond to the peace of Christ.
Today’s story reminds us of the ever-present gap between God’s vision of peace and our preferred type of peace. We love the peace that comes with shouts of victory. We are forever falling into the trap of loving power instead of trusting the power of love. We leave the parade and drop the palms when the peace of Christ calls for loving our enemies and blessing those who persecute us. We switch from cheering “Hosanna” to jeering “Crucify him!” when Jesus doesn’t share our passion for power and control.
We all do it. We always have. It’s a human thing. Every year and throughout all time.
Our role today is to take our honest place in this story, so that we can see not only where we fail, but also those “mighty acts whereby [we are given] life and immortality.” Our job is to watch Jesus as he continues without us, but for us, towards God’s peace.
It’s interesting to note that we end both “parts” of the liturgy with the instruction to proceed in peace. After the blessing of the palms the celebrant says: “Let us go forth in peace,” to which the congregation responds, “In the name of Christ. Amen.” At the end of most Sundays, Shirley dismisses us with the saying, “Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.”
Jesus is passionate about a very particular kind of peace: God’s peace. Much more than just a cessation of conflict. Far superior than vanquishing adversaries. The peace – shalom – of God is about an ongoing state of harmonious relationships. Justice and righteousness flourish. Mercy and peace meet together. Creation is tended to. Resources are shared. Everyone has enough. Things are the way God created them to be.
This is neither the Pax Romana, nor the revolution of oppressed zealots. This is a peace that transcends the selfishness and narrow-mindedness of our limited passions. This is the passion of Christ; the compassion of God. The peace that passes all understanding. The peace that we crave in the depths of our souls.
The war in Ukraine has made visible once more both the horrors of war and our longing for peace. We are more likely than ever to shout out “Hosanna! Lord save us!” I have no doubt that Jesus remains passionate about ending all this suffering, destruction, and death.
But if the story of Jesus’ passion teaches us anything, it’s that the only way to bring about the lasting peace of God is the way of sacrificial love. So often, too often, however, we continue to struggle to walk with Jesus through this part of his Passion. If we’re honest, we prefer the peace that comes with the annihilation of enemies, rather than the reconciling, sacrificial love of Christ.
We’ve been using a “Prayer in Time of War” by Wendy Lyons at our Noonday Services for Peace in Ukraine*. These lines get my attention every time:
“Forgive us for neglecting to ‘seek peace and pursue it,’
and finding ourselves in each new crisis,
more ready to make war than to make peace…
Let us not seek revenge, but reconciliation;
Let us not delight in victory, but in justice;
Let us not give ourselves up to pride, but to prayer.”
On this Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, may we seek and pursue the peace of God that passes all understanding.
May we be less likely to make war in our lives, in our relationships, and in our dealings with one another.
May we seek reconciliation and justice.
May we give ourselves up not to pride, but to prayer.
May we walk in love as Christ loves us and gave himself for us.
May we go in this Peace, to love and serve the Lord.
— The Rev. William “A.J.” Heine, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church of Staunton
Readings this week: Luke 19:28-40; Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22:14—23:56
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, Year C, April 10, 2022
*Noonday Prayer for Peace in Ukraine happens in our Columba Chapel at Noon Monday-Thursday (use the side door on the Church Street side to enter) and is also available on Facebook Live. All are welcome.
