As I mentioned in yesterday's sermon, I don't like the conflation of Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. After church, several people remarked that they, too, thought it makes for a disjointed and confusing liturgical day. The practice of joining these two foci does date back to the Middle Ages, so it is not without historical warrant.
My distaste for our combining the Palms and the Passion came from my time at St. John's in DC. The Rector there, the Rev. Dr. Luis Leon, made a compelling case for changing the tone of the day. He said "if aliens were to come to one of our services, never having heard of Jesus before, they'd have no clue why we went from praising him to killing him in just 30 short minutes." Though we might not have any Martians at our Palm Sunday services, given what many op-ed and pieces survey data shows, the idea of people showing up that don't know the narrative is a very real possibility. We go from praising Jesus in the triumphal process, while singing the upbeat "All glory, laud, and honor," and within just a few minutes, we're reading the Passion. There is no bridge between the two, and the result is a confusing and disjointed journey.
And while I'll readily admit that the story of Holy Week is also a confusing and disjointed journey, I think we can do better in our liturgical celebration of Palm Sunday. At St. John's, we changed the readings after the Palm Sunday procession to reflect what happened after Jesus entered Jerusalem (spoiler alert- he made people mad). The sermon was then preached, focusing on Palm Sunday. Likewise, the music stayed fairly upbeat and triumphal. After the Post-Communion Prayer, however, we transitioned to Passion Sunday.
The Passion was read by a gifted lay reader as a dramatic reading. The impact was powerful. Afterwards, the choir either sung a suitable anthem or the congregation sang "Were You There?" It was a poignant ending to a powerful liturgy that properly transitioned us from Lent, to the celebratory entry into Jerusalem, then to the conflicts of the week, and finally to the events of the Passion. It allowed worship to focus on Palm Sunday, and while still acknowledging the lectionary, it transitioned us into Holy Week through the Passion.
I thought it might be helpful to create a lectionary for Palm Sunday for future usage (of course, getting appropriate ecclesial permission to make changes first)-
The Year A
Palms: Matthew
21:1-11
OT: Zechariah
9.9-12 (Your king comes to you)
Psalm: 118:1-2,
19-29
NT: Philippians
2:5-11 (Christ hymn of humility)
Gospel: Matthew
21:12-22 (Cleansing Temple, fig tree, on prayer)
Passion: Matthew 27:11-54
Passion: Matthew 27:11-54
Year B
Palms: Mark
11:1-11
OT: Isaiah
5:1-7 (Vineyard of Israel)
Psalm: 118:1-2,
19-29
NT: 1
Corinthians 2:1-12 (God’s wisdom is hidden and revealed by Spirit)
Gospel: Mark 12:1-12
(Parable of the vineyard)
Passion: Mark
15:1-39
Year C
Palms: Luke
19:28-40
OT: Isaiah
42:1-7 (Servant Song)
Psalm: 118:1-2,
19-29
NT: 1
Corinthians 1:17-25 (Cross as foolishness)
Gospel: Luke 19:41-20:8
(Cleansing Temple, question of authority)
Passion: Luke
23:1-49
What are your thoughts on Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday? Does this arrangement make sense?
Have a blessed Holy Week.
