I’m celebrating Palm Sunday at Epiphany Church in Kivalina this year.
As liturgical seasons go, Lent is as predictable as they come: 5 Sundays then Palm Sunday followed by Holy Week. Our patterns of Lent practice are also somewhat predictable—they trace the journey of Jesus to the cross.
No surprises
But this year I find myself taken by surprise. How is it possible that this Sunday is Palm Sunday? Did someone shorten the season of Lent?
Being surprised by Palm Sunday seems a bit like encountering the Messiah, the King of all creation, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey without fanfare or pomp. Humble.
A surprising symbol of the power of hope in the chaos and noise of life.
Our world is screaming with the noise of human sin, the selfish struggles and strivings for power and wealth, and the roar of injustice and war. It all can be so disorienting.
“Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
A surprising image, an unexpected message. May we be surprised by hope. A hope that has the strength to break through the chaos.
