April 5,  2009 The Sunday of the Passion also called Palm Sunday Year B Liturgy of the Palms: Mark 11:1-11 or John 12:12-16 Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Principal Service: Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 31:9-16 Philippians 2:5-11 Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39 (40-47) Click here for sermons from previous weeks The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel Ephphatha Parish of the Deaf Episcopal Diocese of Central NY Today we begin the most important week of the Christian year, Holy Week. There is not very much that any preacher can add to the lessons for today. They make their point clearly and forcefully, so much so that people have been known to cry during the Gospel reading. The reading from Isaiah is one of the "Suffering Servant" songs. It is not clear from the Scripture whether Isaiah saw the Suffering Servant as being the nation of Israel, which had to accept punishment for its ongoing breaking of its covenant with God, or whether he saw the Servant as being an individual...perhaps himself, perhaps some historical figure such as the king, or perhaps as the coming Messiah. Christians have almost unanimously connected the Suffering Servant with Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, and have seen the Suffering Servant songs as a prediction of what would happen to the Messiah when he came. There is one factor in this reading that perhaps deserves a bit of emphasis. In Hebrew, the word teacher means one who has been taught and therefore is qualified to teach. Corporal punishment, in those days, was seen as part of one's education. Students who didn't work hard or who didn't pay attention to the teacher could expect to be whipped or otherwise disciplined. If we are to take the Suffering Servant songs as applying to the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, it seems that his suffering on the Cross was part of his preparation for teaching us, for drawing us together into a church. When we couple this with the words of the collect, telling us that it is through God's love that Jesus was permitted to suffer for our sakes, it gives us a great deal to think about. We might also want to consider another important question: some suffering is just plain suffering: it comes with illness, injury or natural events such as an earthquake, or with man-made events such as war. But the kind of suffering Scripture is speaking of here appears to be redemptive suffering, suffering in order to help another...such as when a person throws himself upon a child who is being attacked by a dog, or goes into a house on fire to bring out those inside. Perhaps we should give some thought to the differences between accidental and redemptive suffering in our own lives, as well as in the life of Jesus. The reading from Philippians is part of an ancient hymn, which was also a creed used in the early church. It, too, is worthy of our deep reflection. And the Gospel: what can any preacher add to that? The best advice I can give to you about the Palm Sunday Gospel is the advice a priest gave my home congregation, back in my childhood. He said that none of us was able to take in the whole of the Gospel in one quick reading on Sunday. He suggested that we read and ponder a few verses each day of Holy Week, pray about them, ask God to bring home to our hearts and minds what they meant for us, and thus "soak" ourselves in that Gospel all through Holy Week, as a careful and meaningful preparation for Easter. I think it's good advice and I have been doing just that for about 60 years now. I will continue doing it this Holy Week, and I commend this practice to you, too. All of this brings us back to the words of today's collect, which we might want to pray each day this week: Almighty and everlasting God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility; Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. Back To Top Home