There is too much we have to do in this one Sunday.
We have to introduce the Triumphal Entry.
And the Passion.
We have to explain how we get from people cheering to jeering.
And deal with anti-semitism.
Also, probably make sense of Holy Week itself.
And talk about why we give out the palms at the beginning.
Especially if we’ve all ditched them by the end.
All of this is literal material most of us have to face in one Sunday. And that’s before we even contemplate the enormity of the week, how the story flows, or even how to prepare for next Sunday.
The whole thing is way too much.
Of course, I Have Thoughts
One of the things we often say about this one day is this: that we have to tell it now to make next week make sense. Which…I guess is true. And in the very same way, we don’t want this one without the next one… but it strikes me as pretty hollow.
Like, if the problem is that the boss expects you to do a week’s worth of work in one day, and you’re like: I can’t do a week’s worth of work in one day. And they’re like, but you have to do all of that before tomorrow. That’s not actually answering the question is it?
We can’t do a week’s worth of work in one day. Either way. Regardless of whether or not we need to do it in order to make sense of the next one.
Doesn’t it make more sense to focus on telling more of the story over a longer time than to tell it all at once?
We have to preach it regardless.
Whether or not we think this is the best way to do it, this is what we’ve got.
Too much little stuff to do in one day. Before we even get to the big picture, paradigmatic, and theories of learning. This isn’t just Palm/Passion Sunday, it is also the first day of Holy Week, the journey’s culmination in Jerusalem, and the crescendo of the Lenten experience.
So, you know, no big deal.
How to approach it
I have three main things I feel are necessary for the day. And everything falls behind it.
- Set up the bigger story. Don’t just focus only on the Passion. There’s way more to the context.
- Stay Big Picture. Details are great and help people get into a story, but there’s too much to do. Keep it big. And stay away from atonement theory. Save that for Good Friday.
- Address anti-semitism. Every single time. Don’t wimp out. There’s no excuse. We all need to hear this all week long.
AND
We need to preach about the glory of God, following Jesus, what discipleship means, etc. You know, the usual.
What this usually looks like for me is focusing less on Palm Sunday the day or on the Palm / Passion duality and more on this as opening up Holy Week and naming what is to come.
Because Palm Sunday is still Sunday and every Sunday is Easter. It just so happens that this particular Sunday has to hold up everything before the Resurrection.
And the best thing I know how to do is to remind people of what is happening in the whole story. Not just this part.