All this Lenten season we’ve been asked to think about journeying with Christ through the lens of his relationship to Peter. This week, we come to a high point in that journey. It’s Palm Sunday and the stories about this day tell of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

However, the version of the story that we get from John’s gospel doesn’t say much about the disciples’ role in all of it (let alone anything about what Peter was doing). So, we have to imagine. This room to imagine provides us space to bring our own selves into the story.

This Sunday, as we consider the uproar and expectation that accompanied Jesus’ arrival to Jerusalem. Let’s gather together to look back on those events, and to look back on our own connection to all the crowds over the ages that have cried out to Jesus for help.

With hope,

Hardy

“We have so very much work to do still in this world. There is a tremendous amount of racism, sexism and heterosexism continually bearing down on us. These are domination systems which systematize and institutionalize making another ‘the other.’ We must continue to ask about how we treat each other! Not only the human family, but those that have four legs and swim in the ocean. It is the earth, the environment and the plants and animals, too. Every living thing has a sacred story.”

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—

the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.

Look, your king is coming,

sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.