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Greetings!,
Below, you'll find a reflection for today, Palm/Passion Sunday, by Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson.
We hope that you have a blessed Holy Week.
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REFLECTION FOR PALM/PASSION SUNDAY
By Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson
Luke 19:28-40 | Isaiah 50:4-7 | Philippians 2:6-11 | Luke 22:14-23:56
 The stage is set. As Jesus enters Jerusalem for his final confrontation with the Powers, the city sizzles with expectation. The oppressed masses think they have found the Davidic messiah for whom they've long hoped. The authorities await the right moment to have Jesus destroyed once and for all. Jesus' disciples, hopeful but probably also confused, aren't sure what will happen.
Jesus, amidst it all, knows who he is. Unlike the first humans, he will not grasp for divinity. Unlike Caesar, he will not proclaim himself a holy king. Instead, Jesus shucks all previous understandings of power and status: "Taking the form of a slave ... he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross" (Phil 2:7-8). Today's excerpt from Philippians is one of the earliest hymns to Jesus known to the church. It celebrates Jesus' self-emptying obedience which leads directly to his divine exaltation as Lord of all.
Holy Week invites us to linger with the mystery of Jesus' life, death and resurrection laid out before us. As we begin the final leg of our Lenten journey, we are called to slow down, even to stop if we can, and to meditate with awe and trembling at the sacred overturning of everything the world deems true, important, successful. We are called to witness the stunning power that flows from completely letting go of everything that is "ours" in order to receive everything that is God's...
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