What I’m Thinking: Passion Sunday

For the last few years at Church of the Holy Cross, we have observed Palm Sunday with a reading of the Passion narrative – the story of Jesus’ last day, beginning with the Last Supper and ending with his burial. This year we will read it from the Gospel of Luke.

Here’s a transcript:

The Lenten season is drawing to a close. Palm Sunday is this week, and just seven days later, it will be Easter Sunday.

On Palm Sunday for the last few years at Church of the Holy Cross, we have taken the opportunity to read the Passion narrative from beginning to end. This year it will come from Luke’s Gospel (Luke 22:14-23:56).

We read it to open our hearts. We rarely hear the entire story – from Jesus’ supper with the disciples, through the agony in the garden, his arrest, his trial, his crucifixion, his death, his burial – we rarely hear that all in one piece.

In the hearing, we hope that we can break open our hearts:

• to the sorrow of what human beings did to the savior of the world,
• to wonder at the profound and astonishing love of God exhibited in the passion of Jesus, and
• in anticipation, knowing (as we always do the thing that Jesus’ closest friends did not know) that the last word would not be oppression or violence or death, that the last words would come from life, and love, and compassion.

We will hear the passion story to open our hearts to Jesus’ compassion.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you.