April 5- Palm Sunday<\/h2>\nIsaiah 50:4-9a<\/strong><\/h3>\nPreaching to a camera or a livestream is no easy task, so before we dive into the text, let me say a few things from a preaching perspective.<\/p>\n
First, give yourself lots of grace. These are weird times, and no one can plan for this.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2020\/03\/Canva-Smartphone-on-Tripod-Stand-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSecond, do the best you can with what you have. Whether you\u2019re in full vestments in an empty sanctuary, a talking head in your living room, or even just a voice on an audio recording uploaded to a church website, don\u2019t fret too much about what everyone else is doing. You do the best you can.<\/p>\n
Finally, as we\u2019re heading headlong into Holy Week, these are rough waters. Holy Week is an embodied week for the church and really is experienced in and through our bodies and other bodies. Figuring out a way to do some of what this week embodies when we\u2019re all finally able to get back together may be important for you, and for your community.<\/p>\n
Ok, on to the text we go.<\/p>\n
If you decide to preach from Isaiah for Palm Sunday, you will find an abundance of themes that intersect both with the holy day and our current situation.<\/p>\n
The prophet begins with, \u201cThe Lord God has given me\u2026\u201d which can be a good segue if you\u2019re doing a livestream with audience participation, into a naming of gifts that people can lift up in these days. Invite the congregation to follow Isaiah’s lead and name gifts God has given. They can list them in the chat thread during a livestream or write them down on a piece of paper if following along with a recording.<\/p>\n
Isaiah then continues to note that God cajoles the people to wake every morning and to \u201clisten as those who are taught.\u201d How can we be attentive, even in these strange days, to what the Divine is saying to and through us? And, in light of this festival day, how can we be attentive to what Jesus is saying, both in his words and in his actions, as he rides into Jerusalem atop a donkey? What is God in Jesus saying about ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2020\/03\/Canva-Red-Corded-Telephone-on-White-Suraface-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>humility here? What is God in Jesus saying about the journey? How are we, in these days, able to figuratively, and perhaps literally, take off our coat and cut our palm branches and spread them on the ground, making the path easier for others?<\/p>\nOne of the points about social distancing is that it makes the road of life safer for the most vulnerable populations in these pandemic days. By pausing our routines, sacrificing school or finances, and fasting from social interaction, we are helping to “flatten the curve” so that the most vulnerable among us may be safer. How does this exemplify serving and honoring Jesus by serving and honoring our neighbors?<\/p>\n
Finally, the prophet ends with a reminder that it is the Lord God who helps them and entreats us to remember that, though we may be going without for a little while, we are not going alone.\u00a0 God continues to walk in the midst of us, to guide us, to help us\u2026and so we are not without help and aid.<\/p>\n
As Joseph Sittler notes in Gravity and Grace<\/em>, the \u201cauthority of the Scripture has to depend on the text\u2019s internal congruity with the human pathos\u201d (p. 47).\u00a0 In other words: it must speak to this time, now.\u00a0 And I dare say that, although this is Palm Sunday, this is for many people the \u201cThird Sunday after Social Distancing\u201d\u2026and maybe the fourth, depending on where you are located.<\/p>\nPreach accordingly.<\/p>\n
Matthew 21:1-11<\/strong><\/h3>\nHere\u2019s the decision on every Palm\/Passion Sunday, whether you are physically in the parish or virtual: which Gospel to preach on?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2020\/03\/Canva-Brown-Concrete-Cross-Near-a-Palm-Tree-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Let me make a recommendation.<\/p>\nIf you decide to do the Passion Story, which is wonderful, go ahead and recruit some readers ahead of time, and split it into parts to read.\u00a0 This works especially well if you\u2019re able to record it in the sanctuary as a group of 4 (keeping an appropriate distance, of course), or could work equally well if you\u2019re doing a video conference, with four different persons taking the roles. You could also record it ahead of time and edit the clips together or consider asking your youth to make a video representation of the story by filming clips from their homes. There are many good ways to split up this long part of Matthew\u2019s Gospel.\u00a0 Choose a way that makes sense, and go with it, and that should serve as the \u201csermon\u201d for the Sunday.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re choosing not to go that route and want to preach on the \u201cEntry into Jerusalem\u201d text offered from Matthew 21, there is also plenty to go on for a homily.<\/p>\n
One of the considerations here is figuring out how many of your parishioners will be around to view\/hear the Good Friday narrative.\u00a0 If many will tune in, go with the Palm Sunday \u201cEntry into Jerusalem.\u201d\u00a0 If not, go with the Passion.<\/p>\n
The following will assume you chose the Matthew 21 text.<\/p>\n
The question, to begin with is: \u201cWhat is God saying to your people, with this Palm Sunday text, now?\u201d<\/p>\n
An entry might be to acknowledge that, without palms and a procession, it doesn\u2019t feel a whole lot like Palm Sunday, right?<\/p>\n
Except we have many processions going on at the moment.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2020\/03\/Canva-Person-in-Black-Sweater-Hold-a-Grey-Road-Bike-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>Many of our parishioners have just processed to the ballot box, or have been told that their ballot procession will be delayed until this pandemic is in the past.<\/p>\nMany of our parishioners have processed to the grocery store to stock up on staples, and what is a parade when you\u2019re mandated to stay six feet apart?!\u00a0 It\u2019s no parade at all\u2026<\/p>\n
There are many processions to lift up, even in these times, as our communities are in the diaspora.<\/p>\n
And that might be a great place to start, by the way, noting that we are in the parade, the march of the faithful, even in the diaspora.<\/p>\n
Ancient Judaism made such a claim when Babylon shipped them off to parts near and far. Our Christian heritage is not one that is unaccustomed to having the procession of the faithful in spirit rather than body, and we can note that honestly on this day.<\/p>\n
We wave our palm branches in a long procession of the faithful, both present and long departed, believing that the thing that connects us is not proximity, but rather the God who knows no such thing as \u201csocial distancing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Jesus, God is extremely close, even acutely close.<\/p>\n
And we have the duty, on this Palm Sunday, to walk ahead of the Christ processing into our reality, exclaiming, \u201cHosanna to the Son of David.\u201d\u00a0 Because even as we are a part, we are brought together in ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2020\/03\/Canva-Closeup-of-a-Tropical-Plant-300x199.jpg\")
<\/a>our praise for the God seen in Jesus.<\/p>\nAnd take the moment to expand upon this reality, because every Sunday the church gathers not just with those who are within the walls, but also those who are across the continents, in the fields, in the valleys, in those places we never think of on a pedestrian Sunday morning. ELCA World Hunger continually invites us to consider our neighbor far away and unseen, and on this Sunday when even our closest neighbors are far away and unseen, we are once again invited to consider the distant neighbor, reminding us that this, and every Sunday, we are in the long procession of the faithful.<\/p>\n
God always connects us.\u00a0 Always.\u00a0 Not just when we are practicing conscious social distancing, but also in those times when we don\u2019t even perceive that we are distant from one another. Hosanna, indeed!<\/p>\n
Children\u2019s Message<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Preaching to a camera or a livestream is no easy task, so before we dive into the text, let me say a few things from a preaching perspective.<\/p>\n
First, give yourself lots of grace. These are weird times, and no one can plan for this. Second, do the best you can with what you have. Whether you\u2019re in full vestments in an empty sanctuary, a talking head in your living room, or even just a voice on an audio recording uploaded to a church website, don\u2019t fret too much about what everyone else is doing. You do the best you can.<\/p>\n Finally, as we\u2019re heading headlong into Holy Week, these are rough waters. Holy Week is an embodied week for the church and really is experienced in and through our bodies and other bodies. Figuring out a way to do some of what this week embodies when we\u2019re all finally able to get back together may be important for you, and for your community.<\/p>\n Ok, on to the text we go.<\/p>\n If you decide to preach from Isaiah for Palm Sunday, you will find an abundance of themes that intersect both with the holy day and our current situation.<\/p>\n The prophet begins with, \u201cThe Lord God has given me\u2026\u201d which can be a good segue if you\u2019re doing a livestream with audience participation, into a naming of gifts that people can lift up in these days. Invite the congregation to follow Isaiah’s lead and name gifts God has given. They can list them in the chat thread during a livestream or write them down on a piece of paper if following along with a recording.<\/p>\n Isaiah then continues to note that God cajoles the people to wake every morning and to \u201clisten as those who are taught.\u201d How can we be attentive, even in these strange days, to what the Divine is saying to and through us? And, in light of this festival day, how can we be attentive to what Jesus is saying, both in his words and in his actions, as he rides into Jerusalem atop a donkey? What is God in Jesus saying about One of the points about social distancing is that it makes the road of life safer for the most vulnerable populations in these pandemic days. By pausing our routines, sacrificing school or finances, and fasting from social interaction, we are helping to “flatten the curve” so that the most vulnerable among us may be safer. How does this exemplify serving and honoring Jesus by serving and honoring our neighbors?<\/p>\n Finally, the prophet ends with a reminder that it is the Lord God who helps them and entreats us to remember that, though we may be going without for a little while, we are not going alone.\u00a0 God continues to walk in the midst of us, to guide us, to help us\u2026and so we are not without help and aid.<\/p>\n As Joseph Sittler notes in Gravity and Grace<\/em>, the \u201cauthority of the Scripture has to depend on the text\u2019s internal congruity with the human pathos\u201d (p. 47).\u00a0 In other words: it must speak to this time, now.\u00a0 And I dare say that, although this is Palm Sunday, this is for many people the \u201cThird Sunday after Social Distancing\u201d\u2026and maybe the fourth, depending on where you are located.<\/p>\n Preach accordingly.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the decision on every Palm\/Passion Sunday, whether you are physically in the parish or virtual: which Gospel to preach on?<\/p>\n If you decide to do the Passion Story, which is wonderful, go ahead and recruit some readers ahead of time, and split it into parts to read.\u00a0 This works especially well if you\u2019re able to record it in the sanctuary as a group of 4 (keeping an appropriate distance, of course), or could work equally well if you\u2019re doing a video conference, with four different persons taking the roles. You could also record it ahead of time and edit the clips together or consider asking your youth to make a video representation of the story by filming clips from their homes. There are many good ways to split up this long part of Matthew\u2019s Gospel.\u00a0 Choose a way that makes sense, and go with it, and that should serve as the \u201csermon\u201d for the Sunday.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re choosing not to go that route and want to preach on the \u201cEntry into Jerusalem\u201d text offered from Matthew 21, there is also plenty to go on for a homily.<\/p>\n One of the considerations here is figuring out how many of your parishioners will be around to view\/hear the Good Friday narrative.\u00a0 If many will tune in, go with the Palm Sunday \u201cEntry into Jerusalem.\u201d\u00a0 If not, go with the Passion.<\/p>\n The following will assume you chose the Matthew 21 text.<\/p>\n The question, to begin with is: \u201cWhat is God saying to your people, with this Palm Sunday text, now?\u201d<\/p>\n An entry might be to acknowledge that, without palms and a procession, it doesn\u2019t feel a whole lot like Palm Sunday, right?<\/p>\n Except we have many processions going on at the moment.<\/p>\n Many of our parishioners have processed to the grocery store to stock up on staples, and what is a parade when you\u2019re mandated to stay six feet apart?!\u00a0 It\u2019s no parade at all\u2026<\/p>\n There are many processions to lift up, even in these times, as our communities are in the diaspora.<\/p>\n And that might be a great place to start, by the way, noting that we are in the parade, the march of the faithful, even in the diaspora.<\/p>\n Ancient Judaism made such a claim when Babylon shipped them off to parts near and far. Our Christian heritage is not one that is unaccustomed to having the procession of the faithful in spirit rather than body, and we can note that honestly on this day.<\/p>\n We wave our palm branches in a long procession of the faithful, both present and long departed, believing that the thing that connects us is not proximity, but rather the God who knows no such thing as \u201csocial distancing.\u201d<\/p>\n In Jesus, God is extremely close, even acutely close.<\/p>\n And we have the duty, on this Palm Sunday, to walk ahead of the Christ processing into our reality, exclaiming, \u201cHosanna to the Son of David.\u201d\u00a0 Because even as we are a part, we are brought together in And take the moment to expand upon this reality, because every Sunday the church gathers not just with those who are within the walls, but also those who are across the continents, in the fields, in the valleys, in those places we never think of on a pedestrian Sunday morning. ELCA World Hunger continually invites us to consider our neighbor far away and unseen, and on this Sunday when even our closest neighbors are far away and unseen, we are once again invited to consider the distant neighbor, reminding us that this, and every Sunday, we are in the long procession of the faithful.<\/p>\n God always connects us.\u00a0 Always.\u00a0 Not just when we are practicing conscious social distancing, but also in those times when we don\u2019t even perceive that we are distant from one another. Hosanna, indeed!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>humility here? What is God in Jesus saying about the journey? How are we, in these days, able to figuratively, and perhaps literally, take off our coat and cut our palm branches and spread them on the ground, making the path easier for others?<\/p>\nMatthew 21:1-11<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Let me make a recommendation.<\/p>\n<\/a>Many of our parishioners have just processed to the ballot box, or have been told that their ballot procession will be delayed until this pandemic is in the past.<\/p>\n<\/a>our praise for the God seen in Jesus.<\/p>\nChildren\u2019s Message<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2020\/03\/Canva-Mens-Blue-and-White-Crew-neck-Shirt-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0 And (if you made one from construction paper) you could even create one like this!<\/p>\n