Clergy Notes — Palm Sunday, April 10 2022

It can be tempting in these times which are already overwhelmed with sadness and grief, to approach Holy Week as a series of days to be “gotten through” on the way towards the relief we know is coming at Easter. We know the whole story; we know that death and sadness do not have the final word.

And yet, I think if we do that, we miss out on something really powerful.

Although Jesus tells the disciples (albeit in a roundabout way!) about his upcoming death and resurrection, they do not  – cannot – really grasp what is about to happen. And so, they walk with Jesus moment by moment: first, into Jerusalem, into their Last Supper together, and then right into the horror of Good Friday, and the desolation of those achingly long hours wondering what they are supposed to do now that their Lord is dead.

So, when they become witnesses to the resurrection, it is more than just relief, or joyfulness, it is the exact opposite of what they are expecting: the defiance of the darkest powers the world can throw at them, the effects of which they have just been mourning. It is an unexpected experience of being utterly amazed at what God is doing.

I hope for all of us that this Holy Week may be like that. May we walk with Jesus moment by moment, allowing our hearts to experience each moment as if we did not know what was going to happen next. For we, too, cannot really grasp what is about to happen. Who knows? We may just find ourselves amazed in all new ways, by what God is doing.

Mother Amanda