Palm Sunday…Virtually

Today is Palm Sunday. This day marks the beginning of the holiest week in the Christian calendar. Today commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Less than a week later, we will remember His betrayal and crucifixion.
What began on such an exciting day in which Jesus was hailed as the King of the Jews, that signaled to the people living in occupied Palestine that all of the promises of God about their deliverance were finally going to be answered, fell so far off the rails in a matter of days.

It seems that the old saying about, ‘the best laid plans…’ is all too accurate.

But, as the story continues, all is not lost. God will get the final Word and Jesus will be exalted above every other.

As I reflect on the events of this week as we remember all that happened way back when, my thoughts wander to the final result of all of this.
The Exalted Messiah Jesus was the fruition of God’s plan for humanity from the very beginning. God had commissioned humankind to partner with the Divine purpose to be stewards and care takers of the world in which we live. God declared this arrangement to be ‘Very Good.’
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was the final proof that God’s plan was finally enacted.
And, through Jesus, humanity can both know God and be known by God.
We have been given the means to become a community of people who are empowered by God to be light in darkness and to give hope to the hopeless.
It’s our job description as God’s eikons; God’s image-bearers to follow in Jesus’ footsteps in order to fulfill God’s purpose here and now.

The reason this all came to mind today is because we appear to be fractured at this moment in time. Our collective reaction to the current health crisis has forced us to remain separate from one another. From outward appearances it would seem that our task has suddenly become exponentially more difficult, if not impossible.

But, (you know there’s always a ‘but’), this morning I logged into the Facebook live feed of a service from the church that I attend.
There was no congregation present to process waving palm fronds. We had no sharing of the Eucharist or even a friendly glance from others. We were all in our own shelters weathering this storm.
Yet, we shared in a few moments of prayer and reading. We used the same words and the same texts. We were, in effect, together while apart.
Yeah, that seems contradictory and paradoxical. Well, it is, actually.
One of the things about following Jesus is that our lives are mostly spent IN the paradox.
In the “Now,” but “Not Yet.”
In the Completion of the story, yet still on page one.

So, together we shared in the Communion of Saints as we, unified in purpose and spirit, worshiped our God and gave thanks for all that God accomplished during that most important week so many years ago.

May you all experience the unity that is in God.
And, may we all realize that, even though we may be separated by ‘social distancing,’ we are still truly inseparable in our shared humanity.