Faith • Grief • History • Hope
Faith • Grief • History • Hope
Palm Sunday invites us to live in the tension that holds together the joy of the procession and the sorrow of the Passion. To resist the temptation to rush too quickly to Easter, while also refusing to believe that Good Friday and the crucifixion are the end of the story.
We long for resurrection without the agony of crucifixion; we crave healing without facing the wound, justice without any sacrifice. But Passiontide resists our escape.
Jesus does not rush past grief on the way to resurrection. He does not dismiss sorrow because he knows how the story ends. He pauses. He feels. He mourns.
The Woman at the well had nothing, and Jesus gave her everything.
Jesus does not say, “Blessed are those who win.” He says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
Lent is not about proving spiritual discipline or earning God’s favor. It is about honest self-examination, repentance that leads to repair, and practices that restore right relationship, with God, with others, and with ourselves. What we give up should serve love, not ego.
Lent is not about spiritual theatrics. It is not about performative piety or public displays of righteousness. Jesus warns us in the Gospel of Matthew to beware of practicing our faith “in order to be seen.” Instead, Lent draws us inward, toward honesty, humility, and renewed clarity.
You have heard me say that Jesus came to bring change, a change in our relationship with God, and a change in our relationship with others. I interpret this passage as "no one can see the kingdom of God unless they change."
. I am rather hard on ole Noah, and today's bit of the story is an important one for this is the bit about covenant and the relationship between God and creation and God's promise not to wipe out creation again no matter how many liberals are in a particular place when the hurricane comes.
But we should not linger too long with this idea of dust, death, and repentance. We should constantly focus on the knowledge that God loves us and that our job is to bring that love into the world.