Palm Sunday & Holy Week

Dear Friends,

This coming Sunday is commonly known as Palm Sunday. But did you know it has another name?

The Sunday of the Passion.

Palm Sunday is actually two days in one. We gather outside with palms, and in a long procession we joyfully reenact Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. That’s the Palm Sunday part. Then we come inside, and the notes of triumph and shouts of joy give way to the story of our Lord’s passion and death. That’s the Sunday of the Passion part.

The Church, in her wisdom, smashes the two parts together because they are smashed together in our hearts. Our joy and worship and praise of our Savior lives in us, but so does the sin and doubt and fear for which he had to die for us. The liturgy knows us all too well.

Sunday will be a wonderful day of worship. There will be palms, processions, and special music. The Passion Gospel itself will be dramatically shared with us by Shawn Martin†. We will pray the breadth and beauty of the Great Litany and share communion. And we’ll have traditional Hot Cross Buns (a special new recipe) after and between the services.

This is but the beginning of Holy Week. The observance of the three-day Triduum — Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil — will follow next week. All the service information, as well as the info about The Watch overnight on Thursday, is below. I hope you’ll make plans to observe these Holy Days, even (or especially) if you’re coming from a Christian tradition that jumped right to Easter. Walking the journey of our Lord’s passion during these days helps us to walk into the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday!

In Christ,
Fr. Andrew

† NB: At 8 o’clock we will read the shorter passion gospel, and the service will be outside at the Garden Chapel, weather permitting.