Palm Sunday
Marching in the Name of the Passover, Easter God
Mar. 31, 2026 10:17 Filed in: Commentaries
Friends, On Sunday, I preached about the first Palm Sunday, and the ways the defiant story of the Passover made Jesus' procession into occupied Jerusalem a dangerous, provocative event. Matthew's Gospel says that "the whole city was in turmoil" as Jesus entered, and then tossed those exploiting the people out of the Temple, and healed the sick. "Who is this?!?," the people of Jerusalem asked?
Who is this? Who do we say Jesus is?
It's an urgent time for the church to be able to speak clearly about who Jesus is. As voices around us claim that Jesus is a figure of judgment who will ride in on a white battle-horse with an army of avenging angels, we proclaim a Gospel that is actually Good News.
Listen to the rest of the sermon here.
With love,
Susan+
[ photo credit ]
Palm Sunday
Apr. 16, 2025 15:27 Filed in: Commentaries
Friends,
In yesterday's sermon, I preached about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Jesus and his followers would have known that another procession was entering Jerusalem in the days before Passover. Pontius Pilate's imperial motorcade, with centurions and chariots and soldiers, came into the city around the Passover to ensure that the holiday, celebrating the escape of the Hebrews from another oppressive regime, didn't repeat itself. So Jesus' demonstration, with a king on a donkey and followers shouting about peace, was more than a spontaneous burst of enthusiasm. It would have been a demonstration calculated to evoke a response from the governing authorities. You can watch the sermon here.
If you're curious to learn more about this reading of Palm Sunday, I recommend The Last Week: What the Scriptures Really Teach about Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem, by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan.
And now, we're in Holy Week: the most sacred days of the Christian year. You can see all the details for our Holy Week services on our website calendar .
If you can't join us in person, I invite you to take time each day to read the texts for worship. Walking with Jesus to the cross, with all of the beauty and violence in that story, is one way we can build our own courage to practice the way of Jesus today.
See you in church!
Susan+
In yesterday's sermon, I preached about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Jesus and his followers would have known that another procession was entering Jerusalem in the days before Passover. Pontius Pilate's imperial motorcade, with centurions and chariots and soldiers, came into the city around the Passover to ensure that the holiday, celebrating the escape of the Hebrews from another oppressive regime, didn't repeat itself. So Jesus' demonstration, with a king on a donkey and followers shouting about peace, was more than a spontaneous burst of enthusiasm. It would have been a demonstration calculated to evoke a response from the governing authorities. You can watch the sermon here.
If you're curious to learn more about this reading of Palm Sunday, I recommend The Last Week: What the Scriptures Really Teach about Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem, by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan.
And now, we're in Holy Week: the most sacred days of the Christian year. You can see all the details for our Holy Week services on our website calendar .
If you can't join us in person, I invite you to take time each day to read the texts for worship. Walking with Jesus to the cross, with all of the beauty and violence in that story, is one way we can build our own courage to practice the way of Jesus today.
See you in church!
Susan+