I think of Palm Sunday as a holiday of hope and expectation. It's not quite a celebration - we'll save that for Easter - but the kids and the choir will symbolically reenact the procession, and we'll sing optimistic hymns of faith, most notably "All Glory, Laud, and Honor."
Musically, it will be an exciting day at Bethany. The Rainbow Ringers will play along on our opening hymn. As far as I know, it's the first time that they will play along with a congregational hymn, and I hope you enjoy the experiment. (Thanks in advance to Sue and the kids for all their work!) We'll also have two guest trumpet players from Baldwin Wallace, who will accompany our hymns and liturgy.
I hope that some of you will stick around to hear the postlude, as well. One of the trumpet players and I will be playing a cutting from the fourth movement of Eben's trumpet sonata, titled Golden Window. It's a modern piece that few people are familiar with, but David is an exceptional player and I think you'll enjoy the unique opportunity to hear this piece played.
When I was growing up with the old "red" book, the Service Book and Hymnal, I thought of Palm Sunday as a Prelude to Easter. Not as big or as joyous as Easter, but getting there. With the LBW, the focus shifted away from Palm Sunday to Passion Sunday, and I always felt that something was lost, not only from Palm Sunday, but also from Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Because this year we have spent time with Luke's Passion narrative during the mid-week Lenten services, I like that we are refocusing on Palm Sunday with the music, readings, and sermon for our worship. We can join in with those who shouted, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest."
ReplyDeletePalm Sunday reminds of the danger of having a shallow, unthinking faith. It is easy to get carried along by an emotional surge, but lasting faith requires thought and accurate information. That is what the Church really provides, along with some moments of excitement, of course. The moments give us the reason to continue to think.
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