Into Jerusalem
Palm Sunday
 

After sending for the colt.
After the procession.
After the palms.
After the cloak-strewn road.
After the hosannas.
After blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.

After all this, Mark—alone of all the gospels—tells us that
Jesus goes into the temple and looks around at everything.

The Temple by Night © Jan L. Richardson
The Painted Prayerbook
http://paintedprayerbook.com/
 
 
 
 
The best way to send an idea
is to wrap it up in a person.
                                                        ~ J. Robert Oppenheimer
 
 
 
Who can take away suffering without entering it?
                                                        ~ Henri Nouwen
 
 
 
 
 
Go, Junna!!!
Junna, center, with her parents, Kiyo-san and Robin Sakamoto.
They sent pictures of Junna's first day at ICU
(International Christian University) in Tokyo on April 2nd.  Robin wrote,
"Junna had both her parents and her Grandfather along to celebrate the day
with her. The cherry blossoms were just beautiful on campus and I'm sure you
can see how very proud we all are of our Junna!"
 
 
Junna with Goro-san, her grandfather, on her entrance day.
April 2, 2009
Tokyo, Japan
 
 
 
As usual, Harold dressed inappropriately for
April Fool's Day at breakfast on Wednesday.
<gr>
 
 
Harold is the one who does dainty little sculptures.
Here he is with some of them.
 
 
 
 
 
From without, no wonderful effect is wrought within ourselves, 
unless some interior, responding wonder meets it.
                                                        ~ Herman Melville
 
 
 
 
 
April 5, 2009    Sixth Sunday in Lent    Palm/Passion Sunday
 
Previous OPQs may be found at:      
          http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm 
 
 
 
 
Liturgy of the Palms
 
When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, Why are you doing this? just say this, The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately. They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, What are you doing, untying the colt? They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
 
Mark 11:1-11
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
 
 
Liturgy of the Passion
 
Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him. When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
Mark 15:22-29
Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org
 
Artist's comment: Some of you will point out that Joseph uses the myrrh in John’s account. The Magi bring the myrrh in Matthew’s account and Jesus refuses the myrrh here in Mark. Clearly Mary spread her stories around.
 
 
Liturgy of the Palms: 

Liturgy of the Passion:

Liturgy of the Palms:
Mark 11:1-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

Liturgy of the Passion:
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1-15:47