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
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
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:
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
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
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
