Third Sermon at St. Paul's

Year B, Palm Sunday, RCL
Mark 11:1-11

Today we begin Holy Week. We begin the journey to the cross, and through that to the resurrection. This begins with a procession, with a parade, Jesus entered into Jerusalem much like a king or hero would upon returning to the city. Jesus’ entrance into the city however, is not what strikes me about this passage. Rather, I am baffled by what he does once he is in the city. After this absurd and exuberant entrance Jesus goes into the temple, he does not pray, he does not sacrifice, he doesn’t even teach. Instead after entering the temple we are told, “when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve”… He looked around and left. That is all St. Mark tells us.
I wonder… what was going through Jesus’ mind while he was looking around the temple? Was he nostalgic or sad realizing that he had little time left to look upon the temple? Or was he overwhelmed, maybe by his reception into Jerusalem or by the awareness that his time has come and he was soon to be handed over unto death? We do not and cannot know what was on Jesus’ mind as he looked around the temple.
What we do know however, is that he left the temple only to return the next day. He left the temple to continue along the path to his crucifixion. Whether he was nostalgic or sad, overwhelmed or even afraid, Jesus returned, Jesus continued on towards suffering and death. Sure he had doubts or fears about this, as seen in the Garden of Gethsemane, but regardless of those he continued on the path before him, continued on to the cross, to his death.
This week, in the Triduum we will remember and celebrate different points along this path. Yes, different points but different points of one path, one Passion. They cannot stand alone, they are wrapped up in each other and must be seen together, for without Jesus’ death there can be no resurrection, and without Jesus’ resurrection Christ does not defeat death, and it is both his death and resurrection that transform the simple act of sharing bread and wine.
Our liturgy will capture this very element. On Thursday and Friday there will be no dismissal, for although taking place on different days they are bound up together and are pieces of a greater whole. They are different points of the same path, of the same Passion and so we treat them as one service, beginning Thursday evening and ending at the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday night.
And seeing that Christ’s death, Christ’s passion was not just for us, what better way is there to tell someone about it then the Triduum? This service is the center of our faith, and if you could only invite someone to one service this would be it. Fortunately, there is no limit to how often we can invite people to church, however, you still should invite friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, whoever you wish to come celebrate the Triduum with us. You can even find bookmarks in the back of the church with our Holy Week schedule on them, go ahead and take some, hand them out or post them in visible, high traffic areas.
So later this week we will celebrate the Triduum. And just as Jesus left the temple after his entrance into Jerusalem to return to the path towards his death on the cross, I urge you all to leave here today and to return Thursday, Friday and Saturday and remember that Jesus walked this path for us. I urge you all to come and remember Christ’s Passion for us as we celebrate the Triduum. Amen.