Sunday Stretch: Palm Sunday 2024

Start off (Holy) week with a grounded take on Bible, prayer, the world, and your life ...

Hi Readers,

Holy Week is here. Lent is drawing again to its dramatic conclusion, from the Cross at Calvary to the women at the empty tomb to the Resurrection at the Mount of Olives.

Each year I find myself sometimes bogged down in the midst of Lent, longing for resurrection, listening to the pleading of my husband and sons to let them buy jelly beans early (not until Easter … ha, it’s a new thing we are trying) … In all seriousness, though, this past month or so has been a busy and sometimes difficult time, in the midst of family illnesses, elderly grandparents facing health challenges, an oldest son on the cusp of middle school and teenager-hood, preparation for new work in two local churches this spring.

Sometimes in this season it has been difficult to meet my spiritual commitments, to continue to study the texts faithfully, to pray, to take time each Wednesday to devote to be together via video and pray and study together. But in the midst of the challenges, I have also felt the strength of God’s presence (isn’t this truly the theology of the cross?) I remember sitting together at a table with my family for Dinner Church at Lake Nokomis Lutheran in Minneapolis, listening to family stories about food and fellowship, and sharing the miracle of the Feeding of the 5,000. I remember watching with such immense pride as both my sons explored their passions on the basketball court, and my husband helped a group of 10-11-year-old boys through a season of fifth grade basketball, in which they grew as players and also as people. And now we enter into this final Holy Week of Lent. Around here, we are preparing for our boys’ first Communion on Maundy Thursday. We’ll get to celebrate Easter and finally(!) eat jelly beans! I’m looking forward to all of it.

For today, I wanted to re-share with you some thoughts I had last year from Palm Sunday in particular. Next week, I’ll have a special Easter post for you. Then, we’ll take the Sunday after Easter off for Spring Break. And after that, I’ll be back in the swing of preaching and serving locally. So much more to come. I hope you have a blessed Holy Week. Thank you for being here in this Lenten season with me.

In solidarity and the Cross,

Angela

Some thoughts on Palm Sunday …