Father Riley's homily from Palm Sunday 2019 and news for you

…   Father Riley will lead us in the following services:
 ---  April 19, Good Friday and Stations of the Cross.  "Stations" will begin about 11:30am with Good Friday service following at noon.  Following the guidance of The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate , The Episcopal Church, the Good Friday Offering of our church will support the ministry of our Anglican sisters and brothers in the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.

---   April 21, Easter Service, 10am.  Sunday, April 28 and May 5, 10am Holy Eucharist. 

Latest updates from Brenda Funderburg (our Treasurer) regarding our Capital Campaign:

$                22,085.00	1st Mailing
$                         20.00	Donation Box
$                   5,000.00	Grant from Diocese
$                23,000.00	Early Donations
$                50,105.00	Balance To Date (4/15/19)

Thank you all for supporting our Capital Campaign.  The work is underway.

PALM SUNDAY - C - 19                LUKE 22. 39 - 23.56

Palm Sunday is the only celebration of the Church wherein we read two gospel passages, which stand in mark contrast to each other. The liturgy of the Palms presents us with a picture of the joyful entry of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem.

The disciples, as Luke describes the scene, are ecstatic as they follow along behind him. The crowd that greets Jesus is equally celebratory as they shouted, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.” On that day, it was a festal atmosphere that surrounded Christ’ arrival.

There were others in the crowd, however, who were not impressed with his dramatic entry nor with the people’s reaction. Their presence and attitude is but a foreshadowing of things to come. St. Luke’s account of the arrest, trial, and death of Jesus detail the chain of events that ended Christ’s earthly life and stand in stark contrast to his joyful entry into the holy city.

I have often wondered what Jesus was thinking as he rode through the streets of the Jerusalem to the cheers of the people. He knew that only a few days later he would be forced to try to carry his cross to the place of the skull through these very same streets. However, he would be unable to, due to his weakened physical state. Instead a rank stranger would be chosen from the crowd and forced to carry it for him.

This time there would be no cheers, instead a group of weeping and wailing women would follow behind him. On that day, his disciples would be nowhere to be found. He knew his destiny was to die on that cross. Yet he prayed in the garden the night before his crucifixion that the cup might be removed from him.

That night in the garden, where he prayed and the disciples slept, was the longest in the earthly life of Christ. In it, he was betrayed by one of his chosen band, arrested and led away as a common criminal. When day came, having had no sleep, he was paraded before the assembly of the elders.

He was questioned after having been mocked beaten and reviled by those who had arrested him. It didn’t end there.

The religious accusations against Jesus would not be enough to justify his death under Roman occupation. Thus, they drag him before the Roman governor with trumped up charges of a political nature.

“We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that himself is Christ the king.”

Pilate does not take them seriously. He sends Jesus away to be questioned by Herod once he discovers Jesus is a Galilean. Herod sees Jesus as a novelty and questions him at length. Jesus, however, refuses to answer any of Herod’s questions. Again, he is mocked and treated with contempt by Herod’s soldiers before being sent back to Pilate.

Three times Pilate tries to release Jesus. Three times the Jews stir up the crowd to ask for Barabbas, a thief and a murderer. When Pilate asks what they wish him to do with Jesus, they all cried, “Crucify him.” And their voices prevailed. We all know what happens next.

Jesus is crucified between two thieves representing fallen humanity, one on his right and one on his left. As he hangs on the cross, he asks God to forgive those who have contributed to his death; the people who stood there in silence and watched him die, the rulers who scoffed at him as he hung on the cross, the soldiers who crucified him and cast lots for his clothing.

One of the thieves wanted to use Jesus to avoid responsibility for his actions. The other accepts his sentence and asks simply to be remembered.  Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you. Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

And then, the lights went out “there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then, Jesus cried with a loud voice, and said “Father into thy hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last.”

Jesus does not have his life taken from him, but voluntarily commits it to the Father. His death reconciles man to God. To be reconciled to Christ is the path to paradise.

Christ accepted human nature in order to sanctify it. He accepted our weakness in order to make us strong. He takes on our sin in order to free us from sin. He suffers in order to transfigure suffering. He endures death in order to destroy it.

With each Lent, the image of the dying Christ is impressed on the eyes of the world. What are the reactions? What are our reactions?

Some, like the crowd who stood there watching, are silent, as if what they see does not move them one way or the other. The unbelieving, like the rulers of the people who cried out for his death, and the one thief hanging next to him, challenge the dying Jesus, “if your are the Christ of God, save yourself… and us.”

There are others who looking at the dying Jesus on the cross acknowledge their failures and accept responsibility for their actions and cry out for help - Jesus remember me.

Sadly, there are still others who simply look the other way. They are completely oblivious to what it all means. Shrugging their shoulders and remarking what difference does it make? What difference has it made?

I dare say that we have all been one or more of these at some time in our life. But through the grace and mercy of God, have come to the knowledge, as did the Centurion, that Jesus was innocent. Even more so, that through Christ’ death and resurrection, we have been reconciled to God.

To know Christ and the power of his resurrection makes all the difference in the world for those of us who believe in Jesus as the Son of God. For we now live with the Promise that we too will be remembered by Him and one day shall be with Him in the paradise of God. AMEN+