The crackle of dried palms crunch under the feet of the crowd. The sound is but a faint crackle lost in the din of angry voices. The meaning of the sound is lost on the mob now shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him! CRUCIFY HIM!” That crackle of dried palm branches covered by the shouts of…

Today’s gospel story, at the heart of the Church’s faith, should be at the heart of our faith: that Jesus would live and die for us. That Jesus would say to our heavenly Father, “Thy will be done,” even though his commitment would lead to his death. That Jesus would have compassion on the crowds,…

Let’s turn our attention to one of the minor characters in the Passion story. He remains speechless, and appears in only one verse. Yet this character is one of the closest to Jesus as Jesus walks the road to the place of crucifixion. Here is the single verse that mentions this character: On their way…

[A note: The Prayer Book rubrics (BCP, p. 273) say that if the Liturgy of the Palms precedes the service, the Creed and Confession “may be omitted at this service.” One effective way of approaching this liturgy might be to preach before the reading of The Passion on Palm Sunday-first of all, as a way…

RCL: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14- 27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54 Truly, this was the Son of God. (Matt. 27:54) Today we celebrate Palm Sunday. Why is it, then, that the Gospel speaks of crucifixion, and not triumphal entry into Jerusalem? Stop and think for a moment. On the first Palm Sunday, our Lord…

On Palm Sunday a dual theme runs through the readings, the themes of servanthood and glory. One might wonder what one has to do with the other! Yet if these dual themes of servanthood and glory are separated or pitted against one another, the entire mystery of the passion, and in turn the mystery of…