During this season of Lent (February 22-April 8), we are immersing ourselves in the rich poetry of Psalms to explore how it can deepen our spiritual lives and connection to God. You may recall that on the last two Sundays we focused on hard and unpleasant emotions: anger and lament. On Palm Sunday, we’ll focus on a more upbeat emotion: praise. But praise is ambivalent too. Matthew 21:1-12 talks about the cheering crowd praising Jesus on his arrival in Jerusalem because they expected to be finally saved from the Romans. They didn’t understand the meaning of Jesus’ actions: to give them eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven through his death and Resurrection.
Did you have moments when you didn’t understand God’s actions in your lives? What did you do?
Did you have moments when you gave praise to God’s actions for you and you understood their true meaning only later? What if that meaning didn’t align with your expectations? How did you react?
What does it mean to praise God when our expectations change?
Psalm 118 tells us to always thank and praise God, even when we don’t understand God’s actions or they don’t align with our expectations. It also tells us that God’s love lasts forever and is always with us, even during low moments in our lives.
What does it mean to praise God in low moments in our lives? How do we find God’s love in those moments?
Come Sunday and we’ll delve into these questions together.
In faith,
Iuliana
2022-2023 Seminarian
Holy Week Services
Palm Sunday – April 2, 11am worship and communion in the Sanctuary and YouTube, with hot cross buns at Coffee Hour in the Chapel
Maundy Thursday – April 6, 6:30pm foot-washing ceremony in the Chapel, 7pm communion service in the Sanctuary
Good Friday – April 7, 7pm Tenebrae service in the Sanctuary
Easter Egg Hunt – April 8, 9am-11am in Memorial Park (the playground next to the church), or in Willett Hall if rainy
Easter Children’s Church – April 9, 9:30-10am in the Sanctuary
Easter Potluck Brunch – April 9, 9:30-11am in the Parlor
Easter Festival Worship – April 9, 11am in the Sanctuary and YouTube, preceded by a prelude with brass quartet at 10:45am in the Sanctuary
If you’d like to lean into other Lenten opportunities this season, check them out here
Image credit: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-palm-sunday-and-why-d0-christians-celebrate-it
