Looking Into the Lectionary — Worship resources for 4/10

April 10, 2022 Palm Sunday Luke 19:28-40 COMMENTARY It may be Palm Sunday, but there’s no sign of leafy branches in Luke’s account of that day. Our worship this Sunday may resound with chorus upon chorus of “Hosanna” but in Luke’s telling of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, there is not a single “Hosanna” voiced from the crowd. We have to look in Matthew, Mark and John to find what we might regard as the traditional trappings of Palm Sunday. Luke’s account is the alternative version — and, in some ways, the most intriguing version. While offering neither palms nor “Hosanna,” Luke’s narrative uniquely provides us with stones. Some of the Pharisees present implore Jesus to silence his disciples, whose praise of Jesus as he moves into Jerusalem invokes Psalm 118 and also recalls the song of the angels that accompanies his birth (Luke 2:14). In reply to the Pharisees’ request, Jesus says, “I tell you, if these were silent, even the stones would shout out” (Luke 19:40). The power of that moment, the meaning of this week, the importance of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem cannot be denied. If his disciples don’t announce it, then the stones along the road will take up the chorus. Jesus is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. It is a bedrock truth that must be told. It cannot be ignored or silenced. If we won’t acknowledge him, praise him, acclaim him, then the stones will bear witness. The Lordship of Jesus must be proclaimed. The stones know it so. Luke doesn’t just provide us with stones on Palm Sunday; he notes their presence all along Jesus’ journey. This season of Lent began, as it always begins, with Jesus in the wilderness, withstanding the devil’s temptations. In that forbidding and forlorn place a stone is present, a stone, the devil suggests, the famished Jesus could turn into a loaf of bread, if, of course, he was the Son of God. Jesus resists the temptation to glorify himself. The stone in the wilderness remains a stone, bearing witness to Jesus’ faithfulness to the course God has set before him. You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. An order of worship for April 10, 2022. This liturgy is free to use. The Uniform Lesson for April 10, 2022, by Richard Boyce Palm Sunday — Family faith formation for April 10, 2022 by Rebecca Davis Maundy Thursday — Family faith formation for April 14, 2022, by Rebecca Davis IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Theology, democracy and community organizing Angela Cowser remembers her childhood as a Black girl in Memphis, Tennessee, and makes a theological argument for organizing. A prayerful pause: when community organizing is frustrating A prayer by Katrina Pekich-Bundy. Board of PC(USA), A Corporation approves budgets for 2023 and 2024 Looking ahead to the work of the next two years, the board of the PC(USA.), A Corporation has approved budgets for the Administrative Services Group of $19.4 million for 2023 and $19.9 million for 2024. — Leslie Scanlon Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection Amy Pagliarella reviews a new devotional by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie. Tech watch: Pomodoro Technique In a world full of distractions, the Pomodoro Technique is one way to focus your attention on the work you’re trying to get done. — Leslie Scanlon The long game of preaching: focusing on the basics "Preaching is an on-going conversation. Focusing on every word and rhetorical flourish isn’t sustainable when you have to write these dang things every week. And it won’t serve a congregation well." — Jonathan Saur Remembering a school-building educator during Women’s History Month The Presbyterian Historical Society remembers Lucy Craft Laney, a pioneer of education in the late 1800s. The Overshadowed Preacher: Mary, the Spirit, and the Labor of Proclamation Keith Curl-Dove reviews Jerusha Matsen Neal's recent book.

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