Palm Sunday, March 19, 2016
Texts:
Psalm 31:9-10,
Isaiah 59:4-9,
Luke 22:14 – 23:46
Philippians 2:5-11
Today I want to pull you into this array of scriptures as a participant. Being a participant is much more rewarding than being a spectator. This is the way the lectionary scriptures are chosen week by week. Each week there is a larger story and then the specific stories within that larger story. The goal of scripture is always to pull us in to be participants.
By participant I mean the texts take on meaning for us personally and as a community. A German philosopher, Martin Heidegger said, “Only that which presents itself as possibility-for-me, that is, as something I can decide, has meaning.”
Let’s think about that for a moment. When we are spectators, the action is out there whether past, present or future. When you and I are participants, we are drawn into possibility. Opportunity is given to choose something that empowers us to make a shift or a change, however slight or huge. More about this as we move along.