Relax. I’m not going to talk that much about “The Sinner of St. Ambrose”, St. Augustine. Suffice it to know that St. Gus’ life was about his struggle–and guilt– of trying to be IN the world, and not OF it. Haunted by his bon vivant early days, he crafted many fine sermons and texts about his ultimate assumption of a Christ-like lifestyle.
So we’re approaching Palm Sunday, as we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem: a story of commitment amidst the commerce, of Holy Vision beyond today’s demands, of hope despite cynic headlines. Is this contemporary, or what!? Some congregations will include the Passion Story of later Holy Week; I’ve chosen to confine my thoughts to the “Triumphal Entry”.
We’re set up by the reading of Psalm 118, a Psalm of Ascents for pilgrims to the Temple to sing. “This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous shall enter through it.” (v.20) Were not the UNrighteous welcome? Probably not. “The stone that the builders rejected (Jesus?) has become the chief cornerstone.” This must have given ol’ Augustine quite a bit of comfort! “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord…” (This doesn’t examine old baggage, does it?!) “O give thanks to the Lord, for [God] is good, for [God’s] steadfast love endures forever.”
All of the Gospels record the Palm Sunday epic–though some details differ. Matthew & Mark, for instance, make a point of making the steed a donkey, just as Zechariah had announced. Luke, a Gentile, cared little about linking to the Hebrew Bible; so we here see a colt. Matthew & Mark saw palm fronds as a political statement (sort of like shamrocks to the Irish); Luke ignores them completely. Yet all include an ascription of Messianic salvation: “Blessed is the king/one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Jesus was frustrated to tears by the carelessness of Zion–but he broke in anyway. Just as he’s been frustrated to tears by the carelessness of Augustine & me–but he broke in anyway… What’s at YOUR gates?
The Evangel today proclaims a God who uses unlikely instruments, even flouting City of Man wisdom. God is yet creating with material that confounds local codes and raises the eyebrows of the genteel. We who stand in the gate are urged forward to a vision of how things shall yet be. Where will this parade lead us??
Peter Brown, in his biography AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, writes “The citizens of Jerusalem also depended on this world, but they became distinct from Babylon by their capacity to yearn for something else: ‘Now let us hear, brothers, let us hear and sing; let us pine for the City where we are citizens….By pining, we are already there; we have already cast our hope, like an anchor, on that coast. I sing of somewhere else, not of here: for I sing with my heart, not my flesh. The citizens of Babylon hear the sound of the flesh, the Founder of Jerusalem hears the tune of our hearts.'” (page 314)
God Bless us, every one Horace Brown King
My musings on Lectionary readings for the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this space on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com
My Blog 
Leave a comment