What's In A Name?

It’s easy to think liturgical practices or customs associated with them have been around forever. In The Episcopal Church, there are still people who only knew the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, the guide for such things. Even though it was replaced in 1979, many still long for the 1928 customs and practices because “that’s the way it always was.” But, of course, anyone with a historical perspective knows that’s not the case about much of anything.

Sunday is Palm Sunday. At least it would be called that if we were still observing it as I did as a kid. Today it is more likely to be called something like The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, with an emphasis on Jesus’ suffering. Every since it began to be celebrated, it has involved the use of palms in a procession of some kind. Hence the Palm Sunday name. Observances certainly emphasize Jesus’ grand entrance into Jerusalem where he is proclaimed Messiah by the crowd. Why palm branches? Palm branches were a Jewish symbol representing triumph and victory. The crowd, no doubt, expected their deliverance by this donkey riding Messiah and, since he was thought to be God’s anointed, victory was certain. They waved palm branches as we do as well.

Like many customs of the Church, exactly when it began to be observed is unclear. The usual assumption is that it originated in the Jerusalem church sometime in the third or fouth century. We have good evidence that by the fifth century the observance had spread as far as Constantinople. In the sixth and seventh centuries there were some additions made to the practice which became the norm. Palms were ritually blessed before being used and the habit of having the procession in the evening gave way to a morning procession. In the eighth century, these practices became widespread in the Western Church.

The Sunday of the Passion begins what Christians have long called Holy Week. The Sunday service itself, condenses the services of the week into a single day. We celebrate triumph, we experience the Last Supper, we listen as the story of Jesus’ betrayal, crucifixion and death are retold. The more complete Holy Week will observe the origin of the Last Supper on Thursday night, Maundy Thursday. The next day will commemorate Jesus’ betrayal, trial, abandonment by friends, crucifixion, and death. We call it Good Friday because without Jesus’ death, there could be no resurrection in glory. Though a painful day, it looks forward to the third day.

We can think of the Sunday of the Passion as an occasion to reflect on the last week of Jesus’ life on earth. We can reflect on what was accomplished in his suffering and what was made possible by his resurrection. Perhaps as we reflect we will think about how quickly the crowd went from shouts of praise to demands for his death. We can use this week to rethink how quickly we may be prone to turn away from the demands of faith, too. It could make Easter Sunday an entirely experience for us.

Holy Lent, Jerry