Collapsing and celebrating Passion and Palm Sunday together in years past felt like Christ's passion was emphasized over the crowd celebration.
This year, with Pastor Josh Stromberg-Wojcik presided over our second live-stream service because of covid-19 physical distancing together with the loss of Pastor Ray, we actually lived out Pastor Josh's main sermon topic, namely how to experience God's Presence and God's Absence.
Memorable Palm Sundays are scattered throughout Creator's history. We celebrated our inclusiveness with an RIC Sunday - April 5, 2009.
Traditionally the congregation has gathered in the narthex to wave palms, sing songs together and walk into the sanctuary strewing palms in the aisles. For children's time Josh had families, who linked in through zoom, to form individual processions where the children would pretend to be Jesus processing through Jerusalem.
This Palm Sunday service made me struggle with my current understanding around absence and presence. Did the congregation gather today? Was Pastor Ray present today? Was God present?
These questions remained throughout the week until Maundy Thursday where, like the ritual of the Stripping of the Altar, the answers to all these questions first shifted and then stripped my defenses. Folding the altar cloths was my first experience doing this and I was left feeling naked in my beliefs during that folding. Throughout the week I didn't feel any of the answers to the Palm Sunday questions seemed less faithful or true than another. They felt more like a truth or truths for the moment. Some certainly contradicted one another but they all felt important and holy to experience.
This Lent journey has transformed Creator significantly as it closes. We now have a Creator Lutheran Church YouTube Channel. which is capturing, for us, another kind of record of who we are becoming. This week Creator was introduced, by letter, to our Interim Pastor, Janell Bethke; who will guide us through our grief and, eventually, our call process.. The Lent season closes, we are in the midst of Holy Week and the Holy Spirit seems to working in unexpected ways There are glimpses of all the ways we are holding each other in our hearts that I will detail in a future blog entry.
That holding and support extends beyond the congregation and Pastor Ray's colleagues, friends and family.There is an outpouring of synod support from all the synods Pastor Ray worked to help. There have been so many acts of generosity it is hard to express the gratitude of the congregation.
As we sang to close this our Maundy Thursday worship we sing:from last night's the call and response:
Hold us in your mercy, hold us in your mercy.
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