Rev. Tom Mousin

Dear Friends,

On Sunday we will gather in the Cutler Memorial Garden (we hope!) for the blessing of the palms prior to the 10 am service. If the snow hasn’t melted sufficiently, we’ll meet instead in the Parish House, and process briefly outside before entering the church to the Palm Sunday hymn “All Glory Laud and Honor.” Thus will begin a day of contrasts — joyful songs of acclamation to begin our service, and then, the telling of the Passion story, as we watch Jesus slowly being abandoned by most of his followers.

We experience two very different processions on Sunday — one of people gathering, looking, hoping, and welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem — a crowd growing in size and excitement.

The other procession may not be as recognizable, and its effect is the opposite of the first. It happens as the disciples run from the Garden of Gethsemane, as Peter denies he ever knew Jesus, and as some of those who welcomed Jesus on Sunday now hide from him as he faces arrest, torture and death. It is a procession that does not lead to a community being gathered, but one being dispersed.

We willingly engage ourselves in both processions on Sunday and in the week to come. We do so because of our faith that God is engaged with us whether we are drawing near or fleeing in fear. We do so because we see in Jesus’ own faithfulness his understanding that even his defeat and death, though not desired by God, would be filled with God’s redeeming and transforming presence. And that great transformation which we know as the resurrection will draw us all together again — in the first great celebration of the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, and then on Easter morning.

Whether we walk in faith or in fear, God is with us. I look forward to being part of both processions with you.

Faithfully,

Tom