March 13, 2008

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

We are about to enter the most solemn and holy week of the year. We begin with the procession of palms at our three weekend worship services, Saturday at 5 pm, Sunday at 10:30 am, and Sunday at 6 pm. Each of these services includes the reading of the Passion according to Matthew. Roles are assigned for the evangelist, Jesus, Judas, Pilate, Pilate's wife, Peter, the servant girls, the high priest, the centurion, and other leading characters in the story. The congregation participates in poignant sections of the narrative.

THEME FOR THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION, PALM SUNDAY

At the beginning of the service, a reading from Matthew recalls Jesus riding on a donkey and being welcomed as King and Lord. "A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!' When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee." (Matthew 21:1-11)

In the Collect we pray: "Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

The reading from Isaiah speaks about a prophet who is unjustly accused and made to suffer. The early church understood this suffering servant as prefiguring the passion of Jesus. "I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting." (Isaiah 50:4-9a)

Psalm 31 is a cry for help of the person who is persecuted; Christians see this psalm as a description of the suffering of Jesus. "Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; my eye is consumed with sorrow, and also my throat and my belly. For my life is wasted with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails me because of affliction, and my bones are consumed. I have become a reproach to all my enemies and even to my neighbors, a dismay to those of my acquaintance; when they see me in the street they avoid me." (Psalm 31:9-16)

The epistle to the Philippians poetically expresses the mystery of God sharing the suffering of humanity in the person of Jesus: "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

The Passion of Jesus Christ according to Matthew tells the story of the Last Supper, the prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal by Judas, Jesus' arrest, trial, and conviction, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion on Golgatha. Roles are assigned for various characters in the story. The congregation takes the role of the Crowd which calls for the crucifixion of Jesus, symbolizing our involvement in the passion narrative and the mystical identification of Jesus with all who suffer unjustly. (Matthew 27:11-54)

May you receive a deeper sense of God's love for you in this holy season. I invite you to worship with us this Holy Week and Easter. For a schedule of worship services, please click here.

Sincerely,

David A. Killian
Rector

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Worship Services for the Third Sunday in Lent, February 23-24, 2008

Saturday, March 15, at 5:00 pm - Procession of Palms and Reading of the Passion
Sunday, March 16, at 10:30 am - Procession of Palms and Reading of the Passion
Sunday, March 16, at 6:00 pm - Procession of Palms and Reading of the Passion

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EVENTS at All Saints Parish

For information about the Sunday Lenten Scripture course, click here. For information about the special St. Patrick's program on March 14, click here. For information on the Spirituality and Justice Award that will be presented to Dr. Paul Farmer on April 27, please click here.

For the Collect of the Day, Scripture Readings, and Psalm, click here. Please note that the we are now using the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) readings.

Music Note from All Saints Music Director, Donald Teeters will resume next week.

For a Story from this Sunday's Gospel by Becky Taylor, Director of Children's Youth, and Family Ministry, click here.

For a note on the Sunday 6:00 pm 'Sunday Evening Contemplative Eucharist' from Assistant Rector, the Rev. Leslie K. Sterling, click here.

To browse past issues of the All Saints Weekly, click here.

For "All Saints Smiles" and news about events, activities, programs, ministries and the staff of our parish, please click on the All Saints web site: www.allsaintsbrookline.org.

Many thanks to June Santosa, design, Barbara Bembery, distribution, and the contributors above who produce the All Saints Weekly each week.

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