All Glory, Laud, and. Honor
One of the things I most love about worship is how physical it is meant to be. Obviously, this has been diminished in our pandemic life, but corporate worship at its best involves our bodies. As a person who can be too much in his own head raising my hands, kneeling, and crossing myself are all a means by which I am broken out of a merely mental engagement with the things of God. Through these practices, my body is used as it is meant to be, in praise and honor of our God. One way to think of the use of our bodies in the liturgy is as practice for the use of our bodies in the rest of life.
Next Sunday, Palm Sunday, we have the opportunity to break out and use our bodies in worship in an unusual way. Marking Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Anglican worship on Palm Sunday involves processing after the cross. With raised palms, shouting Hosannas, the people of God embody their discipleship by physically following the cross. We walk the way of Jesus (this same reality is symbolically demonstrated by some of us every week in processing in and out after the cross).
On Sunday March 28th, we’re mixing up our worship to give as many of us as possible a chance to take part. Instead of our regular rhythm of worship, we’ll be having a Parking Lot-set service of worship at 3 pm. We’ll also have a brief online opportunity made available that morning, but the idea is for as many of us as possible to meet at the parking lot of Redeemer Presbyterian at 2111 Alexandria Av. to usher in Holy Week.
Like our other “Parking Lot Praise” gatherings, this will include sung worship, a short liturgy, and the Eucharist. It will also include all of us in procession. Together we will sing our hosannas, raise our palms, and follow after the cross. This will all be adapted for this remarkable season, but together we will celebrate our humble and glorious king. Before celebrating the Eucharist we will also read the Passion Narrative together.
I’m so looking forward to this opportunity and want to encourage you to make every effort to participate. There is something so beautiful about the corporate and embodied nature of this moment. It feels especially important this year, as a means of entering into the worship of Jesus and into Holy Week together. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will use this time to draw us to the Son and to one another. So come on out at 3 pm, park your car, grab your palm, and let sweet Hosannas ring.
In Christ,
Peter+
Ps. See below for our schedule of Holy Week services. We'll have more information and sign ups out next week.