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Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week, the annual memorial of the death and resurrection of Christ. Through our services this week we share in Christ’s journey, from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the empty tomb on Easter morning. Today begins outside the church as we echo the excitement and anticipation of Jesus’ followers joyfully waving palms as he enters Jerusalem as told in Matthew 21:1-11. Our procession, like that in the gospel, is led not by chariots and horses but by a donkey, signifying that God’s idea of leadership is not at all the same as that of the kings of the world. Once in church we turn towards the cross as the Passion gospel, Matthew 27:11-54, is read and the events of Holy Week are anticipated. This solemn passage offers us a different vision of leadership: in which the servant king pours out all that he has for the sake of the world God loves.
Today we have two stories of resurrection. Both foreshadow “The Resurrection” but they are really concerned about what resurrection means for us.
In Ezekiel 37:1-14, the dry bones represent “whole house of Israel”, a community which is not literally dead but spiritually dead: “they say, “Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost”.
This despair and loss of trust in both God and the future is also what the disciples feel when Lazarus dies in John 11:1-45. “Lord it has been four days” they cry. Three days represent hope, over three days means all hope is lost.
Here again, resurrection: hope, belief in and a vision for the future is something received and lived out in community. Just as God breathes life into the whole of the house of Israel, Lazarus can only be raised to new life by the community working together to “unbind him and set him free”.
In contrast to all of the other resurrection stories in Scripture, Lazarus is given a choice; Christ calls to him and he must choose whether to respond or to remain in the tomb.
In a time when trust and hope are being eroded we are given the same choice. Will we risk leaving the safe isolation of the tomb and put ourselves into God’s hands but also into each other’s, so that, together, we might live out the hope of the resurrection?
On Mothering Sunday, we give thanks for our Mother the church; we celebrate those who have mothered us; and we also reflect on our calling to mother those in need.
To help us we are offered either the story of Moses or the story of Samuel. In each story there is a child in need of mothering but the stories also reflect on how taking on the job of mothering is a necessary part of our growth in faith and discipleship. Mothering is hard work but it is also a gift.
In 1 Samuel 1:20-28, Hannah (who is desperate to be a mother) hands her child over to Eli to raise. It is Eli who needs the lessons that motherhood can teach. Eli has done an appalling job at parenting both his own children and God’s people but here he is given another chance to learn and grow as Samuel learns and grows.
In the gospel, John 19:25-27, Jesus gives his mother, Mary, the task of mothering the church, a family defined not by blood or birth but by love. This is also our task: and, in the sometimes hard, sometimes frustrating work of creating, nurturing and loving, we discover that our understanding, mercy and compassion are expanded and that we are transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ.
Both of our readings today are about finding water in a dry place. Using the metaphor of water in the desert the scriptures explore how the struggle for survival in tough times affects our relationships with God and with one another. And, offers some strategies, not just for surviving but for thriving.
In Exodus 17:1-7, when his people express their need, Moses is defensive and hostile and conflict ensues. Blame will only increase the hostility. Trust is what is needed. God responds by inviting both Moses and the people to trust one another and restore their relationship so that they might journey forward together.
The conflict explored in John 4:5-42 is the brutal and longstanding one between the Israelites and the Samaritans which has led to a complete breakdown of relationship between the two groups.
Jesus seeks to repair this relationship by first acknowledging his own vulnerability and asking for help. He extends trust towards an enemy and an outsider. Beside the well, both Jesus and the Samaritan woman confront their shared human need: they need water to live and the best way to get it is with each other.
Meeting by wells in scripture (particularly this well, which appears in the stories of Abraham, Issac and Jacob) always mark a new beginning. The new life which becomes possible when people who have been distant and different take the risk of journeying together.
The readings invite us to reflect, on how we cope when times are hard, who we blame, who we shut out; and on how we can begin to build trust where there is none, so that, together, we may not only survive but thrive.