Palm Sunday

Today's readings:

• Ps 118
• Zech 9:9-10, 16-17
• John 12:12-19
• Rev 19:1-8, 11-16

Aaron, a pastor at my church, has said frequently, "I don't do special well." He's not big on the days that we typically set aside as holy, and thats alright. I, on the other hand, do special well. It's important that I observe certain seasons as holy, consciously, because otherwise I will regard no time as holy. (The paradox of Protestant practice in America: because we regard every day as equally full of God's presence and grace, we effectively view no days as full of God's presence and grace. This is not a necessary outcome of Protestant doctrine, but it sure crept in somewhere.)

So this is Holy Week—though this year I do not feel the holy leisure I felt last year, the space to rest and enter into reflection on God's grace through Christ. I'm too rushed by the mix of finals, preparing for Peru, and, of course, seeing to it that everyone else is blessed by the Holy Week services at FBC. Last year's Holy Week was an absurd blessing: a pastor friend of mine left town and asked me to take care of his dog, in exchange for living in his home for a week, which opportunity I seized upon at once. I had a week alone to myself, with no class and surprisingly little work, to pray and rest and attend special services.

I suspect, though, that for most of us, taking that kind of time for reflection is nearly impossible, and that my experience of this week is more the norm. Well, then, here we go—adventures in making time for Christ in the midst of many demands on our time.