For Palm and Passion Sunday in the Midst of War #LetUsPray

This time last year, I was in Palestine. And after spending Holy Week in Jerusalem, Palm Sunday will never be the same. I was leading a Delegation with Sabeel, and the first thing we did after crossing the border was to join thousands of others in the Palm Sunday procession.

In many ways, it was surreal. At one point, I said to one of the delegation, "We are about to actually enter Jerusalem while waving palms." Now I have no need to know that "this is exactly where Jesus walked," but to be Jesus-Was-Here adjacent was pretty cool. All those years of waving our skinny palm leaves while standing in pews pales in comparison to the monstrous palms that we waved as we made our way from the Mount of Olives to the Old City.

In some ways, it was like the Palm Sundays I have known all my life, where just underneath the parade and jubilation, there was pain, injustice, and pending suffering about to be inflicted upon the people by an empire grasping for life. Only this time, we did not have to use our imagination, speak in colorful metaphors, or convince folks that all was not as it seemed.

The evidence was all around us...

• Exclusion: What you cannot see from the feature picture is that most of the people in the processional are internationals. Absent were the thousands of Palestinian Christians who applied for permits to enter East Jerusalem for Holy Week and were denied by the Israeli Government. Now, before anyone tries to rationalize why they would deny Christians to enter the Holy City during Holy Week, the answer is simply, "Because they can."
• Intimidation: As you can also see in the photo, Israeli Occupation Forces were constantly surveilling the march from the rooftops and the ground. The biggest weapons of occupation are not the guns, but the intimidation. And yes, the answer to the question, "Why?" is again, "Because they can." And yes, the banner is complete with the white Jesus on a donkey. Colonizers gonna colonize.
• Foreshadowing: While the Israeli government would like the world to believe Israel is the only country in the region where all faiths are welcome and can practice freely under occupation, this is simply not true. Not only are there Christian celebrations in other countries, but Holy Week in Palestine is the most violent time of the year for Christians. This walk felt a little like an act of defiance, because soon, the threatened authorities would clamp down. During our time, we saw people beaten, harassed, and arrested for simply trying to go to church on Easter. Do not believe the propaganda. We were there and the violence is real.

Palm Sunday holds in tension both our joy at the coming of some kind of "savior" and the reality that this savior does not show up in the ways we had wanted or expected. And once the realities become evident, it is too late. The Jesus who comes to challenge authority and lift up the oppressed is killed; not because he had to be, but because the empire saw him as a threat that had to be eliminated. And sadly, the crowd that was cheering for him just days before would now call for his death.

It is with the holy and the horrible of the day churning in my soul in a time of war that I offer this week's prayer.

For Palm and Passion Sunday in the Midst of War #LetUsPray

Holy One, the world is filled with
beauty and brokenness
sorrow and celebration
and the holy and the horrific

As we tenderly hold the tensions of life
from the depths of our struggles
to the heights of our joy
remind us that you are here

And in a time of war
when humans are killing humans
when land is ravaged
and when hatred is multiplied
grant us the humility to know
all are worthy of Your love

For the nations of the world, we give thanks
for the beauty of their land
for the complexity of their people
and for the richness of their history

For the nations of the world, we lament
the ease with which we justify bloodshed
seeking of domination over one another
and stoking the fires of generational hatred

For the nations of the world, we hope
they will reexamine the futility of war
they will seek the global common good
and they will choose the way of peace

and

For those who hold power, we give thanks
for answering the call to public service
for their steadfastness in times of chaos and strife
and for the communities that share them with the world

For those who hold power, we lament
the gluttony that fuels oppression
the hubris that emboldens violence
and the cowardice that corrodes character

For those who hold power, we hope
they will have the courage to change directions
they will bless, feed, and clothe their enemies
and they will choose the way of peace

and

For those caught in the in-between, we give thanks
for glimpses of joy in between the bombings
for communities that bear one another's burdens
and for visions and dreams that are stronger than war

For those caught in the in-between, we lament
participating in acts of war and violence
allowing hate and judgment to infest our souls
and cherishing borders more than siblings on the other side

For those caught in the in-between, we hope
they encounter the holy more than the horrific
they live to love the many generations to come
and they soon know the day when peace has prevailed

For these things I pray

— AMEN

Peace,

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LITURGY AND PREACHING PROMPTS

Sunday, March 29, 2026: Palm Sunday

RCL Year A Readings (NRSV): Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 | Matthew 21:1-11
NL434 Readings (CEB): John 19:16-22 (Opt.: John 12:12-27) | Psalm 24

In writing liturgy, I attempt to be economical with words while addressing the events of the day in ways that help people find grounding in their faith. For readings, I refer to the Vanderbilt Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) and The Narrative Lectionary from The Working Preacher (NL). Paid Subscribers should please feel free to use any of the liturgical resources with or without attribution.