Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday; the first was the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago. At that time Jerusalem had a normal population of about 50,000, and it at least tripled in size because of the influx of pilgrims celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Agenda:

1. Read "Everyday Simplicity"

2. Journal queries

3. Lent review and simple food plan

4. Egg tree

5. Figgy pudding

1. Read "Everyday Simplicity":

I bought myself this little book, by Robert J. Wicks (2000), as a birthday treat. The subtitle is: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Growth.

Chapter 12 moves on to the next topic: Prayer, which is how we join our spiritual life with our day-to-day life. "As we become naturally aware of God throughout the day, we journey in both worlds simultaneously."

Prayer is divided into 6 building blocks that he calls "a little rule", a set of practices. The first is Enter into Silence - discovering moments of intimacy. 

Practice for this section: Take time in the morning or evening to retreat for silence and solitude. Light a candle as a reminder that I'm being intentional about resting in the presence of the Spirit of Light and Love.

2. Journal queries:
Marcus Borg says this:

“On... Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem from the east in a procession riding on a donkey cheered by his followers. At the same time, a Roman imperial procession of troops and cavalry entered the city from the west, headed by Pilate. Their purpose was to reinforce the Roman garrison stationed near the temple for the season of Passover, when tens (hundreds?) of thousands of Jewish pilgrims filled the city...

Jesus’ mode of entry was symbolic, signifying that the kingdom of which he spoke was a kingdom of peace. According to the prophet Zechariah, the king entering Jerusalem on a donkey was to banish the weapons of war from the land and speak peace to the nations. The kingdom of Rome on the other hand was based on violence and the threat of violence.” 

Marcus Borg sees Palm Sunday as Jesus’ intentional confrontation of the Roman domination. I too am called to speak truth to power and put my faith into action.

Where do I see domination systems today?
What are my intentions for facing them with peaceful actions?

3. Lent review and simple food plan:

At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer, and then take action to bring my vision to fruition.

My theme this year for Lent is Active Hope and Resilience: 

Active Hope requires that I maintain a clear view of reality; identify what I hope for - the direction I’d like things to move in and the values I'd like to express; and take steps to move in that direction.

Resilience is a set of practical skills that allow me to be strong, flexible, creative, hopeful, and positive, and to successfully adapt to stressors, and bounce back from difficult experiences.

 

I'm also fasting from anything processed (packaged cookies, crackers, pasta, candy, canned goods, frozen dinners) as much as possible, and that means I need to cook and bake my own snacks. This week my snack-making plan is:

• Sunday: Make granola bars
• Monday: Make crackers
• Tuesday: Make cookies
• Wednesday: Buy tomato juice
• Thursday: Make yogurt
• Friday: Make hot-cross buns
• Saturday: Hard-boiled duck eggs

4. Set up my egg tree: 

It's an old custom in parts of Europe to make an Easter tree, often on Palm Sunday. Folks find a bare branch from a tree, stick it into a pot or vase of dirt, and hang it with decorated eggs tied on with ribbons. In Switzerland, after the tree is decorated, the children walk around it and make secret wishes.

Each year I hang the pysanky eggs that my family has made over the years; I especially like the simplest eggs made by my children when they were young- over 20 years ago!

5. Make Figgy Pudding: 

This day is called Fig Sunday in parts of England; some people think it's because, shortly after the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus discovers a fig tree with no fruit on it and cursed the tree saying, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” (Matthew 21:18-22, and Mark 11:12-14). 

Scholars have lots of interesting explanations for this gospel, and no matter what the explanation, it seems an odd reason to eat figs today. Still, I get a kick out of the very thought of Figgy Pudding, so I gave it a try- and it turned out very tasty! The recipe is here.