Those Who Go Before

Today, I visited one of my favorite long-term care communities.  As we settled in and watched the rain come down, we talked of anointing one another with our love just like the falling rain.   We talked of Mary anointing Jesus' feet in John 12. Some of these dear people no longer speak, but several  were nodding their heads in agreement. Anita, who still struggles with the idea that God's love is for her, wept as she often does, and said, "That is amazing."  So we sang, "Amazing Grace." A  younger woman who had declined to join us at the table saying she preferred to stay where she was, joined in from the far corner with a surprisingly strong voice.  I asked her if she sang regularly.  "Oh, no," she replied. However, she continued to sing with us as we made our way through several hymns, and even some much beloved Christmas carols.  

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and the cheeriness of these services does confuse me.   However, today when I read the "Weekly Seeds" reflection that comes from the United Church of Christ, I felt a little more clarity. In her reflection,  Rev. Kate Matthews reminded me that there were those who made a way for Jesus. They walked with him, cooked for him, ate with him, listened to him, anointed him. They were not the ones who cried out for his crucifixion, but rather they were the ones who simply laid down what they had for his ride into Jerusalem: palm fronds, a few garments, and tears. Maybe that faithful love is what we are celebrating. As I said my good-byes to the community today and walked out the front door, I gave thanks for the tenderness that always greets me there.  The rain stopped for a few minutes, and I spotted two tattered, rain soaked palm fronds lying by the front door.  

  

None of us go alone. 

 

 

"This week, as we stumble toward Jerusalem, we can rely on God's grace to carry us every step of the way. On this Palm Sunday, though (with or without palms), in this one moment, we can make a way for Jesus, we can throw our cloaks on the ground and sing our songs of praise, and trust the unknown future to the God who works good in every circumstance and in every, holy week of our lives."     

 Rev. Kate Matthews