The Triumphal Entry
Holy week begins today with Palm Sunday. President Hunter said:
On Palm Sunday, and next week on Easter Sunday, our minds turn very naturally to wonderful thoughts of Jesus. Indeed, Easter, along with perhaps Christmas, may be the only time in the whole year that some of our brothers and sisters in Christ’s flock find their way to church. That is admirable, but we wonder if thoughts of Jesus, which “with sweetness [fill our] breast,” ought not to be far more frequent and much more constant in all times and seasons of our lives. How often do we think of the Savior? How deeply and how gratefully and how adoringly do we reflect on his life? How central to our lives do we know him to be?
For example, how much of a normal day, a working week, or a fleeting month is devoted to “Jesus, the very thought of thee”? Perhaps for some of us, not enough.
Surely life would be more peaceful, surely marriages and families would be stronger, certainly neighborhoods and nations would be safer and kinder and more constructive if more of the gospel of Jesus Christ “with sweetness” could fill our breasts.
Unless we pay more attention to the thoughts of our hearts, I wonder what hope we have to claim that greater joy, that sweeter prize: someday his loving “face to see/ And in [his] presence rest.”
Every day of our lives and in every season of the year (not just at Easter time), Jesus asks each of us, as he did following his triumphant entry into Jerusalem those many years ago, “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?” (Matt. 22:42.)
We declare that he is the Son of God, and the reality of that fact should stir our souls more frequently. I pray that it will, this Easter season and always.
A favourite Palm Sunday hymn (that I got to sing as part of a choir with the brass and orchestra recently) is All People That On Earth Do Dwell. It was arranged by the fabulous English composer Ralph Vaughn Williams for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. I love hymns of praise and hope you enjoy it too.
All People That On Earth Do Dwell
All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell;
come ye before him and rejoice.
Know that the Lord is God indeed;
without our aid he did us make;
we are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.
O enter then his gates with praise;
approach with joy his courts unto;
praise, laud, and bless his name always,
for it is seemly so to do.
For why! the Lord our God is good;
his mercy is forever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.
I read the whole of President Hunter’s talk. Thank you for posting this, and for posting the link. I love Holy Week, and I am sorry Mormons don’t do more with it, but I love that talk, and the song is lovely.
Thanks for all you do for holidays, Rebecca. You rock.
Comment by hero — April 5, 2009 @ 1:34 am
I have always preferred Easter to Christmas. Growing up in both the Catholic and Protestant denominations, there was always a lot of pomp and ritual, begining with Shrove Tuesday and continuinig through Easter Sunday. I loved the fact that church was packed- because even casual Catholics knew they better show up on Easter. In my early days after conversion, when I first discovered that nothing special was done during this time, I continued to incorporate it because I love it. We don’t do crosses, I know, but I have an Irish cross that has been in my family for so many years, it came in the boat with my great-grandfather. So, some of my LDS friends have asked why I still have a cross hanging and what are the green things (later dried to a cream color) stuck behind it. They are the palms I continue to collect on Palm Sunday, behind the cross that carried my great-grandfather to America.
In my estimation, there are some rituals worth bringing along for the ride.
Comment by Kimberly — April 5, 2009 @ 6:42 am
Thanks for this, Rebecca. Sorry for the threadjack, but I thought of something I want to share. In YW, we are frustrated that there isn’t an Easter lesson, so we decided to skip Lesson 2 in the manual in January (on the Atonement) and teach it on Easter Sunday instead. That way we’ll get to talk about the Savior this Sunday and why we celebrate Easter.
Comment by Stephanie — April 5, 2009 @ 10:29 am
This is a topic that frustrates me. I usually go to a different church for Easter and Christmas, usually the catholic church that I grew up in. I got tired of going to the mormon church on christmas and easter, and nothing was talked about regarding the important holidays. I don’t want to hear about tithing all during sacrament meeting on easter, or fullfilling vt/ht on christmas. I want to hear about Jesus.
Comment by Liz — April 5, 2009 @ 2:13 pm
growing up LDS we always had huge Easter and Christmas pageant Sundays. I think it’s something that has been pushed out. There were several members in my ward growing up that were professional musicians and we’d have strings, brass, and woodwinds for the Hallelujah and such. But now, if it isn’t a funeral dirge and in the hymn book it’s evil.
Comment by Mother In Heaven's girl — April 5, 2009 @ 2:24 pm
Regarding music in the services: Yeah, I think we have been corrected to a course of being over prudish and conservative. I think the logic behind it is basically, “you give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile.” Regarding music, my big pet peeve is the presiding person in the meetings who constantly has to get up there and shorten the hymn. “First and last verses only!!” (Woo hoo, aren’t I a tough guy–It’s Sunday, got a schedule to maintain here). I’m to the point of, well if we are that tight on time let’s just skip the hymn and go straight to the closing prayer. Or even better, stop the rambling talks or thankimonies so we can dedicate an extra 2 mins to a song! That after all is some of the more spiritual parts of the meetings.
Incidentally, on my mission we met on the same floor of a building as another Christian church. They were an interesting group of people mostly very kind. Their meeting was basically a heavy metal rock concert. We changed our meeting time to avoid the distraction of the loud music, but they then changed it to be at the same time as ours. So, that’s where relations soured a bit, but we worked it out finally. I have this sneaking feeling that the Church is very conscientious of not being a concert free for all.
Comment by Trevor — April 5, 2009 @ 9:54 pm
#3 - I’m in YW and our Pres decided we’d skip a lesson and have an Easter Lesson. I get to teach it, which I’m really happy about!
Re: music. I hate it when hymns are cut short because of time. They’[re just as important if not more so than talks - they’re the part of our worship that is really communal.
Comment by Rebecca — April 6, 2009 @ 3:24 am
#5 I remember programs in Sunday school when I was growing up. I also remember sacrament meeting programs at Christmas and Easter as recently as a couple of years ago. It seems the choir has often been in charge of these programs in wards where I have lived. The church has also sponsored sunrise services most years.
I am a little surprised that Easter services are not more wide spread. Maybe it is a result of more local control. Salt Lake doesn’t send our programs anymore. I wish we had lessons on the atonement on Easter. That would be nice.
Comment by Claudia — April 6, 2009 @ 10:31 am
I wish we had lessons on the atonement on Easter. That would be nice.
Mention it to your bishopric - in an email if you must - I think they’ll be guilted right into it.
Thanks for the post Rebecca. This is my favorite week!
Comment by CJ Douglass — April 6, 2009 @ 11:20 am
Those are the things I miss most about the High Church Episcopal church I attended as a young adult: the ritual and liturgy at Easter and Christmas. Easter is actually considered the most important holy day in the Christian calendar, even though many people celebrate Christmas much more.
Christmas Eve midnight mass and the Easter Vigil both began an hour or so before midnight on the eve of the holy day, timed perfectly so that at the stroke of midnight it was time for the “Gloria” to be sung, with lights which were dimmed at the beginning of the service being suddenly brought to full, the organ playing a boisterous and glorious introduction, and dozens of acolytes hurrying in from the sacristy to decorate the sanctuary with what seemed like hundreds of pots of flowers — poinsettias and evergreens for Christmas, Easter Lilies for Easter.
The excitement and the unspeakable joy, after 4 weeks of quiet reflection in Advent or 6 weeks of penitence and denial during Lent, were a palpable reminder of the meaning of the day. After another hour and a half or two hours of celebrating Solemn High mass with incense and candles and hymns and chant and renaissance antiphons and glorious choral renditions of the ordinary of the mass, we’d all drift home, exhausted and happy and feeling every bit a part of the season and celebration.
Comment by Lorian — April 6, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
I was so glad that Palm Sunday received mention during GC this weekend! Thanks for doing this, Rebecca. As hero aptly noted, you rock!
Comment by Janet — April 6, 2009 @ 4:32 pm
One of the shocks of being in this church was having a fast Sunday declared on Easter (it was the first Sunday of the month; member calls to the Stake forced a change) and meetings on a Sunday that was Christmas Day when our Bishop declared that only manual lessons could be taught as he had received no other directive from SLC. And so it was; not a word about our Savior’s birth and his life and ministry that led to our Atonement was mentioned that Christmas day.
The unquestioning obedience of those who attended that Christmas Day and ignored the commemoration and celebration of our Savior’s birth, while in His church, was troubling to me and very disturbing to my non-member-investigator husband. Member friends tried to allay our concerns by saying everyone would be celebrating at home.
A few weeks ago, while attending my husband’s church, the pastor gave a sermon that explained the timeline of the gradual reintegration and acceptence of Holy Week and Lenten traditions into protestant worship following the Reformation when most churches did away with all things Roman Catholic. He then preached on the importance of Lenten sacrifice and discipline (originating from the word disciple), be it spiritual or physical.
So, I think there is hope that the younger among the protestant brethren, the LDS, will gradually include Advent, Lenten and Holy week traditions and celebrations into their worship schedule.
It would certainly help in assuring converts, investigators and onlookers that Christ is indeed at the heart of this, the Church of Jesus Christ.
As for me I am a faithful LDS but I do keep Advent and Holy Week. And in so doing I have found my faith enriched and my home blessed.
Comment by mel — April 7, 2009 @ 12:41 pm
I think I said this last year around this time, but I am grateful that our worship services are simple on Easter and Christmas. If they were not, it would mean that members of the ward would be more involved and busy on those days, which would take them away from their families. I like that meetings, activities, etc. are kept to a minimum so that we can celebrate and worship in our own families.
Comment by Stephanie — April 7, 2009 @ 1:05 pm
I don’t think that the fact that we don’t hold extra worship services means that the other holy days need to be ignored.
Comment by Stephanie — April 7, 2009 @ 1:06 pm
I agree that it is ironic that we in the Church tend to really celebrate Christmas and give somewhat short shrift to Easter (particularly since the celebration of Christmas has largely become a secular holiday).
In an effort to try to give it more meaning, we have tried going to interdenominational celebrations and services in addition to our own, and also to participate in a modified Seder, the Jewish feast of the Passover. Easter has historically had an implied connection to the Passover, and participating in this gives us a greater sense of the connection of our faith to that of ancient Israel. It can also have special significance to we of the LDS faith, as part of the Seder looks forward to the coming of Elijah, and this gives us a chance to consider the fact that Elijah has come, and look to what meaning that has for us. Finally, given the lack of a strong tradition of religious celebration of Easter, this helps us to ground at least one holiday in a firmly religious celebration.
For those interested in learning more about how to create a Seder celebration for Christians, here is a good resource.
Comment by Derek — April 7, 2009 @ 1:50 pm