Difficult Transitions - April 10, 2022 - Palm Sunday

Recorded Worship on YouTube

Luke 19:28-40

Deborah Laforet

Difficult Transitions

Let us pray.  May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by the Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day.  Amen.

At our Church Council meeting in December, a decision was made to close the church again.  We had only opened two months before, but the COVID numbers were increasing and people were beginning to feel that gathering people for worship, especially on Christmas Eve, was not a good idea.  I don’t mind telling you that I was devastated.  I completely understood and completely supported the decision of made, but I also had been looking forward to being in this space on Christmas Eve, sharing the magic of the evening and the sacredness of the story.  Instead I was forced to re-imagine worship for Christmas Eve and, for the second year in a row, sat in front of my computer on December 24th, offering worship, attempting to share the magic and the sacred story, through a computer screen.

I then discovered that I also would not be going to Michigan to see my family and that we would not be travelling to see Jeff’s family either.  It was going to be another holiday spent at home.  I share this knowing that many of you have also had to cancel plans and shift during this pandemic.  They always feel like abrupt transitions, even though we have tried not to make plans too far ahead or get our hope up through this pandemic.  

Even now, as Easter comes close, as plans are made for Anniversary Sunday, and as COVID numbers rise, I am holding my breath, crossing my fingers, and saying some prayers, that we don’t have shut down, like we did last year, just before Easter.

Transitions are hard, especially when they are unexpected and unwanted.  Today, we celebrate the grand entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem.  We read how he rode a donkey, how people cheered, waved palms, and shouted “Hosanna!”  It was wonderful to have a couple of children here, passing out our palm leave, and then waving them during our first hymn.  It’s interesting to have such a day when we know what’s coming.  It’s an abrupt transition from Palm Sunday, to Holy Thursday, when Jesus questions his fate, and then is arrested, and then, the next day, whipped, mocked, and the awful death on that cross.  I imagine that even though Jesus told his disciples what was coming, that they still felt whiplash from the change of events, from palm branches to a crown of thorns, from triumphant entrances to secret arrests, from crowds celebrating Jesus to crowds calling for his death.

These abrupt transitions can happen at any time in our lives.  It might be the loss of a job, We or someone we love might receive bad news from the doctor.  Someone close to us dies, which, no matter how long it takes, feels abrupt.  We may be involved in a car accident or a tree might fall on our house.  Life changes can happen so quickly, with no warning at all.

What do we do?  How do we cope?  The disciples ran away.  They were afraid.  After the death of their teacher, they locked themselves in a room, waiting for it all to blow over.  Most of us don’t have the option to run away.  

There are a variety of ways we cope.  We seek professional help.  We cry.  We talk to friends.  We fight back.  Sometimes we run away.  Today though I want to talk about community. 

I read a book recently, written by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry called, “What Happened To You?”  It’s about how trauma affects people, especially as children, how it affects our brain, and therefore our behaviour, and how we can change how that trauma effects us and change our lives.   The book is a conversation between Dr. Perry  and Oprah.  

Dr. Perry says the following about community.  “For thousand and thousands of years, humans lived in small intergenerational groups.  There were no mental health clinics - but there was plenty of trauma.  I assume that many of our ancestors experienced post-traumatic problems: anxiety, depression, sleep disruptions.  But I also assume that they experienced healing.  Our species could not have survived if a majority of our traumatized ancestors lost their capacity to function well.”

Three of the pillars of healing Dr Perry mentions are 1) a connection to clan and the natural world, 2) regulating rhythm through dance, drumming, and song, and 3) a set of beliefs, values, and stories that bring meaning to even senseless, random trauma.

And where can we find all three of these pillars?

Oprah responded with this: “When I was living in Nashville with my father, I accepted a job as a reporter for a television station in Baltimore.  As I was preparing to leave my family and the life I knew, my father’s advice to me was, ’Find a church home.’  At the time, I thought it was because he wanted to make sure I kept Jesus in my life.  Looking back now…I realize it wasn’t just about finding a place of worship - it was about finding a community, and discovering true, lasting connection[s]…”  

“The church,” she continues, “was even where we created that healing sense of rhythm.  Our music connected and lifted us.”

“For many people, church isn’t their thing, but everyone needs people who can listen, be present, and make them feel heard and seen…I see that a key to healing from trauma is finding your ‘church home’ - your people, your community.  This can help you build resilience, post-traumatic healing, and ultimately post-traumatic wisdom.”

Jesus built a community around him.  After his death, that community continued on.  They ran in fear, but they ran together.  This community sang together, ate together, made meaning of the death of their teacher and the unexpected new life.  They supported one another and grew in faith and wisdom.

Now, all of you here, in this building or at home watching, obviously find value in a church community.  You value the connectedness, you value your beliefs, you value praying and singing together.  Many of us could tell stories of tragedies in our lives where our church community rallied around us, supported us, listened to us, was present throughout, and helped give meaning to the tragedy.  It might be how many of us have weathered through this pandemic, receiving the regular phone calls, connecting Sunday mornings through worship, caring for each other and this building and our mission, knowing that there were people a moment away that would offer support and prayer if needed.

Now, I’m not saying church communities are perfect.  Far from it.  In fact, all communities have their challenges and all need to grow in love and wisdom, but community is important.  Us humans are hard wired to need one another and to be in community.  No matter how hard we try to live as individuals and to be independent, we need one another.

During this week, I invite you to hear these traumatic stories of Holy Week through the lens of community.  When is the community strong and when does it fall apart?  When is community supportive and present, and when does it fail in its support and presence?  

On this Palm Sunday, and as we enter into Holy Week, we remember that Easter always follows.  Sometimes we sit for a long time between our Good Fridays and Easters.  The disciples may have only had to wait for that third day, but for most of us, Holy Saturday is a time of grieving, of waiting, of crying out, and healing, and can last for, what can feel like, a very long time.  

Our good news though is that Easter is always coming.  New life is always just around the bend.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Deborah Laforet