I Don't Want to Be Part of a Crowd
Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024
Since I’m not currently serving a church, when I woke up this morning I had to confront the dilemma of where, or if, I wanted to go to church for Palm/Passion Sunday. The spirit spoke quite clearly with these words and the new song that came with them: I don’t want to be part of a crowd.
I’ve often thought, and preached, about the irony of the crowds that shouted Hosanna! and the crowds later that same week, of possibly the same people, who shouted Crucify him! And then I thought of the few who stood by and watched a stone roll into place in front of his tomb, and those same few who found that stone rolled away on Easter morning.
Matthew 21:8-11, 24-26
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” …
Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.”
I Don’t Want to Be Part of a Crowd by Nancy Willbanks
I don't want to be part of a crowd that is shouting loud, either Yay or Hosanna. Because I've seen how it goes, Friends turn into foes, yelling boo or crucify him. It's not that I want to walk alone to look at a stone, that is not where it should be. Because we all need true friends, on whom we depend, with us in both joy and sorrow. Walk with me. Pray with me. Let us be in community. We will walk. We will pray. Two or more are here to sing praise.
Reflection Questions:
What if I don’t want to be part of a crowd? How can I satisfy my need for community in a more spacious way?
Contemplative Nature Walk coming soon
One way to satisfy your need for a small community would be to join us for our first Contemplative Nature Walk. I will publish more details soon, but if you’re interested and able to join me and my friend Tom, join us on Sat., April 20, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the Alewife Brook Reservation, Cambridge, MA. I’ll send link to parking and ask you to RSVP so if the weather is bad you’ll know. Rain date is April 27.
I am writing longer reflections that come out on Fridays that go out only via email, and this past Friday, I reflected about how we can talk about loneliness and grief of all sorts and foster the community and resilience to come through the times of grief and isolation. Holy Week is a time that can stir up, should stir up our emotions in remembrance. This longer reflection has articles and songs that support my thinking, and you can read it here.
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