Palm Sunday

"Crucify Him!"  the interactive Gospel with the Passion has us shout.  "Crucify Him!"  It always strikes a bit close to home during Holy Week, because each time I sin, that's what I'm doing, shouting "Crucify Him!"  You see, Christ died for our sins, so each sin, it's as if I'm again calling for Him to be put upon the cross. 

It's a morbid thought, perhaps, but one of two that came with this Palm Sunday and one I have time to put into writing only now.  The other is just a thought that's been bugging me a lot lately; how we've lost a sense of the sacred in modern western Christianity.  As we read and hear the Gospel on Palm Sunday, we hear about Christ's entrance into Jerusalem, with people laying down their cloaks and even the leaves from trees (such as palms) so that the lowly beast of burden He rode wouldn't have to touch the dirt; how the people sang "Hosanna" at this triumphal appearance of a man so many considered to be a prophet.  It would have to be quite a sight to behold, and it's not a sight we would probably see anywhere today.

Partially, it's cultural, or so I would suspect.  But also, we're losing a sense of the sacred and becoming more corporate, more secular, in worship.  "Sanctuary" is now "Auditorium".  "Campus" has replaced "church", the building, not the body of believers. The "altar" becomes "the stage".  "Gatherings" replace "worship service", "Mass", etc.   Becoming "relevant" to people has placed Jesus in the backseat, or so it often seems.  I don't know, maybe it's just me. 

And maybe I'm just tired of hearing Evangelical non-denominational folks tell me things like "Prayer isn't important" or "If we talk about Hell, we'll drive people away" or my personal favorite for vomit inducing, "God wants you to be rich!  If ya ain't prospering, ya ain't right with God.  Give us money now!"  Or Catholics saying, "We need to modernize the Mass" or "Maybe if we just add some rock music" or "The liturgy is the source and summit of our faith!".

Do you know the source and summit of my faith?  Jesus, the Christ.  Do you know what I consider "relevant"?  Jesus, and His death and resurrection.  And so I find myself pondering, if Jesus were to walk into an American church tomorrow, would he be welcomed in such a way that His feet would not touch the ground?  Or would we all think ourselves so far above Him?