Sun. Mar. 16, 2008 (J. Evan Kreider)

Evan Kreider spoke to us from the lectionary texts for the day to emphasize the turmoil and strangeness of the time in Jerusalem that Jesus rode into. The politics were extremely uncertain, with various factions battling for control of the Temple and for Jerusalem, while the population was on a hair-trigger, as at a modern-day football game, always ready to offer calls of encouragement or castigation with only a moment to change their minds. Paradox was the order of the day in Jerusalem, and Evan drew vivid pictures of the events for us. Two thousand years later, we recognize the perceptiveness of those who followed Jesus’ call, and can do no less than honour the same today, on Palm Sunday. [AP]