Pastor's Page: ALL GLORY, LAUD, AND HONOR (Palm Sunday)

Pastor’s Take-Away

Our processional hymn is ancient, written by Theodolph of Orleans (A.D. 820). It celebrates Jesus’ coronation as king over God’s kingdom, reflected in Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The Triumphal Entry is ironic in that five days later this same Jesus was crucified as a pathetic pretender to the throne. The irony was not lost on Theodolph since this piece celebrating of God’s rule was written while he himself was imprisoned.

There is a strong tension between the confident assertion of God’s kingship and the sin that pervades our humanity. As Longfellow wrote, despite life’s chaos, illness, grief, and death, the Christmas bells peal loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Jesus himself declared that the kingdom is indeed come in his own person as he raised the dead, healed disease, and cast out demons. All this reflects the inauguration of the kingdom. Christ’s death might have falsely flagged his own defeat, but his resurrection guarantees the future culmination of the kingdom when God will wipe away every tear;

Theodolph’s hymn became popular in medieval times. Christians would celebrate Palm Sunday by gathering outside the city gates. Children would sing the verses, and the crowds echo the refrain “All glory, laud, and honor to thee redeemer king.” The city gates would then open to the crowd and the worshipers would proceed to the parish church or cathedral.

But the tradition is even more ancient. The text behind the events of Palm Sunday come from Psalm 24:

Lift up your heads, you gates;

    lift them up, you ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?

    The Lord Almighty—

    he is the King of glory.

We think that the ancient Israelites enacted this text in worship, like medieval worshipers. The king and his entourage outside of the city would call for the gates to be opened, and the gate keepers would ask who this glorious person is, with the crowd responding that he is the glorious king.

So also in today’s service, we open up the gates of our hearts to welcome Jesus Christ, God’s own Son who brings to us the kingdom of God.

Pastor Jim