Palm Sunday: joyful celebration with an underlying soundtrack that warns of coming sadness. Even with adorable kids dressed in their Sunday best waving palms and shouting “Hosanna,” it can be hard to experience delight when we know what the week holds for Jesus. Accusation, trials, beatings, rejection, crucifixion . . . . When we know all that is only a few days away, we might almost feel guilty for clapping joyfully along with the crowd
West Side Story aka Romeo and Juliet
When I was a teenager, I saw the movie West Side Story for the first time. This Romeo and Juliet remake is the 1961 film adaptation of a Broadway play by the same title. The first time I saw the movie, I didn’t know how it would end so it caught me off guard. (SPOILER ALERT: It was a Romeo and Juliet remake, for goodness sake!)
You should know, thanks to chronic depression, I avoid sad movies. For me, the sadness lingers too long and feels too real. Back when I saw West Side Story though, I had not fully realized the importance of staying away from dramas of the tragedy variety.
So, yes, it is bitterly sad, but the music is so delightful—plus, it stars Rita Moreno and Natalie Wood—so I allowed myself to watch it a second time. I figured since I knew the ending, it would not be as hard to watch. But knowing in advance was so much worse! I kept bracing myself for the heartbreaking end; I couldn’t enjoy the music as much because I knew that the singing would come to a painful stop. I put myself through that madness more times than I want to admit; each time, the sense of foreboding deepened. And each time I wished that the ending somehow could be different.
Palm Sunday: Celebration & Sadness
Palm Sunday is kind of like that for me. I love seeing the kids waving the palms and celebrating the triumphal (ish) entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It’s just that I know what’s coming. I know that Jesus has a long week ahead that will not be marked by praise and thanksgiving, but by violence and rejection. I keep bracing myself for the coming trial and crucifixion.
I want to shout to Jesus, perched as he is on his young mount, “Don’t believe it! It’s not real! They’ll turn against you Jesus! Run while you still can!”
But then I hear Jesus reach through time, whispering, “Stop and listen! Listen to the joy. Listen to the hope. Yes, pain is coming. There will always be pain. But in this moment, lift your voice and sing! Sing because you can. Sing with all creation. Sing, because there will be plenty of time for weeping. Today, we celebrate!”