Palm Sunday
Today is Palm Sunday, the celebration of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem during the last week of his life. Today was also a day of "entry" for me. While I've been a member at Trinity since September (one need not be a confirmed Episcopalian to be a full member at Trinity), this was my first Sunday as an acolyte.
The word acolyte comes from the Greek word akoloutheo, which means "to follow" or "to accompany." Basically, an acolyte is one who is an attendant of the priest during religious services. The first mention of acolytes in church history comes from ca. 250. During the middle ages it became one of the minor orders leading to the priesthood. Today in the Episcopal Church an acolyte may serve various functions, such as bearing the processional cross, the torches that light the processional cross and gospel book, or processional banners. They may also help prepare the altar for holy communion or have other preparatory duties. This Sunday I functioned as a torchbearer during the procession, along with other duties.
The procession in the church's ancient form of liturgy marks the beginning of the service, a visible gathering of a people into a place, both of which become holy, because of who is present--Christ. Rather than beginning the service with the common language of our culture ("good morning"), this event is an entry into something different, a time and space of differing quality. All attention is given to the cross and gospel book in procession, both lit by fire to show the community's acknowledgement of their significance, the flames themselves proclaiming "I am the light of the world." These are the holy things of the liturgy, the people's symbols. Christ's presence in and among the people is reflected in the visual symbol of the cross and the community's book. These visual symbols are not holy in and of themselves--the bonded paper and the brass--but are holy because they signify the reality of Christ that is truly present. I have come to appreciate the power of the gospel in visual form.
The word acolyte comes from the Greek word akoloutheo, which means "to follow" or "to accompany." Basically, an acolyte is one who is an attendant of the priest during religious services. The first mention of acolytes in church history comes from ca. 250. During the middle ages it became one of the minor orders leading to the priesthood. Today in the Episcopal Church an acolyte may serve various functions, such as bearing the processional cross, the torches that light the processional cross and gospel book, or processional banners. They may also help prepare the altar for holy communion or have other preparatory duties. This Sunday I functioned as a torchbearer during the procession, along with other duties.
The procession in the church's ancient form of liturgy marks the beginning of the service, a visible gathering of a people into a place, both of which become holy, because of who is present--Christ. Rather than beginning the service with the common language of our culture ("good morning"), this event is an entry into something different, a time and space of differing quality. All attention is given to the cross and gospel book in procession, both lit by fire to show the community's acknowledgement of their significance, the flames themselves proclaiming "I am the light of the world." These are the holy things of the liturgy, the people's symbols. Christ's presence in and among the people is reflected in the visual symbol of the cross and the community's book. These visual symbols are not holy in and of themselves--the bonded paper and the brass--but are holy because they signify the reality of Christ that is truly present. I have come to appreciate the power of the gospel in visual form.
posted by J. Brent Bates | 2:37 PM
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