Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Mark 11:1-11  Palm Sunday
How many years do you suppose we've had a children's procession here on Palm Sunday? At least 35 as that's how long Julie and I have been here. But I'm sure it is longer than that. But these last two years... no procession, no parade with palms. And that's sad. But there was always a little part of me that wondered about that parade, about recreating the entrance into Jerusalem that Passover week. Because the people shouting “Hosanna” on Sunday were shouting “Crucify him” on Friday.
​Now I don't want to join the current trend of cancel culture; finding something wrong seemingly with every tradition we have held dear for many years. The enthusiasm, the excitement, the smiles (of kids and adults) added much to our worship experience. And we like to imagine ourselves in that group of people who were excited to follow Jesus. And we are in that group today. We worship the Lord upon whom we build our faith.  

​A Swiss driver ended up in the garbage after plunging 30 feet into a bunker at a green recycling centre. Police say the 65-year-old motorist did something that all drivers must be in fear of - hit the accelerator instead of the brake. This resulted in him shooting off the edge, as he backed up, into the trash below at the refuse centre in Bazenheid, Switzerland. Firefighters had to winch shocked Heiner Mollard to safety for treatment for cuts and bruises. To add insult to injury, Mr Mollard was fined the equivalent of £50 [$75 USD] by the garbage site owners for leaving an "inappropriate item" in a recycling bin. Garbage men, sanitation engineers, trash collectors…whatever you choose to call them, the people who remove our rubbish are unsung heroes. They take care of what others shun—the smelly, discarded, unusable waste of life. Only a crazy person would chase after a truck and try and grab their garbage back out because that person could not simply part with it. Yet spiritually that is what we do all the time. We cling to what’s hurt us. We haul around the wrongs that God has already forgiven. We hold on to regrets. Then, we open our trash bags and paw through them