City Called Heaven

"Hosanna!" we cry, which technically means "save us" but which everybody thinks means glory. And the guy on the donkey makes his way towards the end which awaits anyone on the wrong side of corrupt power. Save us, Lord, from paving your way with delusions of grandeur and false hopes. Deliver us, Lord, from despair when these are dashed, and return again to us with the witness of new life in Christ, who vanquished death and sin not by flight, not by fight, but by confronting evil with true righteousness. Thank you, Lord, for the grace to follow in your footsteps, to the cross and beyond, this week and for all the days to come. Amen. Hosanna , by Ann Pearson

St. Mark, Evangelist April 25 Isaiah 52:7-10 Psalm 57 2 Timothy 4:6-11, 18 Mark 1:1-15 Each evangelist has a distinctive voice in telling the story of Jesus. Each knew the story in a particular way, and wrote it down at a specific time and with an audience in mind. Each had their own idea about how this story was important, and their own style or “flair” in the way they told it. Mark is known for his suddenness, the way things happen quickly, decisively, even imperatively. Count the times in your translation he marks transitions with “suddenly,” “immediately,” and how many things “must” happen. From almost the first moment to the last, the story moves Jesus through the lands of Israel to Jerusalem. If, as scholars think, Mark was the first to write the story of Jesus’ passion, he is the original source for “the greatest story ever told,” and thus an all-time bestseller. The Gospel of Mark is full of surprises, and perhaps more than any other canonical gospel, causes its readers to wond...