Palm/Peace Sunday Liturgy...imaginative, musical...meditative...POLITICAL...
- Thomas Tittmann
- Mar 29
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 1
Roses instead of lilies...
Entrance Hymn: Palm Sunday
Only performed twice...
"The river so white
The mountain so red
And with the sunshine over my head
The honky-tonks are all closed and hushed
It looks like Palm Sunday again
It looks like Palm Sunday again
It looks like Palm Sunday again"
Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals
John Kahn – bass
Keith Godchaux – piano, vocals
Donna Godchaux – vocals
Maria Muldaur – vocals
Buzz Buchanan – drums
Reading from the book of psARMS
Meditation - 1: Trust the way of peace...there will be an answer...let it be...
Mother Mary is our guide...
And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Let it be, let it be
Yeah, there will be an answer, let it be
First reading: Make peace...not kings
2026 No Kings Day...extended one day:
Palm Sunday...No kings here either...
Lots of web tales about the next-day timing of these two "protests" against the powers of their day.
The Palm Sunday story line reminds us that...
"We have no king but Caesar...but the president...but the..."
"Give us Barabbas..."
The Offering...our true selves...East speaks to West
Buddha and King Story..!
Once a great King decided to go meet Buddha for first time. His wife had been a lay-disciple of Buddha for long time even before she was married to King.
When Buddha came to King’s capital, wife said to King, “It doesn’t look right that when a man like Buddha comes to your capital, you won’t even go to welcome him. Therefore, i am going. When i meet him, he is sure to ask about you. What should is say then?”
King thought for a moment and said, “OK, I will also come to welcome him to our kingdom but i am meeting him for first time, i would like to give him some present.”
King then proudly said, “I have a very precious diamond, no one else have that. If i take it as gift then Buddha will appreciate it.”
Wife started laughing and said, “Rather than diamond, it would be better if you take just a fresh lotus flower from pond. I have known and following him for long, therefore i know that to Buddha lotus flower is more beautiful than a diamond. Buddha is a Sanyasi, what will he do with diamond. It will be an unnecessary burden.”
King replied, “OK, then i will take both and let us see what Buddha will take and who wins.”
Buddha was going to start his morning talks, surrounded by thousand of monks who were waiting to listen to him. Just then King came on his golden chariot to the commune of Buddha.
King stepped out of his chariot and walked toward Buddha. With him he was carrying gift for Buddha. He bowed down to Buddha and offered him the diamond.
Buddha said, “Drop it!!”
King knew that diamond was very precious and it was very difficult for him to drop his diamond. Buddha again said, “Drop it.!”
He hesitated but he was surrounded by thousand of monks and listening to those words, he had no other choice. So King dropped it.
Then King offered the lotus flower to Buddha.
Again Buddha said, “Drop it!!”
King thought, “Is this man crazy?” and dropped lotus flower too.
Buddha said, “Don’t you listen? Drop it.!”
King replied, “But both my hands are empty. Now what do you want me to drop?”
At that moment, one of old disciples of Buddha said,”You don’t understand. Buddha is not asking you to drop things you are holding in your hand.
Buddha is saying – Drop your personality, Drop that your are King, Drop this mask, Be just Human because through the mask it is impossible for Buddha to approach you.”
King never thought about it. But then great silence and King felt something and spontaneously fell at the feet of Buddha.
Now, Buddha said, “That’s what i have been telling you: Drop it. Now sit down. Be just human, here nobody is emperor, nobody is beggar. Here everybody is himself. Just be yourself.”
Meditation - 2: Peace palms...Require our bodies
I searched for "peace psalm" and was led to this Daily Meditation that highlights the importance of our "incarnated" bodies in achieving this peace...
Psalm 23 a political tract?
Here's a teaser...
"While Psalm 23 is beloved for its message of consolation, Diana Butler Bass recounts how she was challenged to read it through the eyes of those who face poverty, food insecurity, injustice, and marginalization."
Source: Next link
"The brilliance of Alter’s approach is made clear in the Psalms. Here Alter is careful to note the structure of the Psalms as well as the ways previous translations have done it a disservice. The Hebraic poetry it entails is incredibly concise and imaginative, and Alter attempts to capture the rich lexicon of bodily images that have often been “interpreted” by other translator’s (and thus distorted)."
Morrison continues to show how Alter's methodology keeps us in the present rather than some future by-and-by state.
"It is also interesting, on that note, to pay attention to the lack of eternal implications in the final line of the psalm. It is not 'forever' but 'for many long days' that I shall dwell in the house of the Lord. Alter stresses that the Christian tendency towards eschatologicalizing everything must be resisted when translating the Hebrew Bible. They had in mind a very 'here and now' perspective, free from the tendency to think in terms of some far off future."
Recessional Songs
"And the people in the neighborhood,
Who would if they only could,
Meet and shake the other's hand,
Work together for the good of the land."
Notice the similarity to these words from the Grateful Dead's "Scarlet Begonias":
"The wind in the willows playing Tea for Two
The sky was yellow and the sun was blue
Strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hand
Everybody is playing in the heart of gold band"
C'mon, Holy Rollers...All Aboard the PEACE TRAIN!!!
Note the "BROOKLYN" tee...
The work of Playing for Change, their Foundation and the world's music makers support communities and their children around the world in bettering their conditions. Thanks to all the world's music makers for also being peacemakers!!!
Peace Train Read Aloud with Cat Stevens
#music #political #PalmSunday #JerryGarciaBand #arms #meditation #Beatles #NoKingsDay #peacemakers #Barabbas #Buddha #CenterForActionAndContemplation #RobertAlter #StephenMorrison #poetry #Psalm23 #RobertHunter #children #CurtisMayfield #CatStevens #PlayingForChange #PeaceTrain
"Wonder"full, as always! Dory Anne ♥️♥️