"The (willow) branch beats you, not I beat you, Pascha is one week from today!"This is how Ukrainians and other Slavs greet each other after the Divine Liturgy on Palm Sunday. They do this while tapping each other with blessed willow branches that represent the branches used to welcome our Lord during His entrance into Jerusalem the week before his Passion.
Palm Sunday Troparion (Tone 1) O Christ God, when You raised Lazarus from the dead, before the time of your passion, you confirmed the future resurrection of all. We too, like the children of old, carry before You the symbols of your triumph and victory and cry out to You, the Conqueror of Death: "Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"
Writing Assignment:
Imagine that you are Lazarus having dinner with Jesus and your sisters after rising from the dead. What would you say? Please post a reply with your answer.
1 comment:
I can't imagine being in Lazarus' shoes. Part of me would be grateful to have an opportunity to live a little longer on the earth, and the other part of me would be wondering if this was really a good idea on Jesus' part. John 12:10 says that the cheif priests were plotting to kill Lazarus as well! First I die from sickness, and then I'm brought back only to have the religious leaders considering how they might murder me!
Maybe I would say something like, "Thanks for bringing me back to life; but now PLEASE PRAY that I can live long enough to do something with the life you restored to me!"
I think if Jesus had just raised me from the dead, I would feel pretty confident in the effectiveness of His prayers :-)
Art
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