The Separation

The doors open, and children begin to walk down the center of the aisle, to the middle of the sanctuary.  They are more restrained than usual: they have a big responsibility to do.  Each one, from the oldest boy to the littlest girl, holds a palm branch high above their head.  As they reach the center of the sanctuary, they gather around the altar, and begin to sing a song.  As the song continues, the children begin to pass their palm branches around the sanctuary, calling the rest of us to the altar.  

One is passed to me, and I make my way towards the altar, remembering the first time I had this experience.  My eyes are closed in worship, and my palm branch is high above my head, Hosanna! Hosanna to the King.  I think of the first time this happened.  What it must have been like to be so close to Jesus. I think.  Oh, that I could have experienced that.  I open my eyes and am greeted by the separation. 

It is tall, wooden, and it surrounds the Lord's table in the center of the sanctuary.  The Separation.  

Because we sit in a circle, it's normal to look across the sanctuary during church and see the faces of brothers and sisters worshiping God.  But not during Lent.  During Lent, the separation is put up to remind us that, if not for Christ's death and resurrection, we would be separated from God.  That, apart from the blood of Christ, we are separated.  

And then I thought about the Triumphal Entry again.  This is what it was like for them.  They were physically close to Jesus, but they didn't really know him.  They were separated. One day they call for Jesus to save them, and just a few days later, they call for his murder.

I stood there and contemplated this, and its reflection in my own life.  Even though, through the blood of Christ, the separation is gone.  I live like it's still there.  

After we returned to our seats, we read the liturgy together.  It went through the story of holy week, and together, as a congregation, our response shifted: in the beginning, we were to reply "Hosanna to the Son of David." and by the end "Crucify Him. Crucify Him. Crucify Him." 

Dear friends, how often is this very drama repeated in our lives?  How often do we live the life of one separated from Christ, even though we have been brought near?  As we reflect this week on what Christ has done, let us strive to understand the realness of the separation, and the depth, beauty, and sufficiency of Christ to bring us near, that on Easter, we may truly realize what it is we celebrate.  

The God of the universe, the savior of the world, has eliminated the separation and brought us near to Himself.