Holy Week: Palm Sunday Afternoon - The Cross Walk

Since my wife and I first participated in the annual Cross Walk for the Oregon Trail Cluster of the ELCA, it has become an important event of Holy Week for us. It is a unique ministry. Church members and pastors follow a pre-planned route and carry a cross in a local neighborhood. At stops along the route each church leads the group in brief words appropriate to the service provided by those within the selected building. For instance, if it is a fire station, prayers would be spoken, appreciation would be given, and songs would be sung for the firemen. Those members of the church that lead are then responsible to carry a good sized cross to the next location.

At 2:30 PM, my family headed for Zion Lutheran Church in Oregon City. The rain, which was threatening all day, begins once we are underway. Mary is recovering from being sick. Both of us remember last year’s Cross Walk when it poured down rain for the entire event. Mary asks me to promise to stop her if from the temptation to walk in the rain because she is worried she will become sick again if she does. Fortunately the weather clears when we pull up to the church.

David Biggam is already in the church, ready for the initial service, and Pastor Dayle arrives as well. Both have been a part of the Cross Walks that we have attended over the years. While we are waiting for the service to begin David notes, “This doesn’t excite as many people in our congregation as the church auction or other fund raisers. I am not sure why.” Something in his thoughtful gaze and his voice shows how important this ministry of walking out into the community is for him.

Why this is a powerful experience for all of us is certainly unique to each individual and, at least for my wife and I, varies from year to year.

The first year we chose to attend there was a large group of people. The weather was beautiful. There were so many people Sunday traffic was stopped and cars waited while we crossed streets. The power that year came in what this demonstrated to the community outside of the participants. This was doing something unusual. It was easy to imagine pedestrians and drivers pausing to consider what they were seeing.

Last year the focus shifted to the endurance of the group. Many did not have umbrellas or waterproof coats to protect themselves from wind and rain. When carrying the cross umbrellas were useless anyway, and water penetrated the coats. The waterlogged cross was heavy and awkward. I know my wife and I, had we been alone, would have left for comfort and shelter as soon as the heavy rain started. However; the strength of those around us, as they persevered, kept us on the walk until the end.

This year there was no rain and we were thankful. There was also a much lighter turnout and there was speculation if it was due to last year’s experience. We walked the area where the Oregon Trail ended and, in beauty and the quiet of a peaceful Sunday afternoon, it was the songs the group sang stood out for me today.

As each of us sang these very familiar songs, it emphasized the community we share in common with one another that has developed over years of worship. The qualities that contributed to the strength of the songs is hard to breakout and describe. The group was small and the individual voices were clear. We sang songs of faith; we sang outdoors without any musical accompaniment and there was a beautiful vulnerability in that sound.

Music is important to our church, but I must admit I don’t often recognize those moments when the music is moving beyond the ears of those who could possibly be listening. That was what I felt with the songs. It didn’t matter who was listening, these songs were reverent messages to God. Once again, the power of the Cross Walk was overwhelming.