The Power of Palms - sermon for Palm Sunday

“The Power of  Palms”

Rev. Alison Longstaff, March 29, 2015
Bath Church of the New Jerusalem
Psalm 143 portions; John 12:12–16; HS 7518, 7596 portions

Heavenly Secrets 7518. (Condensed)

"Fists," or palms of the hands, signify power, because the "hands" signify power.  Arms correspond to power; including the shoulders and the hands, right down to the fingers. The reason for this symbolism is that the body exercises its power by means of the shoulders, arms, and hands.

Heavenly Secrets 7596.  (Condensed)

“Spreading out the palms” is a physical gesture or action, which represents a pleading from the heart. There are bodily gestures or actions that correspond to every emotion or feeling. For example, falling down on one's knees corresponds to humility, casting oneself down flat onto the ground corresponds to even an greater personal humility, while a spreading out of one's hands towards heaven corresponds to pleading from the heart, and so on.  In the Word, all described gestures or actions symbolize the actual affections to which they correspond, because they physically express such affections.

[A heads-up.  I will be inviting you to move your arms during the sermon.  I am hoping most of you will be trying what I suggest. In any case, know that I give you permission to do so, to deepen your experience.]

I had my shoulder to the wheel this past week.  I have been giving the Chocolate Church a hand by performing in their “Jubilee” fund-raiser.  So if I haven’t responded to your emails, please don’t think I was giving you the cold shoulder.  Don’t judge me out of hand.  I have had my hands full.  My right hand barely knew what my left hand was doing, I have been so busy.

One thing I love about Bath is its community spirit.  It has a way of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, of walking arm-in-arm, and working hand in hand, when something needs support. I hope no one was close-fisted when it came to buying tickets for the show. Because the 17-degree lean on the Chocolate Church tower is forcing the hand of the building preservation committee. While no one should be reduced to a hand-to-mouth existence by supporting the Chocolate Church (or any church!), it is otherwise all hands on deck!

(With apologies if I been a little heavy-handed with these idioms. But what better way to show you my hand?) 

Here we are on Palm Sunday, and the connection between these hand-shaped leaves and human hands is strong.  Palm branches take their name from their resemblance to human hands. And, as we see illustrated in today’s story, ancient peoples frequently grabbed them and waved them as an extension of the hand, in praise, celebration, and adulation.

We Swedenborgians love symbolism. We know that the study of Biblical symbolism, and indeed all symbolism, can enrich and deepen our understanding of human nature, of the Bible, and of how God works with us.  So pay attention this morning, and open your mind to the remarkable way our language and our bodies reflect our spiritual realities.  Our physical and spiritual realities are far more connected than most people think.

Do you talk with your hands?  Actually, we all do, more than we realize. We hide or show our hands based on how safe and connected we feel.  Fold your arms across your chest.  Your body is saying that you are unwilling to communicate (in most cultures).  Even putting your hands in your pockets can disclose a certain level of disengagement.  If our hands are tied it means we are unable (or unwilling) to get involved at all.

We show our palms to show openness.  Putting both hands over your head, or “hands up,” says around the world that we are unarmed, mean no harm, or even that we surrender.  We are showing that we have no weapons, or that our hands are far away from our weapons.

For this same reason the open palm and open hand symbolize truth and honesty.  Two open palms say, “Trust me.”  “Arms wide open” is a universal expression of welcome and affection.  We are letting someone in to our personal space.

The connection between our bodies and our internal state can be so strong that what we do with our bodies can also change our inner state.  Do you want to feel more closed and defensive?  Cross your arms.  Do you want to feel more relaxed and open? Open your palms. In fact, study subjects who have been told to lie while showing relaxed and open palms had a much harder time not being truthful; and in a separate study, individuals made to open their palms while being questioned were more likely to tell the truth.

So, right now, open your heart space—maybe even set your elbows on the back of the pew. Relax your hands. Uncross your legs. Relax your jaw.  Open your lips slightly.  All of those things happen naturally when we feel open.  Doing these things with your body can actually cue your nervous system that you are safe and relaxed.  (Did you sigh?  Your body was releasing stress.)

Arms crossed over your chest is a defensive posture for a primal reason—you are protecting your heart.  Fists up, shoulders up and head ducked is even more defensive—shielding your neck, chest, and vital organs.  People who feel frightened often hug themselves.  Trauma victims sometimes curl right into a ball.  Our inner state is mirrored in our bodies in a correspondential way.

Spread your fingers, wrists bent back and palms facing up (fingers are pointing away from you, not back over your shoulders).  You are saying, “I’ve got nothing,” or “I don’t know,” aren’t you?  Shrugging your shoulders emphasizes the gesture.  Now with elbows bent slightly, wrists neutral, and palms facing forward, spread your hands. You have put yourself in “orans,” whether your hands are hip-height, waist height, or shoulder-height.  Orans is a posture of prayer and blessing going back to very ancient times. You might notice me holding this posture with one or both hands at the end of this service when I say the prayers and blessings.

If you spread your hands and stretch your arms up high over your head you are probably showing jubilation, joy, and celebration.  You could also be acknowledging a beloved figure or leader. It is as if you are reaching out towards them, asking for connection, blessing, and recognition.  Put palm branches in those hands and your shout of adulation becomes that much more expressive.  Today we use poster-boards or foam hands instead of palm branches in our crowds of greeting and celebration, but the impulse and the meaning are the very same.  We are extending our reach.  We are increasing the volume of our shout of praise and cry of recognition.

If you don’t agree with me, you might look down to find your hands on your hips.

According to Swedenborg, hands, palms, fists, and arms symbolize our power or our “reach.”  They symbolize the expression of what is going on inside us, especially in regard to the intention of our hearts.  The show our friendliness or hostility. They show our interest or disinterest in connection.

Spread one hand, palm facing up, and extend it forward.  This shows supplication.  It is a form of submission or a request for help.  You are handing over your power. Perhaps you are asking for a hand.  Turn that palm down and suddenly you are saluting Hitler.  This one-palm-down gesture is a universal sign of dominance and oppression, especially if you lift that hand above shoulder height and lock your elbow.  You are being high-handed and declaring that you have the upper hand.  You are indicating that you might rule with an iron fist.

Face your palm forward and bring it close to your shoulder.  You are ready to swear allegiance or take an oath. Place your hand over your heart and you are expressing love or devotion.

If you are even-handed, it means you are fair, or that you share power; you neither take nor surrender more than your due.  Someone who is even-handed would never palm the proceeds.  Besides, such sleight of hand, might mean you get caught red-handed.  If that happened, your friends might wash their hands of you.

Today’s common hand shake is a ritual from ancient times. It is our way of saying that we do not have a weapon in our hand.  In fact, the Roman soldiers’ full lower-arm grab was their way of checking that there were no weapons concealed up the sleeve either, because there have always been people who try to get around the conventions.

In the Biblical book of Judges a man named Ehud got an upper hand by being left-handed.  Ehud’s job was to carry the Children of Israel’s tribute money to the king of Moab.  Being left-handed, Ehud carried his dagger on the opposite side of his body than the usual.  In this way he was able to sneak a weapon into the Moabite king’s presence.  Ehud’s underhanded tactic helped the Children of Israel overthrow the Moabites and be restored to freedom.

In fact, to this day the word “sinister” carries the suggestion of deviousness or even ill-intent because left-handed warriors often had the advantage of surprise. They were perceived as sneaky. But “sinister” is simply the Latin word for “left.”

Finally, we humans can be known to bite the hand that feeds us.  Not long after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the people turned their backs on Him.  He was their beloved Saviour one week, and despised and rejected the next.  He didn’t do what they expected Him to do (overthrow the Romans).  He was instead a threat to the religious leadership, because He taught that doing good was more important than following religious rules. For this reason they first tied His hands and then nailed those hands to a cross.

As we head into Holy Week, and prepare to walk with our Lord through this darkest time, may we pay attention to the powerful meaning of hands.  The hands that came to heal us will be nailed to the cross instead.  Are we able to admit in humility that there is something inside each of us that does this to the Divine?  Are we able to remember with gratitude there is another part inside each of us that recognises the Lord for Who He is, and that reaches to comfort Him on His walk toward the cross?  It is these same inner hands that will tenderly wash and anoint our Saviour for burial.  And it is these hands that will be lifted in prayer and praise on Easter morning when He rises again.

Amen

The Readings

Psalm 143 portions

Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!

John 12:12-16
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord-- the King of Israel!"
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.

Idioms heavily sourced from:

http://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap2.html