Sermons for the Month
Welcoming Jesus, And The World, During Holy Week
DATE: April 4th, 2004
SERVICE: Palm Sunday
TEXT: Luke 19:28-40To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
If you ever see me at the grocery store and I do not say, "Hello", feel free to stand in front of my cart. On second thought, that might not be a good idea. I might run you over. You see, I tend to think theological thoughts that then overtake the task at hand in places that I'd really rather not be, like grocery stores, medical offices and any place that has to do with cars or car repair.
That happened to me this week when I made a quick stop at the grocery store and one of the first things I saw as I entered the store was a cross made of palms and decorated with an Easter lily. I had to look twice. I could not quite internalize the mixing of all those Christian symbols, and then displaying them next to the on-sale cookies.
The palms of Palm Sunday, a symbol of Jesus' king ship; the cross of Good Friday, a symbol of torture and death and the lily of Easter, a symbol of the resurrection and a reminder that Jesus' kingdom is not of this world. It was all there, priced moderately, and ready for Holy Week decorating.
The problem is that while I'm inclined to view such a display negatively, I'm not sure it is, IF the palms and the cross and the lily make a statement to us about who Jesus is. You see, the age-old problem of Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter is that it's so easy to misunderstand or misinterpret what's happening.
That certainly was the case on that Sunday morning before the Passover when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, just as the prophet Zechariah had said that the Messiah-King would do. The crowd knows Jesus; stories about him have been circulating, including the amazing account of how he raised Lazarus from the dead.
Now this is something about which to get excited, they say! You see, life has been quite disappointing for the people of Israel in recent centuries. After years of exile in Babylon they had returned to their homeland with high hopes. But, pagans continue to be in charge - now it's the Romans - and they are still waiting for the promise of blessing and of land and of greatness as a nation, promises made to Abraham, to be fulfilled.
So, along comes Jesus - a descendant of the great King David from whose family a new King is to come - and he seems like a potential candidate to lead them in a rebellion to overthrow the Romans.
When I was a child I enjoyed palm processions similar to those we have done today. But, the first time I really understood what was happening when the crowds waved the palms and shouted, "Hosanna", was when I was a teenager and saw the then controversial movie, "Jesus Christ Superstar." (Now we all wonder what all the fuss was about.)
In that movie as Jesus rides into Jerusalem to waving palms a song by Simon, addressed to Jesus, say it all. The lyrics go like this, "Christ, you know I love you, did you see I waved? I believe in you and God, so tell me that I'm saved."
Then we come to the heart of it. He sings, "Christ, what more do you need to convince you that you've made it and you are easily as strong as the filth from Rome who rape our country and who terrorize our people for so long? There must be over 50,000 screaming love and more for you and every one of 50,000 would do whatever you ask them to. The key is to cherish their devotion but add a touch of hate at Rome you will rise to a greater power and we will win ourselves a home."
Then Simon's song ends with an ironic phrase taken from the Lord's Prayer, "You'll get the power and the glory, forever and ever and ever ."
The response that Jesus gives to Simon's triumphant singing is filled with regret. He sings, "Neither you Simon, nor the 50,000, nor the Romans, nor the Jews, nor Judas, nor the 12, nor the priests, nor the scribes, nor doomed Jerusalem itself, understand what power is, understand what glory is ."
The point of the song is clear; those who greeted Jesus with shouts of joy had one vision of power and glory, and Jesus had another. They did not understand the reason for his coming.
So, I think to myself as I look at that palm cross decorated with a lily, do we get it? I would guess that some who saw the movie, "The Passion of the Christ" would say that they have a better understanding this year than was true in the past that for Jesus glory and power came through suffering and death.
When we wave palms and shout Hosanna we are proclaiming that Jesus is Lord because he conquered sin, tore down the barrier between us and God and made all things new in this life and the next. This week we will remember all he gave us and endured for us. Next Sunday we will celebrate. (My prayer is that we will all spend some time remembering before we come back to celebrate.)
And while we give thanks individually, one of the most important things about Easter is remembering that it is not just our special day. What Jesus did, he did for all of humanity, for the whole world. So our focus should never be on me and mine on Easter. Next Sunday should be the "model" for what we do all the time.
Throw open the doors, invite people in, make them feel welcome, be sure there are lots of opportunities and plenty of space to worship, show off all of our talents in praise of our Lord and provide opportunities for fellowship. As individuals, invite someone to come and make sacrifices of time and abilities so that together we can be a tremendous witness to our resurrected Lord.
And then keep that mood of anticipation and celebration going strong as over time we come to know him and encourage others to do so as well.
Twice in the past month I have invited people I've met in restaurants and stores, people who did not initially know I am a pastor, to church. It hasn't been that hard to do; I've said something like, "If you don't have any place to worship on Easter, please visit us," and I hand them my card and say, "It's the church on West Market Street across from Marcs and next to St. Hilary. People always know where it is; and with our new Easter banners out front they'll know when to come to worship. Part of the reason that invitation is not hard to give is that I know we have something life-transforming to share, and that we do it in a positive, affirming way.
While those who first waved palms for Jesus were confused about who Jesus was, that should not be the case for us. He is our crucified and resurrected Lord. When we see that combination of palms, a cross and a lily at the grocery store it does mean something important to us; it makes a statement to us about who Jesus is. Wouldn't it be great if because of us more and more shoppers saw that palm and lily cross and said, "Jesus is Lord" as they put those on-sale cookies in their cart? AMEN