Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Palm Sunday Sermon


April 14, 2019
Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 21:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11

Please pray with me,
Gracious God, as you led the Israelites through the wilderness, as you were with Joseph and Mary as they journeyed to Bethlehem, and as you journeyed with Jesus to the cross….you are with us now.  Guide our hearts, minds and bodies on this Lenten journey.  Continue to turn us toward you, creating within us clean hearts, marking us with the cross, lighting our paths and guiding us every step of the way.  In Jesus’ name we pray amen. 

A friend of mine shared this story recently and I’m allowed to share the story, just not the name of the friend and in a moment, you’ll know why. 

So, my friend was at a coffee shop, a place where you can get coffee, baked goods and light lunch options.  She noticed a bowl of small wrapped ‘chocolates’ by the cashier. 
She figured perhaps a college student or local resident was starting a business and these were out to help that person out. 
So, she picked one up. 
After her bowl of soup, she unwrapped the chocolate, popped it in her mouth, and began to chew. 

In the next 5 seconds she had all of these thoughts pretty much at the same moment.
Wow, that’s a weird consistency for chocolate, that’s a bizarre taste too, almost floral, oh good gracious, I’m eating soap! 

Needless to say, she was in a crowded coffee shop, so she couldn’t make a scene. 
She headed to the bathroom. 
She tried to get soap out from between her teeth, I don’t know if you’ve ever bitten soap, but from her description, I don’t recommend it. 
I picture her frantically, yet not efficiently picking soap from between her teeth. 

She finally realized she needed to rinse her mouth out…
With warm water….
You guessed it, then she was foaming at the mouth….

I can only imagine that it took quite some time to completely rid her mouth of the soap. 
She may be shy of trying sample anything anytime soon.

But for her, it was not what she expected. 

Nothing is what we expect. 
Think about that as we look around the sanctuary with palms in our hands. 
A parade that leads to a cross…
Palms that become ashes…
Nothing is what we expect…

It sounds like an episode of the twilight zone. 

Because isn’t that the way the gospel works in our lives…
How we see and experience God’s love for us through Jesus is nothing like what we expect. 

Even though we shouted hosanna today, this parade that we reenact isn’t one that ends with a king on a throne.  It is a parade that ultimately leads to a cross.  Where God will show us the great love that God has for us in the death and resurrection of the only son.  This final journey of Jesus begins today. 

The folks gathered around Jesus that day were hopeful that he would flip the world upside down!  They were ready for change and hopeful that it would come through the presence and leadership of Jesus. 

And the change did come.  And the world would be flipped. 

Just not the way they expected. 

Their shouts of hosannas would change to shouts of crucify him before the story would end. 

Nothing is what we expect. 

The palm branches that we wave this day as we shout hosanna, will one day be transformed. 
Our Sunday School youth learned about it at the Lenten Fair as they took part in burning the palms to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday. 

They remembered shouting hosanna last year and that the palms were a reminder of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Then we burned them. 

Then we talked about how those ashes would be on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday.  That is how we would be marked with the cross. 

These palms will become crosses, either on foreheads or in our own hands before the end of the service.  Some of you may be turning your palms into crosses as I speak. 

Nothing is what we expect. 

And so why Palm Sunday?  Why sing the Palms?  Just kidding….we have to sing the Palms!
But why this reenactment of this parade when the gospel of Luke doesn’t even mention palms!  Today’s gospel only mentioned cloaks. 

Cloak Sunday anyone? 
So why? 

Because just like the crowds we wonder, who is this, this Jesus? 

Who is this messiah coming into our world this day? 

We live and work among people who wonder who Jesus is.

Heck, we worship with people who wonder who Jesus is. 

Maybe you, definitely me, wonder how and when I will see Jesus this day…and what is Jesus’ call for my life?  Who is this Jesus? 

Better yet, if I’ve experienced Jesus, or should I say, since I’ve experienced Jesus, how to do I tell others about him and his love for the world and for me? 

So yes, we are roped into this procession, remembering his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, because we too, want to follow this King, this messiah because we too have hope for the future. 

We enter into this procession because we, too, are excited by the energy that surrounds Jesus and his teachings and healings and we want more. 

We enter into this procession because we still seek a savior, one who will bring justice and peace, healing and wholeness into our hearts and lives and world today…right now, preferably. 

So, we follow and we shout hosanna.  And do we realize this day that our shouts will change as the week goes on? 

On Maundy Thursday, our shouts of hosanna will quiet when we see Jesus kneeling at the feet of his friends and washing their feet. 

Our shouts of hosanna will quiet when he talks about his body being bread and his blood being wine. 

On Good Friday our voices will return as we shout not hosanna, but crucify him!  As the palm parade ends at the cross. 

And on Saturday, we wait. 
We wait in grief and longing and hope.

As we enter this most holiest of weeks, I encourage you to invite others into this place to hear this story. 

Who is this Jesus? 
Let us hear his story. 
Let us welcome others to share in a meal at this table.
Let us welcome others to see his death.
Let us welcome others so that the whole world knows that through this whole story, God shows God’s love for each and every one of us. 

We, who know the story, are empowered to share this story with others.  We help people see where Jesus is at work in the world by telling our friends, our family and our neighbors about God loves us. 

We know we are loved. 
We can tell people that we are loved and that they are loved just the same. 

You can do this; I know you can. 

Pick a service, invite a friend, heck, bring a friend. 

Show them this place and the love of God that flows through worship, fellowship, service and time together. 

And now may the peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and let all God’s people say, amen. 

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