I have chosen to say a few words at this spot today
because it makes more sense to me to talk about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem,
and then to receive the story of Jesus' passion in silence. But even before
that, a liturgical note, we do something very odd on this day. We begin our
worship together with waving palms, with the parade, and with Jesus' entry into
Jerusalem, and we end our worship in quiet, as we prepare for the unfolding of
the passion through out the week. Please know that it takes all week to hear
this story, to participate in this story, to be able to approach Easter and
resurrection. This week carve out time to come at 7. You all have full
lives, but this week, of all the weeks of our lives, is the week to be here. In
fact, it is much like having a death in the family, when that happens, we drop
everything to attend to one another’s grief, we eat together, we tell stories,
we sit in the silence and weep. That is this week. Come and see.
But for this moment, I need to reflect on the Palm of Palm
Sunday. Jesus and the disciples and thousands of other pilgrims have made their
way to Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus hailed as a king. Not Caesar, not the
appointed Roman governor. But a new king – one for the poor, for those without
voices, for those left out and left behind. Jesus is hailed as King, yet riding
on a donkey. The disciples welcome him into their city, Jerusalem, and shout,
"blessed is the king who comes in the name of The Lord" for now. They
lay down their cloaks, holey as they are. And for the time being, we are all
willing to follow. But are we also willing to follow into trouble, controversy,
trial and death?
The donkey, the disciples, the cloaks laid down. When we
look closely we see the people gathered for this parade, this entrance into
Jerusalem, are not the important and powerful, but the poor and marginalized,
Jesus' disciples. This very important but very brief story shows us that Love
does not win by the world's standards. Jesus comes as the fulfillment of the
nation's hopes, answering our longings for a king who would bring peace to
earth from heaven itself. Jesus brings the peace that surpasses understanding,
and much of what is about to unfold in the next few days will be the price he
pays to bring it. His disciples, of course, have seen things that have changed
their lives forever and have raised their hopes for a better, more
compassionate and just world. Indeed, our lives our changed.
This is not about the powerful Pharisees, grumbling about
what will happen if the authorities in Jerusalem think that there's a messianic
demonstration going on. From now on we see them no more. It is not about the
people of the day who have wealth, it is about the Kingdom of God in which the
last will be first and the first will be last. Love wins by God's defeat of
evil, and our participation in the new life made possible by the work of Jesus.
God gives up Godself for us, those God loves, thus empowering and emboldening
us to do the same.
This is the holiest of weeks. We have prepared ourselves
throughout Lent for this journey with Jesus. We come to this Passover festival
as Jesus' disciples, we come lean and fit, as that is what our Lenten
discipline has done for us. We have laid down our burdens, we have cast off the
waste, we have stepped up our exercise, eaten better, we are lean and fit. We
climb this mountain with Jesus, and revel in the pre-Passover party.
Rejoice in this moment. This moment of welcome, when the
shouts of "Blessed be The Lord" are heard throughout the cosmos. This
moment is fleeting.
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