Sermons of Rev. Timothy J. Kennedy

					God is Great
Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion
Matthew 21:1-11

Sunday, March 16, 2008
				

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, 'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey." The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

This is a good news - better news type of a day, the only day on the church calendar which has a split personality. Normally each Sunday of the Church year has just one theme; celebrates a single event; sings out in unison. Not this day. This Palm Sunday; this Passion Sunday. Each year on Palm Sunday participate in our own little pageant, walking ourselves through the story. Our fellowship hall becomes Bethphage ... and we make our way into the Jerusalem of our sanctuary. The people along the route sing "Hosanna." Our hymns and our liturgies, our anthems and our prayers: all echo the refrain from that initial parade, "Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" A good news type of a day!

On that first Palm Sunday, Jesus rides a borrowed mule and rides toward Jerusalem as people shout Hosanna. Hosanna is a word so heavy with meaning, that none of our Bible translations attempt to translate it from the tongue of Jesus into the king's English. A rough translation might be: "God saves." "God Saves - and blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Sounds like a fairly safe thing to be shouting from the curbside - "God saves!" - but it is not so safe at all. For example, "Greeting your friend at the airport, "Hello, Jack," might seem all right. But you'll find yourself in great trouble if you yell across the terminal, "Hi, Jack!"

Hosanna could lead you to that kind of trouble. Hosanna has a revolutionary ring to it. Let's update the word so we can better understand what's going on. Let's say that on my recent trip to Jerusalem I went to a busy shopping area in Jewish Jerusalem and stood on the corner, this pudgy senior citizen of America, and yelled at the top of my lungs, "God is great." You know the reaction? Probably no reaction. I mean, this is Jerusalem and one more tourist or one less shouting "God is great," it doesn't really matter. But, if I were to stand on that same corner and yell "Allah Akbar," that would get the attention of even the most disinterested bystander. Why? After all, I am only proclaiming "God is great"! The reason for concern, and even panic at those words, is no doubt obvious to you.

We began our liturgy in the safety of our Fellowship Hall, Hosanna! on our lips, Hosanna! in our hearts, Hosanna! in our hopes. "God saves!" Does not sound very revolutionary. But it once was. Hosanna! was a nationalistic, revolutionary cry on the lips of an oppressed people. Akin to "Allah Akbar!" Roman occupation soldiers would have heard it as much a provocation as stones thrown by an Arab ten-year-old at an Israeli tank in the West Bank or Gaza. We joyfully sing "Hosanna!" as a victorious hymn, unaware of its political power. But Jesus knows what is going on. He knows the danger that word poses. But these are a hopeless people, hoping against hope that Jesus is going to save them from Roman occupation. Jesus has a bigger saving in mind!

Let me repeat: today is the only day on the church calendar which has a split personality. It is Palm Sunday. It is also the Sunday of the Passion. It does not, in this case, mean the strong emotions of hatred and anger. Not even the emotions of joy and love, the kind of passion perfume makers are trying to produce. On this day, passion comes from the Latin root which means "to suffer."

When those lining the parade route shout Hosanna, the equivalent of "Allah Akbar," the sensitive antennae of the occupation rulers are doubly alert ... and Jesus soon shall be condemned to die. Crossified, though we pronounce it crucified. This is what Passion Sunday points us toward: the suffering of Jesus. And what is so sadly ironic, those who shout Hosanna in his honor, this phrase of political dynamite, these same people distanced themselves from Jesus in the days that followed. They hailed him and then failed him! It is as if we shout who Hosanna this day are unwilling to share our allegiance to Jesus tomorrow ... in the workaday world.

And so it is on this split personality sort of a day that we are pointed toward the days ahead, to a week we call holy. To a Friday we call good. In our death denying culture, many will choose to carry their palms home, if at all, and return again to worship on next Sunday. Going from the gala parade of palms and returning to hear the wonderful words, "He is Risen indeed." But the Church encourages us not to go from A - Z, and skip the alphabet of suffering in between. I think a fair argument can be made that so-called "C & E Christians," those who worship only at Christmas and Easter, get a distorted view of the Christian faith. There is an over emphasis on the holiday ... with a neglect to the meaning of the holy days which make up the essence of our faith. And if your faith only has to do with celebration then you'll tend to feel betrayed by God when suffering comes your way ... because birth and resurrection do not really provide an adequate vocabulary for the times in between.

Join us in the days ahead in the special worship opportunities that this church offers ... as we participate as witnesses in the passion, the suffering of Jesus. It is here, God willing, that we find hints and clues as to how to react when our own days of suffering come upon us - as they surely will.

This is a good news - better news type of a day. The good news is: Hosanna - God saves. From our perspective, the better news is, God saves even you! The best news, from my perspective, God saves even me! Allah Akbar! God IS great!