16 March 2008              “Sacrifice to Salvation”

 

God of Grace and Glory ~ As we sing our Hosannas and look forward to our Alleluias, we pray that you will open us to the living presence of Your Holy Word in all of our in-between moments.  Amen.

 

This morning ~ please use your imagination.

          IMAGINE … this red carpet is the dirt roads leading TO and THROUGH Jerusalem … 30 CE.

          IMAGINE … the sights and sounds that you might have experienced as a member of the many crowds that walked along those roads / gathered in Jerusalem for Feast of Passover.

 

TODAY is Palm / Passion Sunday … and TODAY we celebrate 3 very special journeys ~ beginning with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

 

Jerusalem ~ no ordinary city

·        Site of the Temple

·        Center of Roman government

·        Major city and center of social / economic life

·        Center for people of every ethnic / economic background

 

Into the hustle AND bustle … Jesus arrives ~ THUS beginning His final journey on earth.

 

 

 

JOURNEY 1

Jesus & disciples NEAR Jerusalem … sends 2 on mission

·        Go to village

·        Bring me donkey AND colt …” The Lord needs them” … covered with cloaks of disciples

·        Humble / sedate entry into Jerusalem

o       Son of God seated on donkey

·        GREAT CROWD … before & behind Jesus

o       Throw cloaks and branches on road

o       Wave branches

o       Mood of crowd … ENERGIZED … LOUD 

o        People trying to get best place to greet Lord

o       Easy to get caught up in their PASSION and OVERWHELMING mood

o       Shout:  HOSANNA!!!

 

HOSANNE!!!  SAVE!!  SAVE US!!!

·        Crowd KNOWS Jesus as prophet / His works

·        Greet Him with words … NOT of praise

o       BUT: Plea for salvation

 

TODAY:  How do WE greet Jesus?

·        Joyfully … with great exuberance

·        Openly / honestly … no matter where we are or what we are doing

·        ONLY with a crowd ~ church / retreat / conference event … when we have others to fuel our passion

 

 

 

 

WHEN do we INVITE Jesus into our lives?

·        All the time

·        Special occasions

·        Only when we need His presence

·        As our partner … BUT on OUR terms

 

ARE our INVITATIONS only HOSANNA! Moments?

·        Life is FILLED with ups / downs

o       Pain / heartache / trouble

o       Questions / uncertainties

o       Times when we want to give up / give in

·        We CRY out when we can no longer CONTROL what is happening IN our lives and AROUND us

·        We CRY out our own HOSANNA!  O Lord, save us!!!

BUT … WHY DO WE WAIT FOR ONLY THESE MOMENTS?  WHY wait until life reached CRITICAL MASS before inviting Jesus into our lives?

 

INVITATION extended during ~

·        Celebrations

·        Quiet moments

·        Ordinary / boring / hum-drum times

o       Colleague:  It’s morning, O God!!!  OR

§        OH GOD, it’s morning.

 

AS a member of that crowd welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem …

·        Where would YOU have been later that day? 

·        OR that night?  … OR 3 days later?

 

OR:  Perhaps you are part of the crowd on JOURNEY 2

This journey takes place many days later … Jesus has been arrested by yet another crowd of people … and taken to the palace of the governor …

 

A GREAT CROWD has gathered IN the courtyard and ALONG every road leading to the palace

 

Jesus has been someplace INSIDE since His arrest the night before …

 

Crowds … we know mob mentality / we know this crowd & their mood …

·        Tired from vigil all night

·        Filled with questions / speculation

·        Anxiety over verdict

·        Anxious to get everything over and done with

 

AT LAST:  Pilate addresses crowds

·        I’ve questioned Him repeatedly

·        I can find NO fault

·        Festival is coming … I have to release a prisoner

·        WHO WILL IT BE???

o       Barabbas ~ notorious criminal

o       Jesus ~ notorious instigator

CROWD is ready … PRIMED by chief priests / elders …

·        Release Barabbas

·        As for Jesus … Crowd shouts:  CRUCIFY HIM!!

o       Chant: louder & stronger as it continues

We can UNDERSTAND how each shouting person would have fed their neighbor … until EVERYONE is crying out

·        Almost IMPOSSIBLE to go against that crowd / express different opinion

·        At that moment:  Jesus fate is nailed to the cross with every renewed shout CRUCIFY HIM!!!

o       All are implicated in Christ’s crucifixion.

 

WHAT about US today?  ARE we guilt-free because we don’t shout, “CRUCIFY HIM”? 

          BUT:  what about our actions?  OR inactions?

 

We are equally guilty … every time …

·        Willfully use or abuse a friend / neighbor / family

·        We turn a blind eye to the abuse around us, hoping someone else will speak out

·        Cheat OR lie OR steal … regardless of HOW BIG or HOW SMALL we think these actions are

·        We don’t speak out against prejudice and injustice

·        We DO speak words of hate and ridicule

·        We allow ourselves to be swept up by the crowd

·        We DON’T follow our own better instincts … OR what we know to be true from the teachings of Jesus

Every time we act recklessly or carelessly … every time we refuse to act out our faith … are we not guilty of driving yet another nail into Christ’s outstretched hands?

 

 

Which brings us to our 3rd and final leg of this week’s JOURNEY ~

 

Swept along by the crowds outside the governor’s palace … we join the crowds who:

·        Jeered at Christ as He carried His cross through the streets

·        Watched in awe and horror while Christ was stripped and roughly nailed to a crude, wooden cross

 

We stand with others at the Place of Crucifixion ~ Golgatha ~ a prominent place at the junction of major thoroughfares … a place:

·        Of execution … VERY VISIBLE

·        Of public humiliation

·        Of public warning to potential offenders

 

And we hear the voices of the people … growing in intensity … crying out:  SAVE YOURSELF!!!

·        Derisive by-standers / crowds who had followed Jesus:  “IF you are the Son of God … come down from the cross … SAVE YOURSELF!!”

·        Mocking chief priests & elders:  “YOU saved others … look at Him … He can’t even SAVE HIMSELF!!  WHERE is the God that you trust so much … NOW when You most need Him!

·        EVEN the 2 criminals … crucified on right / left … couldn’t resist joining the voices of the mob:   You are so GREAT … SAVE YOURSELF!!!

 

Ironically … the crowds cried out:  SAVE YOURSELF!! … to Jesus ~ whose name means SAVE

          AND, as He hung on the cross ~ slowly dying ~ Jesus was NOT ONLY responding to the voices / HOSANNAS raised by an earlier crowd BUT was, in fact, carrying out God’s wonderful plan for all of creation.

 

(Share story of “The Wisdom of Allah”

 

Despite our best efforts to interfere with God’s plan ~ through our own willfulness ~ our own need to be in charge ~ our own sinful nature … God prepared the way by which the world AND all of its people might rise above the destructive path we so often choose.

 

In His death on a cross, Jesus was carrying out God’s awesome plan of salvation ~ for a world filled with:

·        Hurt AND pain

·        Injustice AND hatred

·        War AND petty, unending squabbles

A world in which there is NO visible signs of mercy / understanding / love … A world filled with SIN.

 

Out of love ~ God did not hand US ~ His children ~ the bill for our sin and order:  PAY UP!!!  NOW!!!!

 

Rather, in His infinite wisdom / mercy / compassion:

·        God freely accepted all of our sins

·        God gave us the gift of His Son ~ human and divine ~ AND His life / ministry / teachings

·        God conquered death through the death of His beloved Son on a cross … thereby, opening up salvation for all people

 

In His moment of death, Jesus cried out:  “It is finished!”

 

With His death, Jesus accomplished the mission that God had set for Him … reconciling all people to God and restoring to the world a sense of hope … for our own resurrection and redemption in Christ.

 

Today, we begin our journey into Holy Week.  As we journey with Christ into the darkness and silence of the tomb … may our shouts of HOSANNA!! ~ SAVE US!! ~ become a passionate and hope-filled reminder that, AT the end of this journey, we will experience together the ALLELUIAS!! of salvation and new life.

 

                                                Amen.

 

 

THE WISDOM of ALLAH

(A Tale from the Middle East)

 

            One day, when Nasrudin the Hodja was working in his garden, he became very warm.  He sat down in the shade of a walnut tree, and, making sure that no one was about, he slipped off his turban to cool his bald head.  As he relaxed, he meditated upon the beauty of nature and the great wisdom of Allah.

           

Observing a fine pumpkin in the garden, he smiled to himself.  “Allah, your ways are great indeed,” he mused out loud, “but there are a few things that I would have done differently were I in charge.  See the proud pumpkin growing on a spindly little vine, and then consider the walnut, a tiny, inconsequential nut upon a great and lordly tree.  Well, if I had been planning things, I would have reversed it.  I’d have hung those pumpkins in all of their glory from this magnificent tree, and let the tiny walnuts cling to the spindly pumpkin vine on the ground.”  So musing, he closed his eyes to dream of the other things he might do differently.  A gentle breeze stirred the branches above him.

           

Suddenly a walnut fell from the tree and landed with a thud on the top of the Hodja’s bald head.  As the pain spread, he rubbed the lump that had begun to swell on his scalp.  Then an understanding smile spread over his face.  He bowed down toward Mecca.

           

“Oh Allah,” he murmured, “forgive me.  Thy wisdom is great indeed.  Suppose I had been arranging matters?  I should just now have been hit upon the head by a pumpkin.  Ah, Allah, great indeed is thy wisdom.”