March 28, 2010

“Welcome the King of Glory!”

Scripture Psalm 118: 19-29 and John 12:12-29

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ March 28, 2010

 Passion/Palm Sunday

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 118: 19-29
In its ancient Jewish context, Psalm 118 was most likely an entrance liturgy to the Temple, used at the festival of Passover. It proclaimed God's deliverance from Egypt and, later on, from the Exile... The people express their faith that since God has saved them in the past, he can be trusted in the future. As believers we speak these words we recall the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem.


19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.


John 12:12-29
John readers knew what was coming, just like you and I do. So his depiction of Jesus’ entrance into the Jerusalem drips with irony, because the true king, the true Messiah, the great Holy One The Son of God, will be vilified and killed in the same week he is hailed as Lord . The plotting of the Pharisees is nothing new to forces of power and success when confronted with the compassion and humility of Jesus the Christ. He seems such an easy target. But the ‘failure’ of Jesus is his success – and He really is the King of Glory!


12The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!” 14Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written: 15“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” 16His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. 17So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. 18It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. 19The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”


20Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.


SERMON
Dr. Woods, a Baptist pastor in NC writes:
A major theological theme of Palm Sunday is hope. The entry of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday is the witness that God will not leave creation to continue in the status quo of power arrangements that rob persons of what the Divine intended, whether those power arrangements have Roman origin or Jewish origin or other origins… Palm Sunday is a day of hope and celebration that speaks to divine possibilities for change… Governmental and religious polices (ancient and modern) can become the means of oppressing the very ones (for which) these institutions were called to make life better and serve... One should never forget that within the crowd that meets Jesus in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday are those who do not celebrate his coming but plan to destroy him while he is in Jerusalem—a place of danger. There are times when people of faith are called to go to dangerous places to provide a witness for God even if some in those places plan evil and not good.


As Jesus said; “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.” As long as we are joining the parade, following Jesus looks like fun and a celebration. But this parade leads to torture and death. Our closing hymn is “Ride On! Ride On in Majesty!” It is filled with images of grandeur and hope but it has one line repeated in two of the verses; “In lowly pomp ride on to die.” Following the King of Glory requires risk taking and being observant. Observant – an interesting word, easy to understand if the Christian life was like follow the leader. We just have to read about Jesus’ life and follow his example. WWJD?* Except Jesus has given us a commission to go out into the world and teach his message of reconciliation and forgiveness. So a Christian is observant when one is faithful to the teachings of Jesus and incorporates the life of Christ into one’s own living. That requires welcoming the King of Glory into our life.


Have you ever entertained someone who has more kavod than you, that elusive presence or weight or honor? Priorities change dramatically. You suddenly have to replace that cracked baseboard that has been put off for five years. Welcoming the King of Glory means an even more radical shift of our perspective. Suddenly the breach with your cousin has to be faced and amends made. Your heart enlarges and generosity is no long a “have to” but a “want to.” You speak the truth in love, but it gets you into trouble. Strangers from far away places move into your space.


Standing on the sidelines waving our palms looks a lot easier, than joining the parade and welcoming the King of Glory into our lives. But what a glorious event it is! We become new people. Fear no longer rules our lives. We have a purpose that transcends life and even death. We are the servants of the King of Glory. Amen.

See: workingpreacher.org – lectionary readings for April 12, 2009. Nancy Koester, Affiliated Faculty, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN,
Ricky A. Woods, Senior Minister of First Baptist Church-West, Charlotte, NC - Guest Lectionary Commentator at the African American Lectionary. See: http://www.theafricanamericanlectionary.org

* WWJD – What Would Jesus Do?