Sermon: Palm Sunday 2009

This was preached at Bourne End Church on 5th April 2009

Readings:
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-24
Mark 11:1-11

THE DONKEY - G.K. Chesterton
When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born;
monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will; S
tarve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.

That’s one view of Palm Sunday – of the donkey.

Let us imagine some other experiences of that day. Let us suspend our ideas of who we are today, and put ourselves back in Jerusalem at the time of the Gospel reading.

It is hot and the streets smell of food, sweat, animals; lots of strangers have come into the city, to perform their ritual cleansing at the temple before Passover.

There have been two parades today.

Pilate, accompanied by his troops marched into Jerusalem in a show of Roman power, as he does immediately before any major Jewish holiday. Our ears have heard the sounds of horse’s hooves, and of chariot wheels grinding on the stones; the rhythmic jangling of swords, we have coughed in the dust raised by marching feet, and we have shuddered at the trumpets and fanfare of the oppressor. We know there will be crucifixions along the main road as there are on every feast day. We have again tasted fear as we witnessed the show of power from this foreign ruler.

How does it feel to be a subject people, yearning for freedom, for the fulfilment of God’s promise. We yearn for the long-promised Messiah. What do we expect of God?

Now imagine that we have seen a man.

He’s been travelling around the area for some time.

We’ve heard that he speaks with wisdom and love, “Blessed are the poor” he said. He cares about people and meets their needs; he has fed us with loaves and fishes, he’s healed people of their diseases, cast out demons. He offers us hope. He hasn’t been in Jerusalem recently – there are rumours that the Jewish authorities want him arrested, and we wondered whether he would come to the temple at all. But… today he is coming into Jerusalem, ready for Passover. People are saying he’s the Messiah, the king, the one who will lead us all in a great and glorious victory over the Romans. Our hope is alight. We rush to see him, to throw cloaks on the ground in front of him; we tear branches from the trees to line his path. We join the joyful cries of ‘Hosanna’, ‘Save us now’, and we quote from the psalms.

What does it feel like, this rising excitement; this rekindled hope. What do we expect of this man?

Now imagine we are with the disciples, we know Jesus closely, and we are trying to understand who he is, and what he is about to do. We heard his words; that “he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon, flogged and killed, and will rise again”. But we haven’t fully understood him, and we really hope he doesn’t mean now.

We know enough to obey him this morning when he asked us to go and fetch the colt. “The Lord needs it” is good enough for us. We have given up so much to follow him already, we don’t want to lose him. So we have put our cloaks on the back of the colt for Jesus to sit on, and we are accompanying him down the hill from the Mount of Olives.

What is it like to walk with Jesus towards Jerusalem; to hear the crowd shouting and cheering; to see the temple in front of us, the sun shining off the pale stones? What do we expect Jesus to do when he arrives?

We turn now to Jesus, the man on the colt, leaving his ministry in the desert and the surrounding countryside, coming out of Ephraim and moving into the city, back into the public eye, towards his meetings with Pilate and Herod; and also with Caiphas, plotting to kill him. He feels the strength and flexibility of his body, fit and healthy, riding the colt, and knows he will soon be in physical and mental pain, broken and dying.

Soon he will wash the feet of his disciples and then watch them desert him in fear. He will teach them the real meaning of love, and of salvation. Jesus knows the hearts and minds of humans, and he hears the flattery and the acclamations. Does Jesus have expectations of grandeur or worldly glory? Does he feel fear? What are his expectations?

Now come back to our own lives. How do we react to this man, this fully human scapegoat of ours, the one who carried our sin on the cross? Do we see him as just a man, or do we see his glory as God? Do we empathise with his pain, or do we shout with joy at his resurrection? Or do we do both?

As we consider the obedience of Jesus, knowing his life was in danger, yet moving forwards to fulfil God’s plan, what do we feel?

El-Shaddai, El-Shaddai,(God Almighty)
Through the years you made it clear,
That the time of Christ was near,
Though the people couldn't see what Messiah ought to be.
Though Your Word contained the plan,
They just could not understand,
Your most awesome work was done,
Through the frailty of Your Son.
Singer: Amy Grant (Michael Card & John Thompson)