And So It Begins
Available here on Buzzsprout
Gate Pa – Palm
Sunday 2015
Readings:
Psalm
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
First
Reading: Isaiah 50:4-
Second
Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel:
Mark
11:1-11
What I want to say:
I
want to help people enter into this story to hear the invitation to let go of
our preconceptions, and hear the invitation to engage with the story and God in
a new way
What I want to happen:
Who is Jesus? Let go of our stereotypes
and engage with the one presented in the gospels
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
And so it begins
the beginning of the end
Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem
as a small crowd gathers wave palms shout
hosannas
big enough be remembered
but small
small enough to escape the notice of Rome
This is a different crowd from Friday
those
are haters
this crowd mostly disappear into the mass thronging
into Jerusalem
and all seems to be going well
this crowd long for overthrow of Rome
look day temple rid of those corrupt high
priests
collusion
with Rome
all
their profit making from others poverty
2. A Psalm of Hope
So sing Song of Ascents
looks
back first Passover
God
killed first born Egyptians
liberated
people God from slavery
also holds sense God’s will is not
yet done on earth
“Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord
Hosanna
in the highest”
ð so many ancient hopes bound up in this man
ð so many new hopes of land restored
o
of peace returned
o
of justice at
last in land justice for poor seems so far away
3. First Impressions
All seems to so well
not
stopped
goes into temple
will return next day to drive out money makers
there
is a thin line between offering a necessary service and profiteering
they have crossed it
this will be where revolution will start in
years to come
when temple guard will kill high priests and
families and with crowd overthrow Roman stronghold
4. We join in
So today we join in this procession
only we, like the gospel writers and their
hearers
know where this is really heading
Rome will stay for many years yet
Chief Priests are going nowhere
we are heading to Golgotha
to
the cross
where all those hopes die a gasping,
lingering death
where all we understood about God
and salvation is nailed to a cross
declared meaningless
irrelevant
left
hanging
to
die
What is left of all we carry with us in the
parade today?
5. Making sense of it all
Like Mark and other gospel writers
we are on other side trying to make sense of
it all
and still so confused
we
Christians do so much hating in the name of this one riding this donkey
we
are still with that crowd blinded by our own hopes,
aspirations,
old theology
you have to wonder
when
will we put these palms down
6. Today is the beginning of the end
Today is the beginning of the end
where invited to let go of preconceptions
about
God
salvation
life
in God
today is beginning of invitation to start again
those
first disciples started again
this time beginning with the one left hanging
on cross
who
returns from tomb
the one who mingles his divinity with our humanity
the one who mingles his humanity with the Trinity
The one who reminds who God is,
and
who we are
todays story can be understood in many ways
reckless
gesture
first
step in necessary journey to cross
expression
of all hope for new way
there is hope here for oppressed
but
not as they understood
often
not as we see it
this is a story of justice – but lived out in
a new way
not what lot people wanted or were expecting
no
crown,
no
throne
no
force
no
uprising
none of this is as people envisaged
this is a fresh beginning
not fatal ending
what are we being invited to let go of as we
join this parade?
and as we turn our heads and glance at this Jesus
who rides past us this morning
ask yourselves
who is this Jesus riding past
as you take note of the one riding this donkey
rather
than throng with all their loud distracting hopes and aspirations
who is he
who is God in him
who are we as we join him
walking towards Golgotha
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