Reflections on "Going to a Parade or Crucifixion?" Psalm 118

The Psalm is the lectionary palm that fits with Palm Sunday.  the John passage was the week's lesson for the Lenten study we have been doing.  In truth, the sermon focused on the Psalm, with only a fleeting reference to the Gospel lesson.

As part of the liturgy, we "stripped" the church during the last hymn.  In other words, we took all the paraments, tipped the baptismal font, turned over the chalice, and covered it all in black.

Lisa, the Associate Pastor, and I did a two person sermon.  As you read through it, imagine that we were speaking our parts, but made not visual contact with each other as we tried to give the impression that two people were speaking a week apart as one went to Jesus' parade into Jerusalem, and the other went to Jesus' crucifixion.   The limited staging was done in parallel fashion to help give the feel of autonomous reflections that overlapped in their thoughts.  

Neither Lisa nor I could tell how the congregation was reacting to the sermon as we preached it, but we had a very good response after it.  Some of the responses were very powerful because they indicated the sermon has caused them to reflect again over what they heard and saw.  part of response was to the liturgy and the sermon.

I have never done Palm/Passion Sunday until last Sunday, and it was a powerful experience.    

Psalm 118: 19-29 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,  for his steadfast love endures forever.

John 14: 1-9:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe[a] in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.”[c] 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know[d] my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

“going to a Parade or Crucifixion?” SAPC, February 12, 2017

David:  this week in our Lenten study group, we explored Jesus’ statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

this morning, we are reflecting on the choices we make — whether to follow the way Jesus offers, or to turn away.

similar choices were made years ago, that week in Jerusalem when the events we now commemorate during Holy week were lived out by people like us, people choosing which way to go — follow Jesus, or turn from him.

The choices are not as clear cut or simple when they are lived out in the complexities of our lives.

Listen to a couple of people who were struggling with these choices long ago, people sort of like us.

Lisa (moving halfway down left outside aisle):  I am going to a parade.

Richard (moving halfway down right outside aisle):  I am going to a crucifixion

Lisa (moving to end of outside left aisle):   I’m excited. I haven’t been to a parade like this one before. My friend invited me, and I can’t wait because it is going to be great!

Richard (moving to end of outside left aisle):  I have never been to a crucifixion before today.  

I guess I'm going out of guilt.  I just stood there as they took Jesus away.  I did nothing to stop them.

I know people who go for the spectacle of it all.  

watching someone die does not sound that appealing.  

Watching Jesus hang from a cross, even less so

it’s not going to be a good day with this gory sight to see.

Lisa:  I don’t know what this parade is going to be like, but it is going to be different. My friend who said to come told me to bring palm branches to wave. The only parade I’ve ever been to is a Roman parade, and we weren’t waving palm branches! At that parade, the Roman governor was at the head of the long procession of soldiers. Some of the soldiers were on horses – others were on foot – and they all had on a lot of armor. The drums were beating and the soldiers were all marching in step with the drums. Golden eagle banners were flying. People were cheering. It was a glorious sight to see.

Richard: Crucifixion is the ultimate punishment.  

Only the worst of the robbers get crucified.  It’s a public death meant to discourage others.

or revolutionaries who threaten the roman government - that’s really the fastest way to get crucified - upset the Romans.  Threaten Pontius Pilate and see how fast he’ll have you nailed to a cross.

This crucifixion is sort of odd.  Jesus seemed to irritate the religious folks more than the Romans.

But once it looked like Jesus was going to be a problem for the government, that was his death sentence.

Lisa (move to center left of chancel steps): At the parade I’m going to, people are going to wave palm branches and shout Hosanna, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Ever since I was a child, we’ve been shouting this word from the psalms, that means save us. Can Jesus save us? Maybe he is the one who can.

He raised Lazarus from the dead after three days. Jesus’ friend was in that tomb and Jesus walked right in and told Lazarus to stand up and walk, and he did. Lazarus walked right out of that tomb.

He fed 5000 people who had been listening to him teach and talk all day. They wouldn’t leave. They were hungry. One fish and five little loaves of bread fed those people and they all came home with the leftovers to share!

I heard that a woman who was sick for 14 years just touched the robe of his hem and was healed. He turned around and talked to her and her life was changed forever.

Richard (move to center right of chancel steps):   I could see this crucifixion coming.  

They were coming at him from every direction.

first, the religious authorities: Jesus was threatening the religious authorities because he paid them no attention.

He didn’t really even go up against them.  Oh, he called them hypocrites a few times and pointed out how they abused their power, but mostly he seemed to ignore them.  It was sort of like he told the people — “look at what I do and listen to what I say.”  and then decide if you like the ways things are done at the Temple, or if you want to follow me.

You could see the anger growing with the Pharisees, especially when people were starting to listen and follow him.

Jesus was on the hillside teaching people one day and it got they.  They were hungry. So they gathered up fish and bread, and somehow Jesus multiplied it so that over 5K were fed.  Sound pretty good, right?  The Pharisees did not think so.

He healed the woman who touched the hem of his garment.  The Pharisee got even madder.

He raised Lazarus from the dead, went right into the tomb and told Lazarus to stand up and walk right.  Lazarus did.    the Pharisees got madder -- how did Jesus do this? What kind of magic did he do?  And when people started calling him the Son of God -- the Pharisees went ballistic.

they also were frightened of the way the crowds.  they told the Roman authorities that crowds were going to riot, that the crowds thought Jesus was more important than the emperor.

that got the attention of the Roman authorities.  they did not like all he big crowds that gathered around Jesus.  Romans like control.  you could see the centurions getting antsy because the crowds seemed to care more about Jesus than the emperor.

Jesus and all the authorities were on a collision course.

Lisa (front right side of center aisle):  I am at the parade today because I am at a point in my life when I need something more.   If Jesus could change someone like the woman who just touched his cloak. . . . Maybe he could save me. 

Richard (front left side of center aisle):  I keep thinking maybe Jesus will pull off a miracle.  

Maybe after they nail him to the cross, he’ll just jump right off.

that would be his greatest miracle of all.

I bet the Roman soldiers would take off.

But somehow that does not seem to be Jesus’ plan.  

Lately he’s been talking a lot about dying. I don’t get it, but he acts like he needs to be crucified.

but where does that leave me.  i finally found someone I could believe in, someone I was willing to follow.

My life seemed like it was changing.

But if Jesus is dead on the cross, how can I follow a dead man?

David:  We finish Lent and enter Holy week as participants in two parades — a triumphant entry into Jerusalem for the Messiah and walking to Golgotha to see Christ crucified.

As we walk, sometimes it’s hard to tell which parade is the one we want.

Lisa (walking 2/3 way up center aisle): I must be getting close to the parade. I can hear them shouting, “Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Richard (walking 1/2 way up center aisle):  I must be getting close to the crucifixion.  I can hear them shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him! Nail him to the cross.”

Lisa and Richard say the following lines together as they leave.

Lisa:  Hosanna, hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”

Richard:  Crucify him.  Crucify him. Nail him to the cross..