Taken together, the texts for Palm/Passion Sunday provide something of a contradictory message. On the one hand, we celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as the crowds welcome him with hosannas; but on the other hand, we’re presented with the gut-wrenching details of the Passion narrative -- and by the time Jesus appears before Pilate the people have turned on him and demand blood. It might seem difficult to reconcile those disparate reactions from the assembled masses... except for the fact that this is exactly the nature of human behavior in large groups. People in anonymous mobs typically behave in more capricious and harshly judgmental ways than they do individually -- and as team member Dean Feldmeyer notes in this installment of The Immediate Word, we see this dynamic more than ever now because of the viral capacities of social media. History has shown that there’s always been a rush to judgment -- and hasty demands for action -- based on a lack of information or an incomplete understanding of a situation. But with the lightning speed that we communicate in the modern age, that tendency is magnified to an even greater degree. As Dean points out, the fickle reaction of the crowds to Jesus isn’t all that different from the cries stoked by groups all along the ideological spectrum to what they perceive as the latest outrage. Public opinion can change very quickly -- and Dean examines some of the underlying reasons why our behavior may not be far removed from that of the Jerusalem crowds during Holy Week.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on the Passion story and Jesus’ trial -- and its resemblance to the “show trials” that high-profile congressional committee hearings often devolve into, as exemplified by last week’s roasting of GM’s president over neglected recalls that led to drivers losing their lives. Corporate weaseling certainly deserves public shaming; yet in their quest to make themselves look good on TV our elected representatives seem not so different from the Sanhedrin members looking to string up Jesus. Each is searching to extract a pound of flesh, but neither group seems especially interested in addressing the fundamental underlying issues. Pilate, meanwhile, resembles nothing so much as a typical finger-in-the-wind politician who simply wants his problem to go away, and is willing to follow whatever advice his spin doctors give him. As Mary notes, however, Jesus is utterly unconcerned with the optics of the situation -- he even dares to question the validity of the proceedings, though that surely will result in his martyrdom. Unlike everyone else, Jesus is interested in Truth... not the mere appearance of truth.
From Cheers to Jeers
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 21:1-11; Matthew 27:15-26
Did you hear it? That great grinding, rumbling sound?
No, it wasn’t another earthquake -- it was the sound of public opinion, shifting and changing.
And it’s happening faster and faster, more and more often.
In the News
According to the Public Religion Research Institute, “In 2003, a majority of persons from all major religious groups opposed legalizing same-sex marriage. Now a majority of members in all but three groups surveyed support same-sex marriage” (quoted in The Christian Century, April 2, 2014).
Warren Richey, staff writer for the Christian Science Monitor, notes in a March 27 article that “the United States is in the midst of a broad and rapid change in attitudes about gay marriage, with 55 percent now favoring full recognition of same-sex marriage and 40 percent opposed.” Support for same-sex marriage is highest among young adults, with 75 percent approval among those ages 18-29. Among that group, 58 percent said they are strongly in favor, compared with 13 percent of 18-29 year olds identified as strongly opposed.
Alex Lundry of the market research firm TargetPoint (whose figures Richey cited), said of his findings: “This is moving faster than any issue we’ve ever tracked. This is the future talking to us.”
If gay marriage was the only area where public opinion is making a rapid shift it would be interesting, but only in the way that outliers are always interesting. What’s fascinating about this phenomenon, however, is that, while public opinion about same-sex marriage may be changing faster than others, it’s only one of many issues where opinions are in a state of fairly rapid flux.
In 2012, only 48 percent of Americans favored the legalization of marijuana. In less than a year that figure jumped to 58 percent according to Gallup. Since pot became legal in Colorado, activists have been moving rapidly to cash in on the unexpected shift in public opinion.
Signature gatherers are working to put marijuana measures on the 2014 ballots in five states, including California. In January, organizers announced that they had collected more than a million signatures to put a medical marijuana measure on the ballot in Florida, which is considered a bellwether state on this issue due to its large and heterogeneous population. In Alaska, a largely Republican state, organizers were able to collect 50% more signatures than required to put a similar measure on their ballot.
Says Stephen Gutwillig, deputy executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance: “What has happened now is we have reached the national tipping point on marijuana reform. Marijuana legalization has gone from an abstract concept to a mainstream issue to a political reality within a three-year period.”
One of the reasons for these rapid changes in public opinion may be found in the popularity of social media.
About 241 million people use Twitter every day, and according to a study published by two Chinese scientists in the March 11 issue of the journal Chaos, Twitter users tend to form their opinions quickly based upon reviews and opinions they read from other tweeters. Then they slam the door shut on any change of opinion.
Formerly, people allowed their opinions to evolve over time as they gathered data and heard the opinions of others. Opinions based on other opinions published on Twitter do not evolve. They are formed rapidly, and tend to be set and impervious to the evolutionary process.
Indeed, corporations, politicians, and individuals with an axe to grind seem to have picked up on this phenomenon. It is not uncommon to see them flooding the “twitisphere” with their spin upon items in the popular news and/or culture -- hoping, no doubt, to cement their version of things in the minds and opinions of those who are described in the study.
This may even be what’s behind some of the rapidly shifting opinions we have seen in the news in the past couple of weeks.
One day Stephen Colbert is the greatest satirical voice of his age, the darling of the media, the new Mark Twain, a contemporary Jonathan Swift. Then he (or a writer from his show) makes a joke about an ethnic minority, and some outraged tweeter who misunderstands the context paraphrases it (or tries to) in 140 characters on Twitter -- where satire doesn’t work so well -- and the next thing you know, people are crying for him to be fired.
Last week we saw on various internet sites the headline “Diet Soda Linked to Heart Disease, Death.” And then we read the text of the story and found out that the use of the word “linked” was somewhat problematical. In fact, the study that was presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology said that no causal link was found -- the link was simply a statistical one. No one was saying that diet soda causes heart disease. In fact, women who drink diet soda in moderation had a lower mortality rate than those who drink it rarely or never.
Unfortunately, many people read only the headline and then fled immediately to Facebook and Twitter to spread the news that our diet sodas are killing us.
Bison are seen running on the roads in Yellowstone National Park, and the twitisphere is alive with dubious warnings that the giant volcano under the park is about to erupt.
A professional baseball player takes a couple of days off for the birth of his son, and this modest “paternity leave” becomes the focus of a national debate.
Conventional wisdom -- what pundits used to call public opinion -- is fickle, capricious, volatile, mercurial, erratic, inconsistent, and inconstant. And thanks to social media, it’s becoming more so.
One day consumer confidence is up, the next day it’s down. One day someone’s approval rating is up, the next day not so much.
One day Jesus comes riding into town on a donkey and a wave of popularity, and five days later he’s being whipped, spat upon, and cursed -- and the very same crowd who cheered him on Sunday is jeering and demanding his execution on Friday.
Nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
In the Scriptures
In the late '60s and early '70s we called it “guerilla theater,” and we thought we had invented it. It was street theater -- little sketches and skits, laced with humor and acted out in public. We rehearsed them over and over until we could make it all look impromptu, made up on the spot.
Then we would go out on the streets of downtown Cincinnati or at community festivals, and we would bang a gong and draw an audience. We would perform a five- or six-minute skit, sometimes dragging members of the audience into our little dramas, and then we’d disappear, dissolving into the crowd.
The skits were mostly satire, designed to poke a finger in the eye of the establishment and our favorite target: the “military-industrial complex.” It was heady, exciting, and maybe even a little dangerous. Who knew what might happen if someone didn’t find us to be funny or amusing?
We didn’t invent it, of course. It was as old as the Middle Ages, maybe even older.
Maybe it was as old as the first Palm Sunday... because isn’t that exactly what Jesus staged in Jerusalem that day? Wasn’t it just another little piece of street theater, performed to make fun of the Judeo-Roman establishment and their self-important notion of what an emperor was?
Palm leaves were waved at conquering generals when they rode triumphantly into Rome after defeating an enemy in battle. They entered in parade, riding in an ornately armored chariot or upon a white steed, and behind them came the spoils which they brought in tribute to Caesar: gold, silver, jewels, and slaves.
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of Caesar!” yelled the crowd.
This little bit of street theater was, Matthew tells us, well thought out and orchestrated. Jesus would ride into town not in a chariot or on a steed but on a donkey. What a hoot that would be -- satire at its finest, pointing out the absurdity and the presumption of any secular, earthly emperor who dared to refer to himself as divine.
Jesus’ followers would wave palm branches, just as the Romans waved palm branches at their generals and their emperors. And they would take off their coats and spread them on the ground. And they would yell blessings and praise to this new kind of conquering general, this revolutionary type of emperor.
“Hallelujah! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
It was bold. It was edgy. It was countercultural and not just a little dangerous.
It was all very naughty fun.
Except some people weren’t laughing.
Some people didn’t get the joke.
Some people thought this Jesus was getting dangerously out of control and should be shut down before the Romans got nervous and punished everyone for the misguided zealotry of this one nobody from Nazareth.
So they had him arrested just to shut him up, to take the wind out of his sails. They brought him before the high priests, the defenders of the establishment and the status quo, who questioned him and tried him quickly and quietly in the early hours of the morning and found him guilty before any objections could be raised.
And when he refused to speak in his own defense, the crowd, the ones who participated with him on that day when he rode into town, turned against him.
In just five short days their cheers changed to jeers.
In the Sermon
Why do people turn on their leaders and saviors? What is it that changes the opinion of the public, the conventional wisdom, the way people think and believe, so quickly and thoroughly?
Sometimes they change their opinion about a leader because they never understood the leader’s message in the first place.
They thought they understood it. They thought that he was ushering in the kingdom of God, the Day of the Lord, that new age when wrongs would be righted and the proper order would be restored by force and Israel would be placed back on top again, where she belonged.
Only the Kingdom he was ushering in resided not in Jerusalem but in the human heart. The revolution he offered was one based not in revenge and violence but in love and kindness.
And upon coming to understand this they felt betrayed. And their cheers turned to jeers.
Sometimes they turn on their leaders because the price of following is just too high.
It was all well and good to follow Jesus when to do so meant having some anonymous, mischievous fun. But now things were turning serious, deadly serious. A person could get hurt, even killed, following this guy. Turns out that “take up your cross and follow me” speech wasn’t just a metaphor.
So the best thing, the prudent thing, the safe thing would be to distance yourself from him as quickly and efficiently as possible. And how better to do that than to shout “Crucify him!” when Pilate asked and Caiaphas gave you your cue.
And sometimes they aren’t really turning against because they were never really for in the first place.
Maybe they were just out doing some shopping or on their way to work and they happened along at the same time that little street theater demonstration took place. So they allowed themselves to get caught up in the moment and swept along with the crowd.
It was a momentary diversion in an otherwise dreary and uneventful life. They went along to get along, but they were never really committed. They were just part of the crowd.
And on Friday they will just be part of the crowd again. Not really committed, just doing what everyone else is doing, trying to fit in, to be accepted, to not stand out.
In Reginald Rose’s classic drama Twelve Angry Men, about a jury in a murder trial, the jurors are never named, just numbered: juror number one, juror number two, and so forth.
Each of the twelve is identifiable not by his name but by his behavior. One is a crusader, one is a bigot, one is analytical, one has brought personal issues into the debate, and so forth. One of the jurors is a guy who can’t or won’t commit to anything except the fact that he has tickets to a baseball game and he just wants to get out of the jury room in time to make it to his game. That’s his motivation, his only concern and consideration.
So he votes with the majority, and when the majority shifts and changes, so does he. He cannot bring himself to care, and the other characters can’t make him care, about conviction or acquittal one way or the other. He just wants to get to his baseball game.
So on Sunday he cheers.
And on Friday he jeers.
Whichever will get him what he thinks he needs or wants.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Matthew 26:14--27:66
Palm/Passion Sunday draws us in with the energy and acclaim of the crowds as Jesus enters the city, and then punches us in the gut as we realize how his journey ends. The readings focusing on the palms and the parade are the more familiar ones, while the readings which emphasize the approach to the cross have their own dramatic quality.
As Jesus stands before Pilate, we have the sense that more theater than justice is happening. Everyone in the scene is performing for someone else: Pilate for the Jewish leaders, and for the people back in Rome who have the power to replace him if he doesn’t keep order; the Jewish leaders for the people who expect them to run the world, and who will doubt them if they don’t manage this subversive Jesus. Only Jesus -- at the center of the spectacle -- isn’t really participating in it.
We have a similar tradition in American politics, when government bureaucrats or policy wonks or business executives or sports stars are summoned to testify before Congress. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell; baseball players Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens; Toyota executives; high school athletes with concussions; global warming experts; and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have had all had a turn. Federal Reserve chairs make regular appearances, where their words are parsed and analyzed for months by the media. This ritual gives members of Congress ample time for long statements, where they make points designed for the evening news -- which may or may not involve an actual question.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra was the latest star in our own version of the theater of truth, as she testified before Congress about a delayed recall at GM. The tardy recall of cars with faulty ignition switches caused crashes that cost at least 13 lives, and now is the subject of a multi-billion dollar recall effort and litigation. Business Week called Barra’s testimony before Congress a “ritual flogging,” summing it up by saying: “She apologized. She promised a full investigation. She remained calm and contrite while still resisting demands from grandstanding members of Congress for answers as to how GM so royally screwed up in its ignition-switch debacle.” Barra’s testimony was so careful that her appearance was spoofed on Saturday Night Live, which had her saying: “The first rule of the new GM is that you don’t talk about the old GM.”
Outside the spotlight, Barra also met with the families who lost loved ones in car crashes caused by the unaddressed defects. As the Wall Street Journal reported: “General Motors Co. Chief Executive Mary Barra privately met with 22 family members who had come to Washington, D.C., Monday hoping to put a face on the 13 deaths linked to faulty ignition switches involved in a massive recall by the auto maker. Ms. Barra spent about two hours listening, talking, and personally apologizing to each person who had lost a loved one. ‘There were many tears shed,’ said Texas attorney Bob Hilliard, who is representing some of the families in lawsuits against GM and attended the meeting. ‘We were surprised by this, but she heard people tell their stories and looked each one in the eye as she apologized.’ ” This part of the CEO’s trip to Washington was surely as grueling as the testimony, but involved more honest emotion and raw truth.
There’s raw truth in Jesus’ trial before Pilate too, but it doesn’t affect the outcome. At crucial moments, Matthew’s gospel reveals Jesus’ identity in dreams. Here, Pilate’s wife has a dream that reveals Jesus’ innocence, and she sends word to her husband. Pilate himself sees the motivations of the religious leaders, and he offers a way out, but they decline.
In a final piece of theater, Pilate elaborately washes his hands in public, casting off any blame for the death of Jesus. Knowing Jesus is innocent, Pilate also claims innocence for himself.
As GM moves forward with its own investigation, and with compensation for the affected families, the company has retained crisis managers, something Jesus could have used before his testimony. The New York Times reports that GM has hired attorney and compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg to assist with payments to families who lost loved ones, and a PR expert who worked on the Bridgestone/Firestone tire recall: “On Thursday, GM confirmed that it had hired a crisis management adviser, Jeff Eller, who cut his teeth in the Clinton administration and also represented Firestone in its tire recall in 2000. He joins Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer who specializes in compensation claims for victims of disasters, and Anton R. Valukas, a former United States attorney who is conducting an internal investigation. The creation of the team of outside advisers stands in marked contrast to GM’s early approach to handling the crisis, when it looked primarily inward to set strategy.”
Jesus, alas, has no such advisors, and he lets Pilate spin the story in his own way. Contrary to the advice that any PR person would give, Jesus makes no attempt to get out in front of the story, to tell his version, or to repeat his three key points, no matter what question is asked. In fact, he doesn’t say much at all. The whole show trial goes on around him, but Jesus isn’t participating in it. The one who proclaimed earlier in John’s gospel that he is “the way, the truth, and the life” carries the truth within him. For him, there’s nothing to be learned from the charade around him. Truth, in this case, is found not in words, but in the Word.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
“Save Us, We Beseech You” -- Recalling Rwanda
Twenty years ago this month, years of tribal hostility in Rwanda erupted into the murder of nearly one million persons -- mostly members of the minority Tutsi tribe. The brutality spread quickly, tearing the nation apart and creating a humanitarian crisis of untold proportions. (Check History.com for a comprehensive overview of the genocide.) Many believe the world remained silent to the cries of Rwandans.
Today, Rwanda’s scars are healing. It is a nation that is balancing remembrance with forgiveness -- much like the Psalmist who invokes the memory of God’s steadfast love. Some are more ready to forgive than others, and the journey is hard. National Geographic editor Peter Gwin notes: “Life here bears no relation to the darkness that descended over the nation beginning on April 7, 1994. To find evidence of that period, you have to look into the hearts of the people where those memories lie buried. During today’s official events, Rwanda’s leaders will urge its people, if not to forget, to set aside many of their bitterest memories to help sustain the country’s impressive progress.”
Perhaps the willingness of Rwandans to seek healing is testimony to the steadfast love of God. James Verini’s account in National Geographic details the commitment of some to strive for forgiveness:
I asked them to tell me how, exactly, [the town of] Jabiro came back together after the genocide. It was easy to talk about forgiveness. But how did they actually do it?
An old man in a corduroy blazer several sizes too large for him and pants smeared with dirt from the morning’s fieldwork stood up. “We’re living together,” he said. “There are no problems between us.” That was all.
Another man rose and elaborated. He explained that before 1994 Jabiro had been known for its harmony. Tutsi and Hutu intermarried, worked together, got on well. And it was true that, after the genocide and the years of civil war that coincided with and followed it, everyone was afraid of each other. “But we already knew how to live together. So, coming back together, we remembered how we used to live.”
*****
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
In Whom Do We Place Our Trust?
Psalm 118 extols the deep faithfulness of God, describing God’s steadfast love in terms of trust, strength, and reliability. Among many young adults, however, that may seem like a quaint and somewhat outdated notion. According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, more and 18- to 33-year-olds don’t feel people or institutions can be trusted. Blogger Jonathan Capehart notes that the erosion of trust can be seen in the decay of institutions and other global disruptions such as the Arab spring, the Occupy movement, and other anger-based uprisings. Ironically, the same poll also revealed that the age group is still upbeat about America’s future. Despite their overall lack of religion, perhaps the millennials could be convinced that, in the words of Psalm 118:9, it is “better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”
*****
Matthew 21:1-11
Palm Sunday Flash Mobs
Theologians have long suggested that Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was akin to a bit of street theater. The spreading of cloaks, the shouting of the crowd, and spontaneous eruptions of praise were a bit like contemporary flash mobs. Flash mobs catch us off guard, entertaining us with their spontaneity. They seem pointless, but are often quite entertaining. That happened recently aboard an Australian airplane, when the touring cast of the musical The Lion King broke into a rendition of “The Circle of Life.” The passengers cheered in appreciation, perhaps not unlike the crowds who greeted Jesus.
*****
Matthew 21:1-11
No More Free Parades in Nazareth (Pennsylvania, that is...)
Jesus’ disciples just had to fetch a donkey and a colt for his grand entrance into Jerusalem. Today he would have needed a permit -- particularly if he was headed into Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The small Lehigh Valley town recently adopted a city ordinance requiring event organizers to pay a fee to help defray the cost of police coverage. They’ll also need proof of insurance -- but perhaps Judas had that covered.
*****
Philippians 2:5-11
Taking on the Form of a Servant
Last Maundy Thursday, Pope Francis made headlines by adding a new twist to the tradition of emulating Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet -- the new pontiff washed the feet of young prisoners at a Roman detention center. But the Pope wasn’t unique in extending Christ’s act of service. Symbolic foot washing and foot hygiene is frequently offered by church groups across the United States on Maundy Thursday as well as other days of the year. For example, in Los Angeles volunteers and celebrities washed the feet of denizens of the city’s skid row, which has one of the nation’s largest concentrations of homeless persons. The outreach included food and foot health care.
*****
Philippians 2:5-11
The VIP Treatment
April is Autism awareness month, which may provide additional opportunities for churches to discover new venues for service. For example, a nonprofit organization called Nathaniel’s Hope encourages churches to sponsor a respite program called “Buddy Breaks” for “VIPs” (children with disabilities). One Baptist church in Geneva, Illinois, says that a Buddy Break program provides families with much-needed breaks. According to one newspaper story, “Buddy Breaks offer more than meets the eye. ‘It’s what we don’t see,’ volunteer Darryl Palumbo said. ‘Somewhere, there’s a mom and a dad and a sister shopping or doing something that they might not have done or that would have been more challenging.’”
*****
Matthew 26:14--27:66
Betrayal and Desertion
One by one, Jesus’ followers deserted him, beginning with the betrayal by Judas. It’s possible that many in Ukraine also feel deserted, especially as pro-Russian groups attempt to gain footholds in the rapidly destabilizing country. According to CNN, last weekend Russian-leaning protestors seized buildings, raised Russian flags, and declared new governments in several Ukraine regions.
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Matthew 26:14--27:66
The pop-culture television favorite Game of Thrones began its fourth season this past Sunday -- and its average viewing audience increased nearly 30 percent last year to 5 million (and a cumulative total audience of 14.4 million). With the coming of this year’s 10-episode season, Bill Keveney, who writes for USA Today, reports that viewers should be “ready for a 3-D viewing experience: Death, Destruction, and Dragons.”
Application: One must wonder if the people who watched the trial of Jesus would be more enthralled by the death-and-destruction message of Pilate or by Jesus’ message of peace and humility. Who would be looked upon as the star of Holy Week? Who would capture the attention of Twitter?
*****
Matthew 26:14--27:66
Linda Ronstadt, 67, the ten-time Grammy Award winner, is no longer able to sing. She describes the state of her singing voice today with these words: “I try to send my voice to another place, but it doesn’t go there. It’s like calling the elevator. You’re on the third floor, and your voice, the elevator, keeps going to the 13th floor, and it doesn’t come to your floor, ever.”
Application: Jesus stood before Pilate in silence, for he had no need to speak. It mattered not that his voice remained on the 13th floor, for it had been heard and repeated by many.
*****
Philippians 2:5-11
In his recently published book 10% Happier, Dan Harris, the co-anchor of Nightline who also appears on weekend editions of Good Morning America, relates how to be a happier person... and the answer is “meditation.” He originally found his happiness in using recreational drugs, which eventually became not a very happy experience. After having a panic attack while on television, Harris realized he needed a change in life, and he found that change in meditation. When asked by a friend why he meditates, Harris just blurted out “because it makes me 10% happier” -- thus the title for his book.
Application: Paul realized that if we meditate on Jesus and have the same mind as Jesus that we will be happier.
*****
Isaiah 50:4-9a
On the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ remarkable coup in which their songs occupied all five of the top slots on Billboard’s “Hot 100” singles chart, Keith Caulfield, Billboard’s current associate director gave one of the reasons for the Fab Four’s success. He noted that they made their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show four months after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and their music was “an aural balm to America’s soul.”
Application: Isaiah had “the tongue of a teacher” to “sustain the weary.”
*****
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Kevin Ollie, the current head coach of the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team, learned his coaching skills from his days as a player when he approached the game like a coach. As an NBA bench player, Ollie said, “I had to watch tape. I had to watch film. I had to scout my opponent to get that best advantage. I was getting thrown in there ten minutes, five minutes, so I needed to know exactly what was going to happen so I could make those five minutes meaningful.”
Application: Isaiah knew what was happening and did not hide his face, but made it “like flint” so he could do what was the most meaningful.
***************
From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Psalm 31:9-16
A collective of artists recently unveiled a 90 x 60 ft. poster featuring the portrait of a young Pakistani girl who lost both her parents and two younger siblings to U.S. drone attacks, which have gone on in her country for a decade. The poster is meant to remind onlookers of the human cost of these attacks, to give a face to the 900 civilian lives lost and 600 cases of serious injury caused by U.S. drones in Pakistan. This collective of artists was inspired to act after learning that these kills are often referred to by drone operators as “bug splats,” because viewing a broken or destroyed human body through a grainy video gives the viewer the sense of an insect being crushed. The collective has also launched NotaBugSplat.com to combat this dehumanizing practice. One post on the site reads: “Now, when viewed by a drone camera, what an operator sees on his screen is not an anonymous dot on the landscape, but an innocent child victim’s face.”
Psalm 31 cries out, begging God for deliverance. The Psalmist is in great distress, wasting away from grief, and is the object of scorn and persecution: “I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.”
Who do we forget as if they were dead or beyond repair (and so beyond our notice)? Victims of modern warfare? The elderly? The poor? Victims of abuse? The prisoner? The undocumented? How might we begin to pay attention and seek to be the gracious and saving hands and feet and voice of God in a world awash with human faces we so often fail to see?
*****
Matthew 21:1-11; Matthew 26:14--27:66
In San Francisco, a city that has long been known for its receptivity to and celebration of diversity, innovation, and progressive change, could something as small as Smart cars be the tipping point toward unrest? Are pranksters just having a good time, or has the real turmoil that’s been stewing under the tech-savvy and gentrifying veneer of this city found its escape? Is it erupting and overturning tiny cars that can be seen as a sign of the tech industry and its power to raise rents and the cost of living in this once bohemian city?
What’s the tipping point that sends the crowds in Jerusalem from “Hosanna!” to “Let him be crucified!” (27:23)?
What sets “the whole city into turmoil” (21:9) and unleashes the mob mentality? What has been festering under the surface? Or is it something volatile in our human hearts and minds that lets us make this shift so easily?
*****
Matthew 26:14--27:66
In “Living with ‘An Illegal’: How a Friendship Changed My Perspective on Immigration,” Sojourners staffer Stacey Schwenker writes about how sharing an office led to sharing an apartment, which led to sharing meals, conversations, and life- and mind-changing friendship with Ivone, an undocumented worker also employed by Sojourners. When Schwenker encounters protestors demanding immigration reform as she walks through the streets of Los Angeles, she intends to stay removed and dispassionate, but instead she weeps: “It was because of Ivone. I was even wearing my ‘Faith Is Greater Than Fear’ shirt but lurking along the sidewalk, not intending to get involved. But it’s too late for that. I love Ivone like a sister; I’m already knee-deep in it.”
Jesus is knee-deep in his relationship with the disciples, so he offers them the bread, the wine... his life. This is what comes of sharing life together -- on the road, around the table, in service to God’s beloved, and in so many other mundane and miraculous ways. “It’s funny how relationships change us,” as Stacey Schwenker writes.
As the days and months passed, I not only learned about immigration but also about Ivone. We shared so much space -- in our downstairs area with one bathroom, on the walk to work together, and in our cubicle. We grocery shopped for one another, we watched movies and chatted long into the night, and we cooked our favorite meals for each other. In many ways, Ivone has become a best friend like our other two roommates. And yet, because Ivone is very vulnerable in our country, I have developed a sisterly attachment to her so that I cannot type these words without crying and praying and hoping all at the same time that when her work permit expires in September, she will still be welcomed in our country.... Now I am an advocate of immigration reform. It’s funny how relationships change us.
The disciples are changed as well. Judas betrays, but he cannot live with what he has done. His relationship with Jesus brings him back around, seeking redemption. Peter is so overcome with devotion to Jesus that he cannot see the chinks in his own armor. And yet his relationship with Jesus sets him as the rock upon which the church will be built. Mary, Mary the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and many other women faithfully bear witness to the earthquake and the resurrection of the fallen saints that follow Jesus’ death. Rich Joseph risks his position and his bounty to tenderly wrap Jesus’ body and place it in his own tomb. It’s funny how relationships change us.
How are we changed by our relationship with Jesus? How does that change manifest in our lives?
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: O give thanks to God who is good.
People: God’s steadfast love endures forever!
Leader: Open to us the gates of righteousness, that we may enter and give thanks to God.
People: This is the gate of God; the righteous shall enter through it.
Leader: We thank you that you have answered us and have become our salvation.
People: The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
OR
Leader: Be gracious to us, O God, for we are in distress.
People: Our eyes waste away from grief, our souls and bodies also.
Leader: For our life is spent with sorrow, and our years with sighing.
People: Our strength fails because of our misery, and our bones waste away.
Leader: Let your face shine upon your servants.
People: Save us in your steadfast love.
OR
Leader: Come and join the procession with palms and songs.
People: With joy we welcome Jesus into Jerusalem.
Leader: Beware of the fickleness of the crowd.
People: We know how fast the crowd can change, but we will remain steadfast with Jesus.
Leader: Are those soldiers over there watching us?
People: Perhaps we should return home. We don’t want to cause trouble.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All Glory, Laud, and Honor”
found in:
UMH: 280
H82: 154, 155
PH: 88
AAHH: 226
NNBH: 102
NCH: 216, 217
CH: 192
LBW: 108
ELA: 344
W&P: 265
AMEC: 129
“Hosanna, Loud Hosanna”
found in:
UMH: 278
PH: 89
NCH: 213
W&P: 267
AMEC: 130
“Ah, Holy Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 289
H82: 158
PH: 93
NCH: 218
CH: 210
LBW: 123
ELA: 349
W&P: 521
Renew: 183
“What Wondrous Love Is This”
found in:
UMH: 292
H82: 439
PH: 85
NCH: 223
CH: 200
LBW: 385
ELA: 666
W&P: 257
Renew: 277
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
found in:
UMH: 298, 299
H82: 474
PH: 100, 101
AAHH: 243
NNBH: 113
NCH: 224
CH: 195
LBW: 482
ELA: 803
W&P: 261
AMEC: 147, 148
Renew: 236
“Beneath the Cross of Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 297
H82: 498
PH: 92
AAHH: 247
NNBH: 106
NCH: 190
CH: 197
LBW: 107
ELA: 338
W&P: 255
AMEC: 146
“Of the Father’s Love Begotten”
found in:
UMH: 184
PH: 309
NCH: 118
CH: 104
LBW: 42
ELA: 295
W&P: 181
Renew: 252
“Bread of the World”
found in:
UMH: 624
H82: 301
PH: 502
NCH: 346
CH: 387
W&P: 693
“All Hail King Jesus”
found in:
CCB: 29
Renew: 35
“He Is Exalted”
found in:
CCB: 30
Renew: 238
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is ever constant and true: Grant to us, your children, the courage to stand by our faith and not be swayed by the opinions of the crowd; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you for your constancy and truth. You are ever stable and trustworthy. Help us to worship you in truth and to be steadfast in our faith that we may truly be your children. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ease with which we allow our opinions to be shaped by others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know what is right and how we should act toward others. And yet we allow the talk of friends, family, and strangers to move us to talk and act in unloving, uncharitable ways. We want to be steadfast disciples, but we want to be liked by others. We think we know what is right, but sometimes others make so much sense. Too often we are like chaff blowing in the wind. Forgive us, and renew us as disciples worthy of the name. Amen.
Leader: God know us and loves us. God knows we are made from dust and easily blown around. God also knows we are filled with the Spirit and capable of so much more. Know God’s forgiveness and God’s power to be more than you were.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise your Name and worship you for your constant love and care. You are the foundation upon which all creation rests.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know what is right and how we should act toward others. And yet we allow the talk of friends, family, and strangers to move us to talk and act in unloving, uncharitable ways. We want to be steadfast disciples, but we want to be liked by others. We think we know what is right, but sometimes others make so much sense. Too often we are like chaff blowing in the wind. Forgive us, and renew us as disciples worthy of the name.
We give you thanks for your blessings, and most of all for sending Jesus into our midst to teach us how to live as your children. We thank you for his courage and steadfastness in the midst of violence, hatred, and desertion by his friends.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our needs, and especially for those who feel betrayed by others. We know that some ever feel betrayed by you and by life. Help us to reach out in love to them so that they may find your love and care in our acts and words.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Using either personal experience or the desertion of Jesus by the crowd and his disciples, talk to the children about how important it is to stand for what we believe and how easy it is to be drawn away by others.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
A Special Symbol
Philippians 2:5-11
Object: a cross on a necklace
Who knows what we celebrate next Sunday? (get responses from the children) That’s right! We celebrate Easter, so that means that the waiting of Lent is almost over. Before we can get to Easter, though, we have to finish preparing ourselves. We’re not done yet -- there’s still a lot to talk about before we can get to the Easter celebration. We still have to talk about when Jesus was taken prisoner. We have to tell the story of the Last Supper on the night before he died. We still have to talk about the day he was crucified on a cross. There’s a lot that happens between today and Easter Day.
See this cross? (hold up the necklace) It’s on a necklace that somebody can wear. Lots of people have necklaces like this with crosses on them. In fact, there are crosses all over the place: on jewelry, clothing, signs, and paintings. Sometimes you’ll see them on bumper stickers! Did you know that some churches are even built in the shape of crosses? The whole building is one big cross. Once you start looking, I think you will see crosses in all kinds of places. Let’s look around us right now. Where do you see the crosses in here? (point out where the crosses are in your church; look around the altar, windows, hymnals, architecture, etc.)
The cross is a very special symbol to Christians. It helps us remember what Jesus did when he died on Good Friday. If Jesus hadn’t died, God couldn’t have raised him on Easter morning. We wouldn’t know that God’s love is more powerful than death. That’s the miracle of Easter, and it’s almost here!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, this is a serious week. Prepare our hearts to hear the story of Jesus’ death. Please help us understand and appreciate exactly what you’ve done for us. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, April 13, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
