Palm Sunday Surprise
Children's sermon
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Preaching
Sermon
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For April 10, 2022:
Palm Sunday Surprise
by Chris Keating
Luke 19:28-40
Luke’s story of Jesus has been filled with surprises. The narrative has been chockfull of twists and turns, including miraculous births and friendly Samaritans. It comes as no surprise that his retelling of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem hits us from left field as well.
First, there’s no mention of palms. What might seem like a classic rookie preacher mistake (“Whaddya mean, ‘I forgot to order palms?’) is indicative of something else. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem is more than a small-town rabbi headed to town for the holidays. But then the surprises continue. The spontaneous entrance is revealed to be a piece of a larger plan. Jesus remains in charge of all the details, including arranging a farm where the disciples can procure a donkey.
Surprise is at the heart of this story, just as surprise continues to fill our world and individual lives. From rising gas prices to the war in Ukraine, to the slap heard ’round the world, our pandemic-fatigued congregations may think they’ve seen it all. But then comes Jesus, riding a donkey, heralded as a king, and the bringer of peace. Yet the peace he brings is not the peace some expected.
He’s promised to bring a fire that will burn down the entire place, but the Pharisees just want the disciples to pipe down. The surprises are just beginning.
In the News
What’s surprising about the third year of a global pandemic is that there is still so much that catches us off guard. What can be surprising once you’ve scoured every Walmart in town in search of toilet paper?
In truth, there have been quite a few surprises lately.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine did not catch anyone off guard, there have been many surprises in the war. Commentators note that what is particularly novel is how many of the surprises have been bad for Putin and relatively good for Ukraine. Without diminishing the grueling impact of the war on Ukrainians, some analysts think Putin was caught off guard by Ukraine’s steely resistance.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has surprised in more ways than one,” Daniel R. DePetris writes in Newsweek. “It has highlighted the multitude of systemic problems within the Russian military as a whole and exposes Putin, usually believed to be a master of geopolitics, ignorant or arrogant of the consequences of his own actions.
Closer to home, and less deadly, have been the sort of surprises that bring smiles to the faces of college basketball fans. Last month’s March Madness included Jersey City, New Jersey’s St. Peter University’s astonishing tournament play. The Peacocks, ranked as a 15th seed at the beginning of the NCAA tournament, climbed over legacy schools like Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue before getting eliminated by North Carolina. Diehard Peacock fans — go ahead, try to remember that last time you saw that in print — celebrated the team’s successes with a parade and prognostications of continued success.
St. Peter’s victories gave folks in Jersey City the opportunity to forget about 2022’s other spring surprises, including skyrocketing gas prices, the war in Ukraine, and Will Smith’s Oscar-night altercation with comedian Chris Rock. Some of these surprises may seem to have come out of the blue — like baseball legend Albert Pujols coming out of retirement by signing a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Pujols wasn’t the only one hired in March. More than 400,000 persons in the United States joined him in going back to work in March, lowering the unemployment rate to 3.6 percent. John C. Williams, president and CEO of the New York Federal Reserve, pointed out that the jobs report is another somewhat surprising sign that the economy is getting over its long struggle with Covid-19.
“It's striking to think that just two years ago, the US economy was reaching the trough of the Covid-19 recession,” Williams said in a speech at Princeton University. “Back then, we were living through unprecedented lockdowns. And we had no way of knowing that this would be the shortest recession on record, or that the rebound would be so dramatic.” But while the rebound is pleasantly surprising, Williams noted that there continues to be significant concerns about supply chain shortages, inflation, and even the virus itself.
While many are tired of talking about Covid-19, there’s still much that surprises researchers, including its ongoing evolution into newer, more contagious variants. Scientists continue to be surprised by the way SARS-CoV-2 infects many different parts of the body. Early on, scientists discovered it was much more than a respiratory illness as patients presented with wide-ranging ailments including heart damage, blood clots, neurologic complications and other organ defects.
Typically, autopsies of patients who have died from other contagious diseases will reveal traces of the virus in their brains. But autopsies of Covid-19 patients surprised researchers by showing lower brain impact and higher rates of damage in other organs and systems. It’s left them scratching their heads, wondering about the future impact of the virus.
“We still don’t know what the future holds,” said David Wohl, an infectious disease specialist from the University of North Carolina. “We’ll be two years plus of history and track record, and even then, with that knowledge, it’s still hard to predict what will happen.
In other words, the pandemic may feel like the Academy awards — periods of routine performances punctuated by open handed slaps across the face. The surprises will just keep coming.
In the Scriptures
Perhaps the best argument for choosing to preach from the lengthy passion narrative is what could be called Holy Week Avoidance Syndrome. Better to unload the entire homiletical cannon on Palm Sunday than to risk ignoring Jesus’ passion, thus moving from the Palm Sunday parade to the Easter parade.
But there’s also an argument to made for catching the congregation by surprise by structuring the service as a prelude to the passion. In this approach, the movement is from the gates of the city to Passover on to the eerie precipice of Golgotha. The congregation thus joins in Jesus’ journey and prepared for an even deeper surprise come Easter morning.
So consider preaching from Luke 19:28-40, but find ways of including elements from the greater passion story. Allow the ragtag processional to be seen for what it truly is: a counter-cultural satire that forms the overture to Luke’s extended narration in chapters 22 and 23.
The journey to Jerusalem has guided Luke’s gospel since chapter nine. It has been the backdrop to the parables and instructions to the disciples. Beyond that, Luke has also focused on the external, ongoing mission of the church. Jesus’ words have been explicit, if harsh. The disciples should not be surprised by the events that are beginning to happen.
Yet, as Luke 19:28-40 demonstrates, their knowledge is not yet complete. The passage is surprising by what is present and what is missing. It’s clear that Jesus remains fully in charge and that the events prefigure the passion. He directs the disciples to find the donkey, just as he will later direct Peter and John to find the upper room (22:7). He descends from the Mount of Olives, only to return to it later. At verse 41, he will lament over Jerusalem’s inability to seek peace, a theme that will return later in chapter 21.
What is missing, however, is any sense that this is truly a triumphant entrance. He is heralded as a king, but there’s no indication that the Roman government is threatened by his lampooning of a victor’s grand entrance. There are no palms, just cloaks cast aside. It’s enough to draw the ire of the Pharisees, yet even they fade into the background after telling Jesus to keep his crew silent.
Luke is offering one more view of Jesus on the road. His road trips have been eventful, ranging from blessing children and healing the blind, to bringing salvation to the pint-sized Zacchaeus. He now approaches his passion, confident that whatever might happen God is at work.
Jesus is on the road, bringing peace and causing the children of Israel to herald him as the king who comes in the name of the Lord. It’s no surprise that he does not try and stop them, because then even the stones along the road would shout.
In the Sermon
Brevity is the clue to preaching on Palm Sunday. Allow the weight of this text, and especially the passion story, to speak for itself. Holy Week, after all, is a minister’s marathon. A wise preacher will guide the congregation along the pathway toward the city, inviting them to find their place along Jesus’ parade route.
Marching band alums know that parades are exhausting, hot, and often filled with smelly remnants of the horses who led the way. Take that as a word to the wise, and craft the sermon with hints of irony and surprise. One clue might be Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan’s theory comparing Jesus’ parade with the much more grand entrance Pilate would make later.
Borg and Crossan suggest that the Roman governor would often make a grand entrance into Jerusalem at the start of Passover. It was an outsized display of military strength designed to quash thoughts of rebellion. This is perhaps on the minds of the Pharisees when they chide Jesus to keep his disciples quiet, but even their concerns are quickly brushed aside.
To be sure, Jesus’ followers would have been no match for Pilate’s brute strength. It’s clear that while Jesus’ entrance is well-planned, it is certainly far from triumphant. It remains a surprising moment. He brings the promise of peace, but is not a peace achieved by chariots and troops. Instead, Jesus takes the city by surprise, rattling it to its core with his warnings to remain alert and his lament over its blindness.
Jesus knows the things that will make for true peace remain hidden from the eyes of the crowd. This is what the surprises of our times have taught us as well, so we would do well to not try and outrun Jesus’ parade.
We were not able to outrun all the horrible aspects of the pandemic, but we did learn how to endure with hope. We may not be able to outwit a tyrant like Putin, but even Jesus knows nations will rise against nation. The true surprise — the good news to be proclaimed — is that the one who comes in the name of the Lord remains in control, bringing hope and stirring hearts. He comes and will be abandoned. But what a difference a week will make.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! May peace be in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven.
* * *
Palm Sunday Re-conceptualize: We Celebrate Today Because Tomorrow We Die
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Luke 19:28-40
What would you do if you knew you were going to die? Would you celebrate? Would party until the sun sets and rises again? Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday serves as a herald for Holy week and Jesus’ inevitable death on the cross. Why should this day be a day of mourning?
In the Scripture
It is 2022 we are three years into the global pandemic. There is the threat of full-scale global war. The rise in the cost of living has left us with deep anxieties for our futures. Maybe it is time we re-conceptualize the way we view Palm Sunday.
Leading up to this point in the gospel Jesus has been forthright with his followers about his impending death. Jesus understood that as long as he was outside the walls of Jerusalem his life was preserved, yet the moment he steps foot in the city he is D.O.A. To clarify, Jesus testified in Luke 13:33 that a prophet cannot be killed outside of Jerusalem. Jesus, the embodiment of the prophet par excellence, must bear the weight of his own testimony. This is where I believe we can rethink the pageantry that is Jesus’ “royal” entrance into the City of God. The opening interaction where Jesus sends his followers to get the unridden colt shows that there is a reluctance to share a hidden knowledge. Jesus, knowing that he was going to be questioned, is almost uncharacteristically coy with his resonance. The apostles probably thought to themselves, “Of course the Lord needs the colt but that does not answer the deeper question of why.”
Upon Jesus’ entrance into the city, the crowd is whipped into a frenzy proclaiming Peace in Heaven — that the long-promised king has come. (I think it's important to stress that the multitude knew actual peace would not be present with Jesus’ triumphant arrival.) This is the celebration of the very human man that is Jesus. In this fleeting moment, Jesus, the man, comes to proclaim that God’s promise made to Abraham, David, and the people of Israel is still valid. Everyone present knows that empires are not overthrown in a day. It takes one act of defiance to begin the gradual change.
In the News
My experience in Black culture is one where my family celebrates every chance we get. I have known many people that have died young or were killed. The one thing I regret is not celebrating with them while they were alive. Brandon Jones, M.A. Psychotherapist and Behavioral Health Consultant, published an amazing PowerPoint document that breaks down the legacy of trauma in the context of the African American existence. Celebrating the minor victories reconditions the brain and helps to mitigate our bodies' trauma response.
In the Sermon
It is time we carve out joy no matter how fleeting. We’re all going to die anyway. Jesus refuses to go passively into death — a death he freely chose — so why should we submit without doing the same? There comes a point in our lives where we, for some reason, stop celebrating the little things. Culturally, we have accepted that once we hit a specific age we no longer want to celebrate our birthdays because it reminds us that we are growing older and are one step closer to the great equalizer that is death. Frankly, this is frustrating simply for the fact that tomorrow is not promised to us.
Whenever I would go off on an adventure, that might entail danger, I would leave a note somewhere. I did this just in case I did not return so that my family would have some kind of closure. More often than not the closing line was some formulation of “If anyone asks: tell them I lived.” Where 3
We’re three years into a global pandemic, in the midst of a climate catastrophe that is now unavoidable, and in the United States there is an unprecedented amount of terroristic mass shootings. Day in and day out we are confronted with our own mortality. In some communities, it has become a trend among youth to brag about making it to 23. Violence or the threat of bodily harm is not something new. Even Jesus faced this reality upon his arrival in the city of Jerusalem. By stepping foot into the kingdom of God Jesus signs his own death writ. In response to this reality, what does our Lord do? What does the multitude gathered around Christ do? They celebrate — even though Jesus knows his death is at hand he celebrates. Jesus is preemptively providing closure and catharsis for people that have been victimized.
Anyone who has been a part of active military duty or participated in a high-risk occupation will tell you that some of their peers have a morbid sense of humor. There is a practice within the Black/African-American cultural zeitgeist called signifying. This is a practice where you read between the lines, expanding upon a story to get what is behind the text. In some sense, these stories are like a midrash. When I come to the story of Jesus’ entrance into the city of Jerusalem where those gathered offered a kingly welcome to a dead man that still breathed, I like to believe Jesus allowed himself to participate in the deep joy felt by those there. I want to believe he set aside his worries in favor of celebrating a painless day.
In the Sermon (Alternative)
In 1982 Tim Dlugos penned the poem “My Death.” In a mere four lines, Dlugo was able to capture the desolation many felt in the face of the growing AIDS crisis. In the face of impending death, Dlugo, like many others in the early years of the AIDS crisis, resigned themselves to death — greeting their end with a casual, “hi neighbor.”
The celebration of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem serves as a testament that a dead man can live.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Luke 19:28-40
Ramadan in Alaska
On our Palm Sunday, which grew from the Jewish Passover celebration, our Muslim neighbors will be in the middle of Ramadan. For Maleika Jones, the celebration will have elements in common with Jesus entry into Jerusalem. Ms. Jones and her family live in Anchorage, Alaska, “home to Alaska’s only mosque — some 6,700 miles west of Mecca, in a commercial district of the city, next to a sports bar and an insulation contractor’s office, with views of the Chugach Mountains. The mosque — the northernmost in the country — is also the heart of a growing Muslim community that is preparing to gather for Ramadan for the first time since the pandemic began.” Like the pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem for Passover, “the roughly 2,500 Muslims in the Anchorage area come from all over the world; they’re immigrants, refugees, locals, veterans, students and others, all sharing a faith and a love of food.”
Like ancient Jerusalem, “Anchorage is one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse cities, with more than 100 languages represented in its public school system. People often move to the area as part of the military, as new immigrants or as refugees — many from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Cuba, Iraq and Bhutan. Most recently, 100 refugees from Afghanistan have settled in the area.”
To accommodate the city’s growing Muslim population, “Anchorage is home to three halal specialty shops and several restaurants with halal dishes on the menu. The local Walmart, Safeway and Costco stores also carry halal-certified options.”
A member of the Muslim community there notes, “If you go somewhere like Chicago or New York, you’ll find different mosques. You’ll find a Pakistani mosque or an Arab mosque or an Albanian mosque. It’s a mosque, but it’s infused with the culture of the place. We don’t have that ability. It really kind of forces us to try to stay true to the religion and not let different cultures influence how we do things.”
As our Muslim neighbors celebrate Ramadan, we find the same sense of festive joy (and great food) present in the Passover that Jesus celebrates.
* * *
Luke 19:28-40
Preparing for Death
As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, he knows that he’s riding toward his death, even if no one else does. Author Roman Krznaric says that we should all live as if our death is approaching. He proposes that the awareness of death sweetens the life we have. “Live as if life were full of little deaths. Buddhist thought contains one of the most provoking death teasers of them all: the idea that all life is transient, and that our own lives are composed of an infinite number of “little deaths,” moments that pass into nothingness, so we should endeavor to be present to them. A flower blooms just once then dies, so smell the flower now. Our children grow up just once, and if we don’t pay attention then, we may miss their precious early years. Our years in our 20s die when we reach 30, so we should live them with real passion, not frivolity. We must remember that we are constantly dying these deaths from the moment we are born.”
He adds another thought experiment, suggesting, “Live as if you had six months left. What would you do if you knew you only had a few months or a year left to live? For many people diagnosed with a terminal illness, this is a real question, but it is also one that deserves serious contemplation at any point in life.” If we have said our meaningful goodbyes, he says, “a different approach appears in the brilliant 1952 Japanese film Ikiru (To Live). A self-serving Tokyo bureaucratic named Kanji Watanabe discovers he has stomach cancer with just six months left to live. After much despairing, he finds a sense of meaning by performing a single act of selflessness in his final days, helping poor slum-dwelling mothers build a playground for their children. He dies there happy on a swing. What is your personal equivalent of Watanabe’s playground?”
Jesus is living this last week fully, even though he knows that death is at the end.
* * *
Luke 19:28-40
Jesus on the Red Carpet
With the Academy Awards in our recent past, it’s easy to think about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the first century equivalent of a red carpet. His entrance was clearly much cheaper than this year’s Oscars. The total cost of this year's red carpet event was $42.9 million dollars. The actual red carpet cost almost $25,000. It takes a crew of 18 workers 90 hours to install the red carpet. The city of Los Angeles gets an economic boost of $130 million dollars for hosting the Oscars. A winner of the best actor/actress award can expect a 60% pay increase for their next film. This year, 14,000 PCR Covid tests were administered to cast and crew members, supervised by a 70 member Covid team.
None of that happened for Jesus in his entrance into Jerusalem, and yet we remember his red carpet moment all these years later, and still find meaning in it.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Luke 19:28-40
Take a close look
The worst insult my classmates in seminary and I shared was to begin a response by saying, “A strict reading of the text….” which usually meant that you’d missed obvious instructions on a sign, or tried to pull a door open that needed to be pushed. It meant you had overlooked something that everyone else could see. Okay, take a close look at the Palm Sunday text from Luke’s gospel — what isn’t mentioned, a strict reading of the text reveals — is palms! The disciples put their cloaks on the colt; people put their cloaks on the road, but nobody cuts down palm branches to wave. Sorry about this, I mean, your secretary probably already ordered the palms and it’s too late to cancel them.
Another thing that isn’t there is “hosanna.” I know you’ll shout and sing it, as one does on Palm Sunday — and only Palm Sunday — but in Luke nobody says, shouts, or sings that word.
Don’t go looking for Jesus’ pedigree in this part of Luke’s gospel. The text does not mention that Jesus is “descended from the house and family of David.” It was commonly understood that the promised Messiah would be a descendant of David, but a strict reading of the text does not include that explicit statement here.
The word “multitude” appears three times in Luke’s gospel. In the 2nd chapter it describes the size of the heavenly army that announced Jesus’ birth. In the 6th chapter a multitude gathers to hear what we know as “The Sermon on the Plain.” In the 19th chapter, today’s reading, the disciples are described as a multitude. Interestingly, the multitude mentioned in chapter 6 comes immediately after Jesus named his disciples.
* * *
Luke 19:28-40
Who’s quiet now?
Some Pharisees told Jesus to tell his disciples to stop shouting. Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” Here’s a cool contrast: this is the last time any Pharisees speak in Luke’s gospel.
* * *
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Song of Celebration
Psalm 118 was sung by Jews of Jesus’ day at the conclusion of the Passover celebration. It was sung in the Temple and at home. It thus has a dual purpose — it celebrates God’s delivering the Hebrews from slavery and their arrival in the Promised Land. Which of these celebrations did those throwing their coats in the road have in mind?
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
Luke 19:28-40
Jesus gives the secret code to unlock Palm Sunday. He knows exactly what to do to start the order of the day. He gives the disciples exact instructions. It makes one realize that he has been in charge the entire time. Is the Bible meant to be an instruction book? Palm Sunday is so different from the rest of the gospel stories because it is one of the few times when Jesus gives direct instructions. Go, find the colt, untie it, tell the owners it is for God. How we long for God’s direct instructions, but perhaps it is only now that the disciples will follow these explicit sort of directions. We humans are funny — we only follow direct orders now and then. God has to save them for important occasions
* * *
Luke 22:14--23:56
How quickly we turn against the very things we cry are our salvation the moment before. How do we rally for Black Lives Matter one summer and the next protest against the teaching of Critical Race Theory? How do we support the #MeToo movement, and then roll back gender studies and abortion rights? How can we humans be so for and so against things at the same time? How can we want for babies to have the right to be born but not support food or childcare? I do not think it is hard at all to picture the crowd turning from supporting Jesus to crucifying him. It think the much harder question is why are human mobs so volatile, and how can we turn people into more compassionate communities?
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible, because it doesn’t say how or why or who is going to be responsible for every knee bowing and every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord. This is not given as a command or an instruction manual or a task. It is a declaration and glorification of the truth. It is gospel. It is the good news. It is the promise. It is something that is beyond human ken. We cannot make it happen. Only God can do this. But it has been promised, and so it will happen.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: O give thanks to God who is good.
All: God’s steadfast love endures forever!
One: This is the day that God has made.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
All: We bless you from the house of God.
OR
One: Come and rejoice in this wonderful parade of life.
All: We wave our palm leaves and celebrate Jesus’ life.
One: God is present in the parade and in the shadow of the cross.
All: We will anticipate God’s presence in all times of our lives.
One: Rejoice in the life God shares with us now and for ever.
All: Our lives are always in God and God’s grace.
Hymns and Songs
All Glory, Laud, and Honor
UMH: 280
H82: 154/155
PH: 88
AAHH: 226
NNBH: 102
NCH: 216/217
CH: 192
LBW: 108
ELW: 344
W&P: 265
AMEC: 129
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
UMH: 278
PH: 89
NCH: 213
W&P: 267
AMEC: 130
Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
UMH: 213
H82: 436
PH: 8
NCH: 117
CH: 129
LBW: 32
W&P: 176
AMEC: 94
Renew: 59
Were You There
UMH: 288
H82: 172
PH: 102
AAHH: 254
NNBH: 109
NCH: 229
CH: 198
LBW: 92
ELW: 353
W&P: 283
AMEC: 136
Ah, Holy Jesus
UMH: 289
H82: 158
PH: 93
NCH: 218
CH: 210
LBW: 123
ELW: 349
W&P: 521
Renew: 183
What Wondrous Love Is This
UMH: 292
H82: 439
PH: 85
NCH: 223
CH: 200
LBW: 385
ELW: 666
W&P: 257
STLT: 18
Renew 277
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
UMH: 295
H82: 441/442
PH: 84
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193/194
LBW: 104
ELW: 324
W&P: 264
AMEC: 153
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
UMH: 298
H82: 474
PH: 100/101
AAHH: 243
NNBH: 113
NCH: 224
CH: 195
LBW: 482
ELW: 803
W&P: 261
AMEC: 147/148
Renew: 236
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
UMH: 301
NNBH: 103
NCH: 197
CH: 587
ELW: 335
W&P: 479
AMEC: 321
Beneath the Cross of Jesus
UMH: 297
H82: 498
PH: 92
AAHH: 247
NNBH: 106
NCH: 190
CH: 197
LBW: 107
ELW: 338
W&P: 255
AMEC: 146
O How He Loves You and Me
CCB: 38
Renew: 27
Only By Grace
CCB: 42
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
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
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who comes among us in all the turmoil of our lives:
Grant us the grace to stay centered in your presence
that we might truly have the mind of Christ;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are with us in all the turmoil of our lives. You bring your presence to us so that we might be centered on the things eternal. Help us to be open to you always. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways in which we get distracted by all the commotion in our lives and miss God’s presence.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are easily distracted by all that is going on around us. There are so many things clamoring for our attention and we give too much time and energy to things that are passing. Call us back to you and to the things that are eternal so that we may be centered in you and your grace that holds us always. Amen.
One: God is our center and our life. Receive God’s gracious presence and share that grace with others.
Prayers of the People
Glory, laud, and honor are yours by right, O God, because you are our Creator and our Redeemer. Your gracious Spirit in with us always.
(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 are easily distracted by all that is going on around us. There are so many things clamoring for our attention and we give too much time and energy to things that are passing. Call us back to you and to the things that are eternal so that we may be centered in you and your grace that holds us always.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you bring your love into our lives. We thank you for your Church and the witness it bears to your redeeming love. We thank you for those who have shared your love with us. We thank you for life and its celebrations.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. As we recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and his Passion, we remember that many live under the shadow of violence and death. As we recall his grieving mother and disciples we know many others are grieving this day. We ask that our prayers might be part of your healing presence for them. Use our words and actions this week to bring wholeness to your children.
(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 Our Father 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
Everyone Loves a Parade
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 19:28-40
You will need: A box of tissues and a several bags of small, penny candies, the kind they throw from floats in parades.
Say:
Good morning, boys and girls. Do you all like parades? Me, too. You know what I love best about parades? I love it when the people in the parade throw candy to those of us watching the parade. My favorite is Laughy Taffy but I also like Tootsie Rolls. But more than watching the parade and picking up candy, I like being in a parade. I like being the one who throws the candy to the kids (and adults like me) along the sidewalk watching the parade.
Which one do you think would be best? Watching the parade or being in the parade?
Well, this morning, we’re going to do both and see which one is the most fun. (Hand out bags of candy.) First we’re going to pretend we’re in a parade. So, just line up here and everyone get a handful of candy and we’re going to walk down the aisle and as the people cheer for us, we’re going to toss these candies up in the air so the people can collect them and take them home and eat them, or maybe even eat them during the sermon.
(Calliope music can be found on line to accompany the parade or maybe the old song “I Love a Parade.” Encourage the congregation to cheer as the children walk down the aisle, tossing the candy in the air. You may want to warn some of the adults about what is coming so they can over-react to the candies and get a little crazy competing for them. When the parade is over, gather the children back at the front and say…)
Okay, that was pretty fun, wasn’t it? But let’s try it the other way around. This time, we’re going to watch the parade go by and see how fun that is. (Distribute tissues to children to wave at the parade. Have some pre-selected adults ready to walk buy, some with clown noses, as if they’re in a parade and toss candy to the children who are waving the tissues. Play the same music as before.)
(When the parade is over, ask the children which was the most fun, being in the parade or watching the parade, and why they picked the one they did. Then say…)
Did you know that Jesus was in a parade, once? He was. It wasn’t much of a parade. In fact, he was the only one in it and there wasn’t any candy being thrown around.
See, a few weeks earlier there had been a big fancy parade for the new governor of the area where Jesus and his disciples lived. The man was named Pontius Pilate and his parade was quite a show. There were girls throwing flowers and chariots pulled by white stallions and soldiers with their armor all shiny and Pilate riding in a chariot with a crown on his head. This was to show the people how powerful he was and how powerful the Roman Empire was.
Then Jesus organized his parade to show people that God’s power isn’t about soldiers and chariots and that kind of power. So, in Jesus’ parade, he rode not on a chariot with white horses but on a donkey. His parade wasn’t about the power of armies. His parade was about the power of love. That was what Jesus was about and what he wants us to be about.
Jesus wants us to be about love and kindness and that’s a good thing to remember this week as we head toward Easter.
(End with a prayer asking God to make our hearts loving and kind for Jesus’ sake.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 10, 2022 issue.
Copyright 2022 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.
- Palm Sunday Surprise by Chris Keating.
- Palm Sunday Re-conceptualize: We Celebrate Today Because Tomorrow We Die by Quantisha Mason-Doll.
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen, Mary Austin, Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Everyone Loves a Parade by Dean Feldmeyer.
Palm Sunday Surpriseby Chris Keating
Luke 19:28-40
Luke’s story of Jesus has been filled with surprises. The narrative has been chockfull of twists and turns, including miraculous births and friendly Samaritans. It comes as no surprise that his retelling of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem hits us from left field as well.
First, there’s no mention of palms. What might seem like a classic rookie preacher mistake (“Whaddya mean, ‘I forgot to order palms?’) is indicative of something else. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem is more than a small-town rabbi headed to town for the holidays. But then the surprises continue. The spontaneous entrance is revealed to be a piece of a larger plan. Jesus remains in charge of all the details, including arranging a farm where the disciples can procure a donkey.
Surprise is at the heart of this story, just as surprise continues to fill our world and individual lives. From rising gas prices to the war in Ukraine, to the slap heard ’round the world, our pandemic-fatigued congregations may think they’ve seen it all. But then comes Jesus, riding a donkey, heralded as a king, and the bringer of peace. Yet the peace he brings is not the peace some expected.
He’s promised to bring a fire that will burn down the entire place, but the Pharisees just want the disciples to pipe down. The surprises are just beginning.
In the News
What’s surprising about the third year of a global pandemic is that there is still so much that catches us off guard. What can be surprising once you’ve scoured every Walmart in town in search of toilet paper?
In truth, there have been quite a few surprises lately.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine did not catch anyone off guard, there have been many surprises in the war. Commentators note that what is particularly novel is how many of the surprises have been bad for Putin and relatively good for Ukraine. Without diminishing the grueling impact of the war on Ukrainians, some analysts think Putin was caught off guard by Ukraine’s steely resistance.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has surprised in more ways than one,” Daniel R. DePetris writes in Newsweek. “It has highlighted the multitude of systemic problems within the Russian military as a whole and exposes Putin, usually believed to be a master of geopolitics, ignorant or arrogant of the consequences of his own actions.
Closer to home, and less deadly, have been the sort of surprises that bring smiles to the faces of college basketball fans. Last month’s March Madness included Jersey City, New Jersey’s St. Peter University’s astonishing tournament play. The Peacocks, ranked as a 15th seed at the beginning of the NCAA tournament, climbed over legacy schools like Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue before getting eliminated by North Carolina. Diehard Peacock fans — go ahead, try to remember that last time you saw that in print — celebrated the team’s successes with a parade and prognostications of continued success.
St. Peter’s victories gave folks in Jersey City the opportunity to forget about 2022’s other spring surprises, including skyrocketing gas prices, the war in Ukraine, and Will Smith’s Oscar-night altercation with comedian Chris Rock. Some of these surprises may seem to have come out of the blue — like baseball legend Albert Pujols coming out of retirement by signing a one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Pujols wasn’t the only one hired in March. More than 400,000 persons in the United States joined him in going back to work in March, lowering the unemployment rate to 3.6 percent. John C. Williams, president and CEO of the New York Federal Reserve, pointed out that the jobs report is another somewhat surprising sign that the economy is getting over its long struggle with Covid-19.
“It's striking to think that just two years ago, the US economy was reaching the trough of the Covid-19 recession,” Williams said in a speech at Princeton University. “Back then, we were living through unprecedented lockdowns. And we had no way of knowing that this would be the shortest recession on record, or that the rebound would be so dramatic.” But while the rebound is pleasantly surprising, Williams noted that there continues to be significant concerns about supply chain shortages, inflation, and even the virus itself.
While many are tired of talking about Covid-19, there’s still much that surprises researchers, including its ongoing evolution into newer, more contagious variants. Scientists continue to be surprised by the way SARS-CoV-2 infects many different parts of the body. Early on, scientists discovered it was much more than a respiratory illness as patients presented with wide-ranging ailments including heart damage, blood clots, neurologic complications and other organ defects.
Typically, autopsies of patients who have died from other contagious diseases will reveal traces of the virus in their brains. But autopsies of Covid-19 patients surprised researchers by showing lower brain impact and higher rates of damage in other organs and systems. It’s left them scratching their heads, wondering about the future impact of the virus.
“We still don’t know what the future holds,” said David Wohl, an infectious disease specialist from the University of North Carolina. “We’ll be two years plus of history and track record, and even then, with that knowledge, it’s still hard to predict what will happen.
In other words, the pandemic may feel like the Academy awards — periods of routine performances punctuated by open handed slaps across the face. The surprises will just keep coming.
In the Scriptures
Perhaps the best argument for choosing to preach from the lengthy passion narrative is what could be called Holy Week Avoidance Syndrome. Better to unload the entire homiletical cannon on Palm Sunday than to risk ignoring Jesus’ passion, thus moving from the Palm Sunday parade to the Easter parade.
But there’s also an argument to made for catching the congregation by surprise by structuring the service as a prelude to the passion. In this approach, the movement is from the gates of the city to Passover on to the eerie precipice of Golgotha. The congregation thus joins in Jesus’ journey and prepared for an even deeper surprise come Easter morning.
So consider preaching from Luke 19:28-40, but find ways of including elements from the greater passion story. Allow the ragtag processional to be seen for what it truly is: a counter-cultural satire that forms the overture to Luke’s extended narration in chapters 22 and 23.
The journey to Jerusalem has guided Luke’s gospel since chapter nine. It has been the backdrop to the parables and instructions to the disciples. Beyond that, Luke has also focused on the external, ongoing mission of the church. Jesus’ words have been explicit, if harsh. The disciples should not be surprised by the events that are beginning to happen.
Yet, as Luke 19:28-40 demonstrates, their knowledge is not yet complete. The passage is surprising by what is present and what is missing. It’s clear that Jesus remains fully in charge and that the events prefigure the passion. He directs the disciples to find the donkey, just as he will later direct Peter and John to find the upper room (22:7). He descends from the Mount of Olives, only to return to it later. At verse 41, he will lament over Jerusalem’s inability to seek peace, a theme that will return later in chapter 21.
What is missing, however, is any sense that this is truly a triumphant entrance. He is heralded as a king, but there’s no indication that the Roman government is threatened by his lampooning of a victor’s grand entrance. There are no palms, just cloaks cast aside. It’s enough to draw the ire of the Pharisees, yet even they fade into the background after telling Jesus to keep his crew silent.
Luke is offering one more view of Jesus on the road. His road trips have been eventful, ranging from blessing children and healing the blind, to bringing salvation to the pint-sized Zacchaeus. He now approaches his passion, confident that whatever might happen God is at work.
Jesus is on the road, bringing peace and causing the children of Israel to herald him as the king who comes in the name of the Lord. It’s no surprise that he does not try and stop them, because then even the stones along the road would shout.
In the Sermon
Brevity is the clue to preaching on Palm Sunday. Allow the weight of this text, and especially the passion story, to speak for itself. Holy Week, after all, is a minister’s marathon. A wise preacher will guide the congregation along the pathway toward the city, inviting them to find their place along Jesus’ parade route.
Marching band alums know that parades are exhausting, hot, and often filled with smelly remnants of the horses who led the way. Take that as a word to the wise, and craft the sermon with hints of irony and surprise. One clue might be Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan’s theory comparing Jesus’ parade with the much more grand entrance Pilate would make later.
Borg and Crossan suggest that the Roman governor would often make a grand entrance into Jerusalem at the start of Passover. It was an outsized display of military strength designed to quash thoughts of rebellion. This is perhaps on the minds of the Pharisees when they chide Jesus to keep his disciples quiet, but even their concerns are quickly brushed aside.
To be sure, Jesus’ followers would have been no match for Pilate’s brute strength. It’s clear that while Jesus’ entrance is well-planned, it is certainly far from triumphant. It remains a surprising moment. He brings the promise of peace, but is not a peace achieved by chariots and troops. Instead, Jesus takes the city by surprise, rattling it to its core with his warnings to remain alert and his lament over its blindness.
Jesus knows the things that will make for true peace remain hidden from the eyes of the crowd. This is what the surprises of our times have taught us as well, so we would do well to not try and outrun Jesus’ parade.
We were not able to outrun all the horrible aspects of the pandemic, but we did learn how to endure with hope. We may not be able to outwit a tyrant like Putin, but even Jesus knows nations will rise against nation. The true surprise — the good news to be proclaimed — is that the one who comes in the name of the Lord remains in control, bringing hope and stirring hearts. He comes and will be abandoned. But what a difference a week will make.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! May peace be in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven.
* * *
Palm Sunday Re-conceptualize: We Celebrate Today Because Tomorrow We Dieby Quantisha Mason-Doll
Luke 19:28-40
What would you do if you knew you were going to die? Would you celebrate? Would party until the sun sets and rises again? Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday serves as a herald for Holy week and Jesus’ inevitable death on the cross. Why should this day be a day of mourning?
In the Scripture
It is 2022 we are three years into the global pandemic. There is the threat of full-scale global war. The rise in the cost of living has left us with deep anxieties for our futures. Maybe it is time we re-conceptualize the way we view Palm Sunday.
Leading up to this point in the gospel Jesus has been forthright with his followers about his impending death. Jesus understood that as long as he was outside the walls of Jerusalem his life was preserved, yet the moment he steps foot in the city he is D.O.A. To clarify, Jesus testified in Luke 13:33 that a prophet cannot be killed outside of Jerusalem. Jesus, the embodiment of the prophet par excellence, must bear the weight of his own testimony. This is where I believe we can rethink the pageantry that is Jesus’ “royal” entrance into the City of God. The opening interaction where Jesus sends his followers to get the unridden colt shows that there is a reluctance to share a hidden knowledge. Jesus, knowing that he was going to be questioned, is almost uncharacteristically coy with his resonance. The apostles probably thought to themselves, “Of course the Lord needs the colt but that does not answer the deeper question of why.”
Upon Jesus’ entrance into the city, the crowd is whipped into a frenzy proclaiming Peace in Heaven — that the long-promised king has come. (I think it's important to stress that the multitude knew actual peace would not be present with Jesus’ triumphant arrival.) This is the celebration of the very human man that is Jesus. In this fleeting moment, Jesus, the man, comes to proclaim that God’s promise made to Abraham, David, and the people of Israel is still valid. Everyone present knows that empires are not overthrown in a day. It takes one act of defiance to begin the gradual change.
In the News
My experience in Black culture is one where my family celebrates every chance we get. I have known many people that have died young or were killed. The one thing I regret is not celebrating with them while they were alive. Brandon Jones, M.A. Psychotherapist and Behavioral Health Consultant, published an amazing PowerPoint document that breaks down the legacy of trauma in the context of the African American existence. Celebrating the minor victories reconditions the brain and helps to mitigate our bodies' trauma response.
In the Sermon
It is time we carve out joy no matter how fleeting. We’re all going to die anyway. Jesus refuses to go passively into death — a death he freely chose — so why should we submit without doing the same? There comes a point in our lives where we, for some reason, stop celebrating the little things. Culturally, we have accepted that once we hit a specific age we no longer want to celebrate our birthdays because it reminds us that we are growing older and are one step closer to the great equalizer that is death. Frankly, this is frustrating simply for the fact that tomorrow is not promised to us.
Whenever I would go off on an adventure, that might entail danger, I would leave a note somewhere. I did this just in case I did not return so that my family would have some kind of closure. More often than not the closing line was some formulation of “If anyone asks: tell them I lived.” Where 3
We’re three years into a global pandemic, in the midst of a climate catastrophe that is now unavoidable, and in the United States there is an unprecedented amount of terroristic mass shootings. Day in and day out we are confronted with our own mortality. In some communities, it has become a trend among youth to brag about making it to 23. Violence or the threat of bodily harm is not something new. Even Jesus faced this reality upon his arrival in the city of Jerusalem. By stepping foot into the kingdom of God Jesus signs his own death writ. In response to this reality, what does our Lord do? What does the multitude gathered around Christ do? They celebrate — even though Jesus knows his death is at hand he celebrates. Jesus is preemptively providing closure and catharsis for people that have been victimized.
Anyone who has been a part of active military duty or participated in a high-risk occupation will tell you that some of their peers have a morbid sense of humor. There is a practice within the Black/African-American cultural zeitgeist called signifying. This is a practice where you read between the lines, expanding upon a story to get what is behind the text. In some sense, these stories are like a midrash. When I come to the story of Jesus’ entrance into the city of Jerusalem where those gathered offered a kingly welcome to a dead man that still breathed, I like to believe Jesus allowed himself to participate in the deep joy felt by those there. I want to believe he set aside his worries in favor of celebrating a painless day.
In the Sermon (Alternative)
In 1982 Tim Dlugos penned the poem “My Death.” In a mere four lines, Dlugo was able to capture the desolation many felt in the face of the growing AIDS crisis. In the face of impending death, Dlugo, like many others in the early years of the AIDS crisis, resigned themselves to death — greeting their end with a casual, “hi neighbor.”
The celebration of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem serves as a testament that a dead man can live.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:Luke 19:28-40
Ramadan in Alaska
On our Palm Sunday, which grew from the Jewish Passover celebration, our Muslim neighbors will be in the middle of Ramadan. For Maleika Jones, the celebration will have elements in common with Jesus entry into Jerusalem. Ms. Jones and her family live in Anchorage, Alaska, “home to Alaska’s only mosque — some 6,700 miles west of Mecca, in a commercial district of the city, next to a sports bar and an insulation contractor’s office, with views of the Chugach Mountains. The mosque — the northernmost in the country — is also the heart of a growing Muslim community that is preparing to gather for Ramadan for the first time since the pandemic began.” Like the pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem for Passover, “the roughly 2,500 Muslims in the Anchorage area come from all over the world; they’re immigrants, refugees, locals, veterans, students and others, all sharing a faith and a love of food.”
Like ancient Jerusalem, “Anchorage is one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse cities, with more than 100 languages represented in its public school system. People often move to the area as part of the military, as new immigrants or as refugees — many from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Cuba, Iraq and Bhutan. Most recently, 100 refugees from Afghanistan have settled in the area.”
To accommodate the city’s growing Muslim population, “Anchorage is home to three halal specialty shops and several restaurants with halal dishes on the menu. The local Walmart, Safeway and Costco stores also carry halal-certified options.”
A member of the Muslim community there notes, “If you go somewhere like Chicago or New York, you’ll find different mosques. You’ll find a Pakistani mosque or an Arab mosque or an Albanian mosque. It’s a mosque, but it’s infused with the culture of the place. We don’t have that ability. It really kind of forces us to try to stay true to the religion and not let different cultures influence how we do things.”
As our Muslim neighbors celebrate Ramadan, we find the same sense of festive joy (and great food) present in the Passover that Jesus celebrates.
* * *
Luke 19:28-40
Preparing for Death
As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, he knows that he’s riding toward his death, even if no one else does. Author Roman Krznaric says that we should all live as if our death is approaching. He proposes that the awareness of death sweetens the life we have. “Live as if life were full of little deaths. Buddhist thought contains one of the most provoking death teasers of them all: the idea that all life is transient, and that our own lives are composed of an infinite number of “little deaths,” moments that pass into nothingness, so we should endeavor to be present to them. A flower blooms just once then dies, so smell the flower now. Our children grow up just once, and if we don’t pay attention then, we may miss their precious early years. Our years in our 20s die when we reach 30, so we should live them with real passion, not frivolity. We must remember that we are constantly dying these deaths from the moment we are born.”
He adds another thought experiment, suggesting, “Live as if you had six months left. What would you do if you knew you only had a few months or a year left to live? For many people diagnosed with a terminal illness, this is a real question, but it is also one that deserves serious contemplation at any point in life.” If we have said our meaningful goodbyes, he says, “a different approach appears in the brilliant 1952 Japanese film Ikiru (To Live). A self-serving Tokyo bureaucratic named Kanji Watanabe discovers he has stomach cancer with just six months left to live. After much despairing, he finds a sense of meaning by performing a single act of selflessness in his final days, helping poor slum-dwelling mothers build a playground for their children. He dies there happy on a swing. What is your personal equivalent of Watanabe’s playground?”
Jesus is living this last week fully, even though he knows that death is at the end.
* * *
Luke 19:28-40
Jesus on the Red Carpet
With the Academy Awards in our recent past, it’s easy to think about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the first century equivalent of a red carpet. His entrance was clearly much cheaper than this year’s Oscars. The total cost of this year's red carpet event was $42.9 million dollars. The actual red carpet cost almost $25,000. It takes a crew of 18 workers 90 hours to install the red carpet. The city of Los Angeles gets an economic boost of $130 million dollars for hosting the Oscars. A winner of the best actor/actress award can expect a 60% pay increase for their next film. This year, 14,000 PCR Covid tests were administered to cast and crew members, supervised by a 70 member Covid team.
None of that happened for Jesus in his entrance into Jerusalem, and yet we remember his red carpet moment all these years later, and still find meaning in it.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:Luke 19:28-40
Take a close look
The worst insult my classmates in seminary and I shared was to begin a response by saying, “A strict reading of the text….” which usually meant that you’d missed obvious instructions on a sign, or tried to pull a door open that needed to be pushed. It meant you had overlooked something that everyone else could see. Okay, take a close look at the Palm Sunday text from Luke’s gospel — what isn’t mentioned, a strict reading of the text reveals — is palms! The disciples put their cloaks on the colt; people put their cloaks on the road, but nobody cuts down palm branches to wave. Sorry about this, I mean, your secretary probably already ordered the palms and it’s too late to cancel them.
Another thing that isn’t there is “hosanna.” I know you’ll shout and sing it, as one does on Palm Sunday — and only Palm Sunday — but in Luke nobody says, shouts, or sings that word.
Don’t go looking for Jesus’ pedigree in this part of Luke’s gospel. The text does not mention that Jesus is “descended from the house and family of David.” It was commonly understood that the promised Messiah would be a descendant of David, but a strict reading of the text does not include that explicit statement here.
The word “multitude” appears three times in Luke’s gospel. In the 2nd chapter it describes the size of the heavenly army that announced Jesus’ birth. In the 6th chapter a multitude gathers to hear what we know as “The Sermon on the Plain.” In the 19th chapter, today’s reading, the disciples are described as a multitude. Interestingly, the multitude mentioned in chapter 6 comes immediately after Jesus named his disciples.
* * *
Luke 19:28-40
Who’s quiet now?
Some Pharisees told Jesus to tell his disciples to stop shouting. Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” Here’s a cool contrast: this is the last time any Pharisees speak in Luke’s gospel.
* * *
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Song of Celebration
Psalm 118 was sung by Jews of Jesus’ day at the conclusion of the Passover celebration. It was sung in the Temple and at home. It thus has a dual purpose — it celebrates God’s delivering the Hebrews from slavery and their arrival in the Promised Land. Which of these celebrations did those throwing their coats in the road have in mind?
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:Luke 19:28-40
Jesus gives the secret code to unlock Palm Sunday. He knows exactly what to do to start the order of the day. He gives the disciples exact instructions. It makes one realize that he has been in charge the entire time. Is the Bible meant to be an instruction book? Palm Sunday is so different from the rest of the gospel stories because it is one of the few times when Jesus gives direct instructions. Go, find the colt, untie it, tell the owners it is for God. How we long for God’s direct instructions, but perhaps it is only now that the disciples will follow these explicit sort of directions. We humans are funny — we only follow direct orders now and then. God has to save them for important occasions
* * *
Luke 22:14--23:56
How quickly we turn against the very things we cry are our salvation the moment before. How do we rally for Black Lives Matter one summer and the next protest against the teaching of Critical Race Theory? How do we support the #MeToo movement, and then roll back gender studies and abortion rights? How can we humans be so for and so against things at the same time? How can we want for babies to have the right to be born but not support food or childcare? I do not think it is hard at all to picture the crowd turning from supporting Jesus to crucifying him. It think the much harder question is why are human mobs so volatile, and how can we turn people into more compassionate communities?
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible, because it doesn’t say how or why or who is going to be responsible for every knee bowing and every tongue confessing Jesus as Lord. This is not given as a command or an instruction manual or a task. It is a declaration and glorification of the truth. It is gospel. It is the good news. It is the promise. It is something that is beyond human ken. We cannot make it happen. Only God can do this. But it has been promised, and so it will happen.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: O give thanks to God who is good.
All: God’s steadfast love endures forever!
One: This is the day that God has made.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
One: Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
All: We bless you from the house of God.
OR
One: Come and rejoice in this wonderful parade of life.
All: We wave our palm leaves and celebrate Jesus’ life.
One: God is present in the parade and in the shadow of the cross.
All: We will anticipate God’s presence in all times of our lives.
One: Rejoice in the life God shares with us now and for ever.
All: Our lives are always in God and God’s grace.
Hymns and Songs
All Glory, Laud, and Honor
UMH: 280
H82: 154/155
PH: 88
AAHH: 226
NNBH: 102
NCH: 216/217
CH: 192
LBW: 108
ELW: 344
W&P: 265
AMEC: 129
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
UMH: 278
PH: 89
NCH: 213
W&P: 267
AMEC: 130
Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
UMH: 213
H82: 436
PH: 8
NCH: 117
CH: 129
LBW: 32
W&P: 176
AMEC: 94
Renew: 59
Were You There
UMH: 288
H82: 172
PH: 102
AAHH: 254
NNBH: 109
NCH: 229
CH: 198
LBW: 92
ELW: 353
W&P: 283
AMEC: 136
Ah, Holy Jesus
UMH: 289
H82: 158
PH: 93
NCH: 218
CH: 210
LBW: 123
ELW: 349
W&P: 521
Renew: 183
What Wondrous Love Is This
UMH: 292
H82: 439
PH: 85
NCH: 223
CH: 200
LBW: 385
ELW: 666
W&P: 257
STLT: 18
Renew 277
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
UMH: 295
H82: 441/442
PH: 84
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193/194
LBW: 104
ELW: 324
W&P: 264
AMEC: 153
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
UMH: 298
H82: 474
PH: 100/101
AAHH: 243
NNBH: 113
NCH: 224
CH: 195
LBW: 482
ELW: 803
W&P: 261
AMEC: 147/148
Renew: 236
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
UMH: 301
NNBH: 103
NCH: 197
CH: 587
ELW: 335
W&P: 479
AMEC: 321
Beneath the Cross of Jesus
UMH: 297
H82: 498
PH: 92
AAHH: 247
NNBH: 106
NCH: 190
CH: 197
LBW: 107
ELW: 338
W&P: 255
AMEC: 146
O How He Loves You and Me
CCB: 38
Renew: 27
Only By Grace
CCB: 42
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
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
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who comes among us in all the turmoil of our lives:
Grant us the grace to stay centered in your presence
that we might truly have the mind of Christ;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are with us in all the turmoil of our lives. You bring your presence to us so that we might be centered on the things eternal. Help us to be open to you always. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways in which we get distracted by all the commotion in our lives and miss God’s presence.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are easily distracted by all that is going on around us. There are so many things clamoring for our attention and we give too much time and energy to things that are passing. Call us back to you and to the things that are eternal so that we may be centered in you and your grace that holds us always. Amen.
One: God is our center and our life. Receive God’s gracious presence and share that grace with others.
Prayers of the People
Glory, laud, and honor are yours by right, O God, because you are our Creator and our Redeemer. Your gracious Spirit in with us always.
(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 are easily distracted by all that is going on around us. There are so many things clamoring for our attention and we give too much time and energy to things that are passing. Call us back to you and to the things that are eternal so that we may be centered in you and your grace that holds us always.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you bring your love into our lives. We thank you for your Church and the witness it bears to your redeeming love. We thank you for those who have shared your love with us. We thank you for life and its celebrations.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. As we recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and his Passion, we remember that many live under the shadow of violence and death. As we recall his grieving mother and disciples we know many others are grieving this day. We ask that our prayers might be part of your healing presence for them. Use our words and actions this week to bring wholeness to your children.
(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 Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONEveryone Loves a Parade
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 19:28-40
You will need: A box of tissues and a several bags of small, penny candies, the kind they throw from floats in parades.
Say:
Good morning, boys and girls. Do you all like parades? Me, too. You know what I love best about parades? I love it when the people in the parade throw candy to those of us watching the parade. My favorite is Laughy Taffy but I also like Tootsie Rolls. But more than watching the parade and picking up candy, I like being in a parade. I like being the one who throws the candy to the kids (and adults like me) along the sidewalk watching the parade.
Which one do you think would be best? Watching the parade or being in the parade?
Well, this morning, we’re going to do both and see which one is the most fun. (Hand out bags of candy.) First we’re going to pretend we’re in a parade. So, just line up here and everyone get a handful of candy and we’re going to walk down the aisle and as the people cheer for us, we’re going to toss these candies up in the air so the people can collect them and take them home and eat them, or maybe even eat them during the sermon.
(Calliope music can be found on line to accompany the parade or maybe the old song “I Love a Parade.” Encourage the congregation to cheer as the children walk down the aisle, tossing the candy in the air. You may want to warn some of the adults about what is coming so they can over-react to the candies and get a little crazy competing for them. When the parade is over, gather the children back at the front and say…)
Okay, that was pretty fun, wasn’t it? But let’s try it the other way around. This time, we’re going to watch the parade go by and see how fun that is. (Distribute tissues to children to wave at the parade. Have some pre-selected adults ready to walk buy, some with clown noses, as if they’re in a parade and toss candy to the children who are waving the tissues. Play the same music as before.)
(When the parade is over, ask the children which was the most fun, being in the parade or watching the parade, and why they picked the one they did. Then say…)
Did you know that Jesus was in a parade, once? He was. It wasn’t much of a parade. In fact, he was the only one in it and there wasn’t any candy being thrown around.
See, a few weeks earlier there had been a big fancy parade for the new governor of the area where Jesus and his disciples lived. The man was named Pontius Pilate and his parade was quite a show. There were girls throwing flowers and chariots pulled by white stallions and soldiers with their armor all shiny and Pilate riding in a chariot with a crown on his head. This was to show the people how powerful he was and how powerful the Roman Empire was.
Then Jesus organized his parade to show people that God’s power isn’t about soldiers and chariots and that kind of power. So, in Jesus’ parade, he rode not on a chariot with white horses but on a donkey. His parade wasn’t about the power of armies. His parade was about the power of love. That was what Jesus was about and what he wants us to be about.
Jesus wants us to be about love and kindness and that’s a good thing to remember this week as we head toward Easter.
(End with a prayer asking God to make our hearts loving and kind for Jesus’ sake.)
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The Immediate Word, April 10, 2022 issue.
Copyright 2022 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.
