A Tale of Two Kings
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Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
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For April 2, 2023:
A Tale of Two Kings
by Elena Delhagen
Matthew 27:11-54; Philippians 2:5-11
In late March 2023, former president Donald J. Trump took to his favorite medium, the internet, to warn his supporters of what he believes is his imminent arrest. “WE MUST SAVE AMERICA! PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!” posted the twice-impeached president on his Truth Social app. “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
I wish I could say it was surprising, but alas, it’s a tale as old as time.
Ever since Trump entered the political stage several years ago, he’s gained an almost cult-like following, particularly within a white and evangelical fan base. Many have viewed the one-term former president as a demigod of sorts, convinced he was going to save them — and the country — and make it “great” again. Trump has never been shy about calling on his supporters to stand up for him against perceived enemies, such as liberals or, in his words, “a degenerate psychopath that truely (sic) hates the USA!”
In our Palm/Passion Sunday reading from the gospel of Matthew this week, we remember Jesus’ fall from glory, going from crowds waving their palm branches in support of him to standing before Pontius Pilate, beaten and accused. But he gave no answer — not to a single charge (Matt. 27:14) — he didn’t need to. He knew he’d done nothing wrong.
Jesus shows us, again and again, that he is not like the rich and powerful kings we see on stage in our world. He chooses a better, more humble way, and he invites us along with him.
In the News
Trump’s grandiose social media posts calling for protest come at a time when a grand jury is deciding whether to indict the former president for hush-money payments allegedly made on his behalf to the adult-film star Stormy Daniels. They have opened up a greater conversation about the detriments of social media in political discourse, both here in the United States as well as on a global scale. Scotland’s outgoing First Minister recently gave a speech summarizing her time in office, warning that the hostility and harsh political discourse often present when discussing politics on a social media platform gives “racism, misogyny, sexism, bigotry, generally, none of these new phenomena by any means, a platform and a vehicle.”
On top of that, with technological advances such as AI (artificial intelligence), people are becoming increasingly unable to differentiate between fiction and reality. Deepfake images of Trump’s fictional arrest have been circulating the internet, with Trump himself even reposting one of the images. Another synthetic image depicting Russian president Vladmir Putin kneeling and kissing the hand of Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also going viral. These deepfake images not only make it extremely difficult to discern the real thing, but they also add fuel to the fire for loyal supporters of these sensationalist political stars.
The American public is not shy about taking to loud protest against what they perceive as unjust. A recent drag story hour in Wadsworth, Ohio, was disrupted by anti-LGBTQ+ protestors yelling racial slurs and joining together in a chorus of “Seig heil!” and “There will be blood.” Drag storytellers, as well as the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, are being forced to grapple with threats from Republicans and the far right, steeped in wild conspiracy theories and violent protests. The latest New York City anti-drag story hour protest was attended by members of the Proud Boys, a far-right neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the US.
All of this leads to the question: What kingdoms are we putting our trust in? Those belonging to politicians and pundits? Ones of technological advances manipulated for the sake of personal agendas? Ones made up of angry crowds who resort to violence to get their way? How far will we go to show our support, or to attempt to make a point?
In the Scriptures
Our gospel reading depicts Jesus Christ, “King of the Jews,” arrested and standing in front of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. He has a large following, one who just recently waved their palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna!” in praise of him. He has been accused by jealous chief priests and elders, and Pilate, recognizing Jesus’ innocence, pleads with him to answer their claims. It would have been so easy for Christ to speak up, refute their accusations, draw support from the crowd. Yet he remains silent.
What kind of king is this? Humble. Peaceful. He chooses not to stir up a mob, summon a resistance. He’s fully obedient, even to the point of his imminent death (Phil. 2:8).
Yet another sort of mob is forming outside, a loud and angry one shouting for Christ to be crucified. The loudest voices were the ones calling for violence. Isn’t that so often the case?
And Pilate, concerned more with placating the crowd and avoiding a riot than doing what he knows is right, chooses to release Barabbas, the murderer, instead of Jesus.
The same mob is present at the scene of Christ’s crucifixion, mocking him and sneering that if he truly were the Son of God, he’d come down from the cross. Seeing is believing, as the saying goes. But seeing is also the easy way out, isn’t it? It’s much harder to believe in something we can’t see; that’s the stuff of faith. That’s the stuff of the kingdom of God. That’s what we see in the servant’s words in our passage from Isaiah this week, one who stands firm knowing vindication comes from God and God alone.
In the Sermon
Christ’s kin-dom stands in stark juxtaposition to the kings and kingdoms of our modern world. Political rulers and angry parties often choose violence and harm to get their way, and we as supporters are quick to pledge allegiance to them because we are so hungry for someone to save us. Yet we choose mere mortals to be our gods: Barabbas. Trump. We’re prone to making the wrong choice, aren’t we?
Our false gods will always disappoint us. Our constructed kingdoms will always fall. Jesus shows us a better way, a better King to follow, a better Kin-dom to pursue.
We need to stop letting others bait us into quick and rash reactionary tactics. We need to correct untruths when we hear them in a gentle, non-inflammatory way. We need to remember that our King is one that looks nothing like what the world would expect him to look like. He was born in a stable, not a palace. He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a majestic steed. His power doesn’t come from a fiery social media post, a violent protest, or sensationalist tactics to draw support.
Isn’t that the King we would rather follow?
SECOND THOUGHTS
Bowing with Jesus
by Katy Stenta
Philippians 2:5-11
I am fully convinced that somehow, in some way at the end of the world, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is promised. Not only here in Philippians 2:11, but throughout the Bible. It is one of the most consistent themes of the Bible. Isaiah 43:23 says ever knee will bow, and every tongue shall swear. Psalm 86 says that all nations will come and worship before God, and bring glory to your name. When I was being examined as a pastor, I confessed in my faith that I believe that someday this will happen.
Someone asked me how this would come about. They worried I was a Universalist. Was I trying to get everyone into heaven? I said, I don’t know if I was trying to get everyone into heaven. I said I just was stating what I believed based on the biblical texts. The Bible said everyone was going to have everyone confess the power and might of Jesus Christ, and I believed it was going to happen — the confession of the Centurion after the death of Jesus Christ flashed before my eyes as I spoke those words, as well as the thieves on the cross. Jesus was converting people even as he was dying. How much more will Jesus do upon his return?
I confessed that I did not know how this would happen, just that I believed that it would. The Bible said it would, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Psalms all proclaimed it to be true, and I believe the Bible. It was up to God to get us there. I think I said, it is above my pay grade to figure that part out. Everyone laughed, and the committee passed me on for ordination.
I’ve studied the Bible a lot more since then, and I have a long time to think about how it is that every knee shall bow with Jesus Christ. I have since decided that every knee shall bow, because Jesus will return as he came, on his knees, serving.
When we look at the latest budget proposal, the question is, who will it serve? Does it serve the least of these? Does it fund war or peace? Does it support the disabled, widowed, imprisoned, sick? Are we taking good care of our children? Are we taking good care of our poor? Are we providing free healthcare and healing like Jesus Christ did? Are we welcoming the immigrant? Do we follow Matthew 25 in welcoming Jesus?
It is hard not to think about the gun violence that goes on and on in the United States. The Prince of Peace, who stopped the fighting in the garden before he was arrested and healed Peter’s ear, would not have stood for it. The one who wants us all on our knees, does not ask us to be armed. What are we doing to disarm ourselves for God?
The call to serve is a complicated one. We think that church is the easy answer but what if we let the definition of church expand?. Also, remember that Jesus never sent out his disciples alone. It is easy to fall into the trap that we are meant to do everything by ourselves. We are not. Jesus will be calling us together — of one mind.
Our God is a God who stoops and kneels. In Psalm 113:6-8 God kneels to see the heaven and the earth. Our God is the Jesus who uses his last day on earth to kneel and wash the feet of his friends. Our God is the one who serves.
Will we not then, all kneel to be beside him?
Jesus emptied himself and became human for us. He is a part of all of us, thus when we serve one another, we are serving Jesus Christ. You can bet he will return, on his knees, and we will all be anxious to be beside him.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer
Was Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem a protest demonstration or a celebrative parade? Either way, here are some interesting illustrations about both:
The Biggest Parades In The World
The Oldest Parades in The United States
The oldest parade in the United States is the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City. Held annually since 1762, this parade is the longest continuously running parade in the United States. It is a celebration of Irish culture and heritage, commemorating Ireland's patron saint, Saint Patrick.
The parade began as a small gathering of Irish soldiers in the British army marching through the city streets. From there, it quickly grew in size and popularity, with many Irish immigrants joining in the festivities. By the mid-19th century, the parade had become a full-fledged event, with marching bands, floats, and even Irish dignitaries marching alongside the Irish soldiers.
Today it is one of the largest parades in the United States
The second oldest is the Bristol Fourth of July Parade, or Bristol Fourth of July Celebration (officially known as the Military, Civic and Firemen's Parade), which was founded in 1785, as a Fourth of July parade in Bristol, Rhode Island. The parade is part of the oldest Independence Day celebration in the United States and was founded by Rev. Henry Wight of the First Congregational Church and veteran of the Revolutionary War, and continues today, organized by the Bristol Fourth of July Committee.
* * *
The Weirdest Parades in the USA
The 10 Biggest Protest Marches in American History
Three of The Most Influential Historic Protests In American History — Historians and Sociologists at the University of Central Florida agree that these are the most influential protests in American History:
The Jesus Way
(from “Kyiv doctor killed in Russian airstrike shows war’s fallout far from front.” The Washington Post, March 26, 2023)
In February 2022, as Russian troops bore down on Kyiv, the staff at Okhmatdyt hospital hunkered down. Some slept in their offices for weeks.
While most patients were moved to the basement during air raid alerts, Oksana and her colleagues stayed on the floor where they treated patients with life-threatening immunodeficiencies. Leaving those sterile rooms, where children spent months recovering from bone marrow transplants and other procedures, would be as dangerous as a potential airstrike.
The Kremlin’s invasion marked the second earthquake in less than a year for Oksana. In August 2021, her husband, Artem, died suddenly of an aneurysm, at age 37. After his death, Oksana juggled caring for Hrysha with long hospital shifts. Colleagues said that she smiled and joked less, but was managing.
Her father, Hryhorii Leontiev, said Oksana thought about leaving Ukraine when the invasion began. But she knew that she would need to start her career over, perhaps as a nurse and not a doctor. Moreover, she would always be a foreigner, a solo parent far from her family.
In the meantime, she worried how Hrysha was coping with his father’s death. Oksana put out photos of her husband in the apartment. Daschakovska said that Hrysha did not want his mother to go to work after his father died. “He was scared that she wouldn’t come home,” she said.
Then, on October 10, a massive blast hit Kyiv. Hryhorii Leontiev tried to call his daughter, but she did not pick up. He tried to tell himself that the cell network might be down.
Then he saw photos on social media showing that a car resembling hers had been hit, on a route he knew she might take. He hurried to one of the blast sites. Several burned-out vehicles were behind a police cordon. An investigator confirmed the license plate. There were human remains on the front seat. “Could it have been your daughter who was driving?” a police officer asked.
Hryhorii knew it could not have been anyone else. But he did not know about Hrysha. Just tell me, he demanded: “Were there any remains in the child’s car seat in the back?” The man said the car was too badly burned to know.
Hryhorii called the kindergarten. No one answered. The staff was probably sheltering in the basement with the children. It wasn’t until an hour and a half later that he was able to confirm Hrysha was there. Safe. But his daughter, Hrysha’s mother, the doctor who cared selflessly for Kyiv’s children, was gone.
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:
Matthew 21:1-11
Hail to the king
While plans for King Charles’ coronation on May 6 indicate that the ceremonies will be pared down somewhat from his mother’s 1953 coronation, it appears the events will exceed 100 million pounds — roughly twice the cost of Queen Elizabeth’s investiture. Those planning the event believe the higher costs will be recovered through worldwide television rights and a bump in British tourism. Still, it comes at a time when many think the UK economy is sputtering to avoid a recession. Soaring inflation rates have now exceeded 10.4% and many are having difficulty paying increased grocery costs.
Millions are expected to line the streets hoping to catch glimpses of the Royal family. The heads of state from around the world are also planning on attending.
Perhaps the point is obvious, but by comparison, Jesus’ coronation processional was a downright bargain. Apparently, Jesus “knew a guy” because even though the disciples were sent to procure a colt and a donkey, there’s no mention of any costs. All they were told to say was, “The Lord needs them.”
* * *
Matthew 21:1-11
Everyone loves a parade
Both religious and military processionals have a long history. Throughout North American history, for example, parades functioned as a way of “visually reenacting history” through public manifestations of military or religious rituals. The early forms of these public performances were somewhat rudimentary in fashion, but eventually emerged as demonstrations of political power. According to historian Mary Ryan, by the mid-18th century, the American parade was born as representatives of different urban groups would walk in organized groups.
According to the City University of New York:
By marching under a specific rank along a planned route, the parader embodied the group’s identities and alliances in the eyes of the mass spectator. This seemingly subtle display was complete with ostentatious decoration, costumes, and classically patriotic symbols which gave parades their airs of communal festivity and jubilee. Indeed, being part of the parade meant being part of the community at large for one did not simply spontaneously walk on: the planning was left to an organizational committee tasked with grouping community members in marching units that represented specific social identities. Although women did not enter into the parade’s visible dynamics until later in the nineteenth century, almost everyone who applied to the organizational committee was granted participation; rare exceptions were made on the basis of gender and race.
* * *
Matthew 21:1-11
Forget the palms, but grab some ticker-tape
Among the most prominent parade traditions in the United States is New York City’s historical ticker-tape parades. Ticker-tape was the one-inch wide tape used to print stock quotes long before CNBC was ever imagined. These machines were nearly ubiquitous in Lower Manhattan’s financial district. They provided an abundant supply of scrap paper for workers to toss from windows as part of the exuberant demonstrations.
The city held the first parade to welcome home soldiers returning victorious from World War I. According to the Downtown Alliance, “by the early 1960s, there had been so many ticker-tape parades that they came to be viewed as synthetic and routine. The city had to deliver confetti and shredded paper to buildings along Broadway to ensure an appropriate cascade of paper for the occasion.” The alliance has embedded granite markers along the sidewalks on lower Broadway to commemorate the many famous parades the city has hosted.
* * *
Matthew 27:11-54
What evil has he done?
Sadly, the tradition of executing people has continued in our own time. A Broadway revival of the musical, “Parade”, offers a timely retelling of the story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man from Atlanta who was accused in 1913 of the sexual assault and murder of a 13-year old girl who worked at the same pencil factory as Frank. His trial, widely considered to be a travesty, received national attention. Following an appeal, his capital sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. Anti-Semitic fueled protests caused a mob to kidnap Frank and lynch him. Frank’s murder led to the revival of the KKK. When the 1998 musical returned to Broadway this February, neo-Nazi groups attempted to block theater goers from attending previews. As Ben Platt, the actor portraying Frank said, “…For those who don’t know, there were a few neo-Nazi protesters from a really disgusting group outside of the theatre, bothering some of our patrons on their way in and saying anti-Semitic things about Leo Frank, who the show is about, and just spreading anti-Semitic rhetoric that led to this whole story in the first place.”
* * *
Matthew 27:11-54
Forsaken
Jesus’ cry of desolation from the cross finds an echo in the cries of Syrians suffering from overlapping crises of war and the recent catastrophic earthquake. BBC correspondent Quentin Sommerville notes that “catastrophes overlap in Syria,” with survivors of the decade-long war mixed in with those impacted by the deadly earthquake. In a report from February, Sommerville compared what he called the “cacophony” of response aid in Turkey with the idle silence in Syria. While rescuers used power tools and earth-movers to push through debris in Turkey, Syrian forces lacked equipment and resources. The frustration and sense of loss was palpable. Sommerville describes one survivor’s sense of hopelessness:
Abu Ala' breaks down when he describes the search for his missing 13-year-old son, Ala'. "We kept digging until evening the next day. May God give strength to those men. They went through hell to dig my boy up." He buried the boy next to his sister. A deeply religious man, he is now bereft. "What am I going to do?" he asks. "There are no tents, no aid, nothing. We've received nothing but God's mercy until now. And I'm here left to roam the streets."
* * *
Matthew 27:11-54
When death causes the foundations to shake
Matthew’s account of Jesus’ passion reminds us that when Jesus “breathed his last,” the “earth shook, and the rocks were split.” The expression of the earth breaking in response to Jesus’ death evokes the power that death holds on creation. Jesus, in his resurrection, breaks that power, but its shattering impact remains with us. Without trying to prove the geological conditions near Jerusalem, it is not a stretch imagining the earth-shattering aspects of grief. One grief counselor has written that, for her, grief has been an experience of trying to make sense of the shattered pieces of life. Amanda Nelson notes:
I think my grief has been a bit like making stained glass. It all started by my whole world being shattered. I know I have used that word before — shattered — but the day he died, my world actually shattered. I looked around me and I saw my life in pieces. Literal pieces. There were the fragments of the future I saw him in. Shards of the plans he had made for himself. As I tried to walk forward, the pieces of the happiness I had taken for granted crunched under my feet.
Every night I would sit and examine the slivers of life that were piled around me. With each of those slivers piercing me, how could I ever enjoy life again? The pain of moving one inch was too much. Each of the shattered pieces pained me to my core. There was no way I could ever begin to sort through those pieces. And what would I do when I did sort through them? I didn’t want to throw them away — to move on from the pieces. They hold my happiness, my hopes, my love. So, there I sat, surrounded by the broken pieces of my life. Paralyzed in grief. My past was the only place that felt whole to me. I wanted to live there — in the past — where he was alive. But I wasn’t allowed to do that. I had to face the present and the future.
* * * * * *
From team member Mary Austin:
Matthew 21:1-11
Revealing Character
The Palm and Passion Sunday parade into Jerusalem is interesting for what it reveals about Jesus’ character. As he rides in on the donkey, we see his courage and his resolve, his ambitions to be a peaceful leader. The Elite Eight basketball games on the way to the Final Four have also revealed character, at least for Kansas State coach Jerome Tang.
Shortly before his team played their high-profile basketball game, Tang made a phone call. Setting aside his own stress, “he decided to make a call unrelated to the game, momentarily stepping aside from the massive stage on which his team was about to play. Lily Koehn was a freshman at Kansas State University who graduated last year from Maize High School. She was an avid Kansas State basketball fan who met Tang when the first-year Wildcat coach had dinner with her sorority chapter. On March 10, Koehn died from her injuries in a car crash…” Tang knows grief, having “experienced sudden loss when his brother died 14 years ago and he recalled his mother describing the death of a child as the worst pain a parent can experience. Prior to Thursday night’s game against Michigan State, Tang called Koehn’s parents, Warren and Julie.”
After the game, which his team lost, Tang visited the winners' locker room to say congratulations, and tell the winning team that he’ll be rooting for them.
* * *
Matthew 21:1-11
The Holy in the Chaos
In the noise and rush of the Passover crowd in Jerusalem, the divine somehow peeks through as Jesus rides into the city on his humble donkey. Somehow, people understand the ancient symbols at work, and know what they’re seeing.
The late Mike Yaconelli tells about a similar view of God in the chaos. He went with author and priest Henri Nouwen to visit L’Arche community.
“So many of my expectations were shattered there,” he says [in his book Dangerous Wonder.] “I expected to meet God in the lives of those who were ‘whole.’ Instead God was hiding” in the people with severe challenges. One of the first people he met was a young woman named Deborah, who was twenty-five, and scheduled for her first communion. Mike arrived at the house where she lived, a house with about sixty people with disabilities, and a dozen or so caregivers.
He recalls, “Deborah was in a fully restrained wheelchair, her face radiant, her hair beautifully done, her dress stunning,” but the room was noisy and chaotic. The noise was distracting. People were humming loudly, others were rocking back and forth, and one woman let out an ear-piercing shriek every now and then. Mike Yaconelli says, “I was completely distracted, disappointed at the chaos and confusion…secretly counting the minutes until I could leave.”
Father Henri Nouwen was going around to everyone, giving them the sacrament of communion. “When [he] stopped in front of Deborah, her body stopped jerking and moving out of control, her eyes glistened, she opened her mouth to receive the wine and the bread, and there, ever so slightly, I saw her smile…Deborah, the girl who could do nothing, the girl who would never give a talk, the girl who would never dance, the girl who would never write a book or play the piano or sing a song — taught me about the grace of God! For fifty years, I had struggled with God’s unconditional love; for fifty years I had tried to prove my worth to God by busyness.” Deborah revealed the grace of God, even in the chaos. She didn’t have the words to say it…but Deborah knew what it was to abide in God, and Jesus knows the same thing as he rides into the city.
* * *
Matthew 26:14-27:66
Jesus’ Voice
Last summer, Amazon announced that Alexa would soon be able to speak with the voices of people who have died. Your grandma could read your kids a bedtime story, or your dad could remind you to get your oil changed. Alexa's lead scientist said “the desire behind the capability was to build greater trust in people's interactions with Alexa by putting in more "human attributes of empathy and affect." He explained, “While A.I. can't eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last.” What if we could recapture Jesus’ voice, speaking at the last supper, or chiding Pilate? What if we could hear him speak the words from the cross? Would it add to our faith, or make his words just more ordinary conversation, like the reminder to order paper towels or get gas?
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: O give thanks to God who is good.
All: God’s steadfast love endures forever!
One: Open the gates of righteousness and enter with thanksgiving.
All: Give thanks that God has answered us and become our salvation.
One: God is God, and he has given us light.
All: O give thanks to God whose steadfast love endures forever.
Blessings of the Palms
One: The Messiah comes, humble and riding on a donkey’s colt.
All: Humbly the Anointed One enters into our midst this day.
One: Let us greet our Redeemer with palms of praise.
All: Bless, O God, these palms we offer to your Christ.
One: As of old, the Christ comes among us to save us.
All: Hosanna to the One who comes in the name of our God.
OR
One: The Messiah comes, humble and riding on a donkey’s colt.
All: Humbly the Anointed One enters into our midst this day.
One: Let us greet our Redeemer with palms of praise. Let us pray:
Bless, O God, these palms which we bear this day that they may be signs of loyalty to the Messiah. Amen.
All: We wave our palms in honor of our Savior, the Christ.
One: As of old, the Christ comes among us to save us.
All: Hosanna to the One who comes in the name of our God.
Hymns and Songs
All Glory Laud and Honor
UMH: 280
H82: 154/155
PH: 88
GTG: 196
AAHH: 226
NNBH: 102
NCH: 216/217
CH: 192
LBW: 108
ELW: 344
W&P: 265
AMEC: 129
Mantos y Palmas (Filled with Excitement)
UMH: 279
GTG: 199
NCH: 214
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
UMH: 278
PH: 89
GTG: 197
NCH: 213
W&P: 267
AMEC: 130
What Wondrous Love Is This
UMH 292
H82: 439
PH: 85
GTG 215
NCH 223
CH: 200
LBW 385
ELW 666
W&P 257
STLT: 18
Renew: 277
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
UMH: 298/299
H82: 474
PH: 100/101
GTG: 223/224
AAHH: 243
NNBH: 113
NCH: 224
CH: 195
LBW: 482
ELW: 803
W&P: 261
AMEC: 147/148
Renew: 236
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
UMH: 295
H82: 441/442
PH: 84
GTG: 213
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193/194
LBW: 104
ELW: 324
W&P: 264
AMEC: 153
Take Up Thy Cross
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
GTG: 718
LBW: 398
ELW: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
GTG: 738
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
O Young and Fearless Prophet
UMH: 444
CH: 669
STLT: 276
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
GTG: 8029
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELW: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
CCB: 36
Renew: 4
His Name Is Wonderful
CCB: 32
Renew: 30
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The 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 rules through love and not through force:
Grant us the wisdom to see through the sham of coercion
and to embrace the power of love;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you rule without brute force but rather through love. You come to call us as a shepherd calls and not to drive us with force. Help us to see the power of love and to adopt it in our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our attraction to power and might.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have sold ourselves out to the idea of power and might in so many ways. We seek to pull the force of government to bolster our beliefs. We align ourselves with the political powers that brought about the execution of Jesus. In his name we embrace the very evils that he stood against. Forgive us and open our eyes to the reality of the power of love through which you created all that is. Send you Spirit upon us that we might truly be disciples of the Christ. Amen.
One: In love God comes to redeem us and then calls us to redeem the world through that love. Receive God’s grace and go to release the world from its addiction to power and brute force.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God, who comes into our midst not as the conqueror but as the humble, suffering redeemer. Your humble love is worthy of our adoration and praise.
(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 have sold ourselves out to the idea of power and might in so many ways. We seek to pull the force of government to bolster our beliefs. We align ourselves with the political powers that brought about the execution of Jesus. In his name we embrace the very evils that he stood against. Forgive us and open our eyes to the reality of the power of love through which you created all that is. Send you Spirit upon us that we might truly be disciples of the Christ.
We give you thanks for those who have heard the call of Jesus and have stood in solidarity with him as he faced the powers that seek to destroy rather than to heal. We thank you for those who have worked for peace and healing even when that meant they faced violence and death. We thank you for those who witness to the power of love in the face of destructive evil.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all of your children who are in need this day. We pray for those who suffer violence upon their bodies and upon their souls. We pray for those whom greed has left hungry, thirsty, and without decent shelter. We pray for those who face loneliness and fear. We pray for those who reach out in love to the suffering.
(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 SERMON
Palms
by Tom Willadsen
Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 18-29, Matthew 26:14--27:66
Every church I have ever served has held a Palm Sunday procession led by children waving palm branches, which has taken the place of the Children’s Time. After the hymn has ended I ask the little ones if they know what “hosanna” means. “Save us, please,” or “Save us, we pray.” It comes right out of Psalm 118. We shout “hosanna!” and wave our branches. We get all the people to shout “hosanna!” and wave their palm branches. I instruct everyone to wave their palm branches one more time, then to be ready for the rest of the service. Every time the word “hosanna!” is spoken or sung for the rest of the day they are supposed to wave their palm branches. It works; it’s fun; it’s memorable. The hard part is keeping the kids, or the sopranos (my choir, oy!) from engaging in sword fights with their palms.
But suppose your church is observing Passion Sunday. Hmm. Here’s a twist:
Supplies: paper cut out of hand prints, like the kind you made turkeys with in kindergarten. You can attach them to sticks, so they can be held up and waved, but you will be wise to keep them from the sopranos (see above).
Remind the kids that today is Palm Sunday, and that its name comes from the people cutting down palm branches and waving them as Jesus rode the colt(s) up to the Temple. Point out that “palm” also refers to the part of the hand that people use to grip things, like palm branches. Ask the kids to look at their own palms. What do they see? How do they use the palms of their hands?
Do a brief survey of what lies ahead in Passion Sunday worship today, or Holy Week worship in the days ahead. The Last Supper, when Jesus used his hands to break the bread and pour wine. His journey to crucifixion, when his hands carried the cross on which he was would be executed. His hands through which nails were driven as he was killed….
Then, (spoiler alert!) a week after Easter morning he showed his palms to Thomas, who needed to see for himself that it really was Jesus who appeared behind the locked door when the other disciples were hiding because they were afraid.
In some ways, palms tell the whole story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
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The Immediate Word, April 2, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 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.
- A Tale of Two Kings by Elena Delhagen. In a world where politics and power scream for our attention, who are we going to choose?
- Second Thoughts: Bowing with Jesus by Katy Stenta based on Philippians 2:5-11.
- Sermon illustrations by Dean Feldmeyer, Chris Keating, Mary Austin.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Palms by Tom Willadsen based on Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 18-29, Matthew 26:14--27:66.
A Tale of Two Kings
by Elena Delhagen
Matthew 27:11-54; Philippians 2:5-11
In late March 2023, former president Donald J. Trump took to his favorite medium, the internet, to warn his supporters of what he believes is his imminent arrest. “WE MUST SAVE AMERICA! PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!” posted the twice-impeached president on his Truth Social app. “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
I wish I could say it was surprising, but alas, it’s a tale as old as time.
Ever since Trump entered the political stage several years ago, he’s gained an almost cult-like following, particularly within a white and evangelical fan base. Many have viewed the one-term former president as a demigod of sorts, convinced he was going to save them — and the country — and make it “great” again. Trump has never been shy about calling on his supporters to stand up for him against perceived enemies, such as liberals or, in his words, “a degenerate psychopath that truely (sic) hates the USA!”
In our Palm/Passion Sunday reading from the gospel of Matthew this week, we remember Jesus’ fall from glory, going from crowds waving their palm branches in support of him to standing before Pontius Pilate, beaten and accused. But he gave no answer — not to a single charge (Matt. 27:14) — he didn’t need to. He knew he’d done nothing wrong.
Jesus shows us, again and again, that he is not like the rich and powerful kings we see on stage in our world. He chooses a better, more humble way, and he invites us along with him.
In the News
Trump’s grandiose social media posts calling for protest come at a time when a grand jury is deciding whether to indict the former president for hush-money payments allegedly made on his behalf to the adult-film star Stormy Daniels. They have opened up a greater conversation about the detriments of social media in political discourse, both here in the United States as well as on a global scale. Scotland’s outgoing First Minister recently gave a speech summarizing her time in office, warning that the hostility and harsh political discourse often present when discussing politics on a social media platform gives “racism, misogyny, sexism, bigotry, generally, none of these new phenomena by any means, a platform and a vehicle.”
On top of that, with technological advances such as AI (artificial intelligence), people are becoming increasingly unable to differentiate between fiction and reality. Deepfake images of Trump’s fictional arrest have been circulating the internet, with Trump himself even reposting one of the images. Another synthetic image depicting Russian president Vladmir Putin kneeling and kissing the hand of Chinese leader Xi Jinping is also going viral. These deepfake images not only make it extremely difficult to discern the real thing, but they also add fuel to the fire for loyal supporters of these sensationalist political stars.
The American public is not shy about taking to loud protest against what they perceive as unjust. A recent drag story hour in Wadsworth, Ohio, was disrupted by anti-LGBTQ+ protestors yelling racial slurs and joining together in a chorus of “Seig heil!” and “There will be blood.” Drag storytellers, as well as the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, are being forced to grapple with threats from Republicans and the far right, steeped in wild conspiracy theories and violent protests. The latest New York City anti-drag story hour protest was attended by members of the Proud Boys, a far-right neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the US.
All of this leads to the question: What kingdoms are we putting our trust in? Those belonging to politicians and pundits? Ones of technological advances manipulated for the sake of personal agendas? Ones made up of angry crowds who resort to violence to get their way? How far will we go to show our support, or to attempt to make a point?
In the Scriptures
Our gospel reading depicts Jesus Christ, “King of the Jews,” arrested and standing in front of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. He has a large following, one who just recently waved their palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna!” in praise of him. He has been accused by jealous chief priests and elders, and Pilate, recognizing Jesus’ innocence, pleads with him to answer their claims. It would have been so easy for Christ to speak up, refute their accusations, draw support from the crowd. Yet he remains silent.
What kind of king is this? Humble. Peaceful. He chooses not to stir up a mob, summon a resistance. He’s fully obedient, even to the point of his imminent death (Phil. 2:8).
Yet another sort of mob is forming outside, a loud and angry one shouting for Christ to be crucified. The loudest voices were the ones calling for violence. Isn’t that so often the case?
And Pilate, concerned more with placating the crowd and avoiding a riot than doing what he knows is right, chooses to release Barabbas, the murderer, instead of Jesus.
The same mob is present at the scene of Christ’s crucifixion, mocking him and sneering that if he truly were the Son of God, he’d come down from the cross. Seeing is believing, as the saying goes. But seeing is also the easy way out, isn’t it? It’s much harder to believe in something we can’t see; that’s the stuff of faith. That’s the stuff of the kingdom of God. That’s what we see in the servant’s words in our passage from Isaiah this week, one who stands firm knowing vindication comes from God and God alone.
In the Sermon
Christ’s kin-dom stands in stark juxtaposition to the kings and kingdoms of our modern world. Political rulers and angry parties often choose violence and harm to get their way, and we as supporters are quick to pledge allegiance to them because we are so hungry for someone to save us. Yet we choose mere mortals to be our gods: Barabbas. Trump. We’re prone to making the wrong choice, aren’t we?
Our false gods will always disappoint us. Our constructed kingdoms will always fall. Jesus shows us a better way, a better King to follow, a better Kin-dom to pursue.
We need to stop letting others bait us into quick and rash reactionary tactics. We need to correct untruths when we hear them in a gentle, non-inflammatory way. We need to remember that our King is one that looks nothing like what the world would expect him to look like. He was born in a stable, not a palace. He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a majestic steed. His power doesn’t come from a fiery social media post, a violent protest, or sensationalist tactics to draw support.
Isn’t that the King we would rather follow?
SECOND THOUGHTSBowing with Jesus
by Katy Stenta
Philippians 2:5-11
I am fully convinced that somehow, in some way at the end of the world, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is promised. Not only here in Philippians 2:11, but throughout the Bible. It is one of the most consistent themes of the Bible. Isaiah 43:23 says ever knee will bow, and every tongue shall swear. Psalm 86 says that all nations will come and worship before God, and bring glory to your name. When I was being examined as a pastor, I confessed in my faith that I believe that someday this will happen.
Someone asked me how this would come about. They worried I was a Universalist. Was I trying to get everyone into heaven? I said, I don’t know if I was trying to get everyone into heaven. I said I just was stating what I believed based on the biblical texts. The Bible said everyone was going to have everyone confess the power and might of Jesus Christ, and I believed it was going to happen — the confession of the Centurion after the death of Jesus Christ flashed before my eyes as I spoke those words, as well as the thieves on the cross. Jesus was converting people even as he was dying. How much more will Jesus do upon his return?
I confessed that I did not know how this would happen, just that I believed that it would. The Bible said it would, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Psalms all proclaimed it to be true, and I believe the Bible. It was up to God to get us there. I think I said, it is above my pay grade to figure that part out. Everyone laughed, and the committee passed me on for ordination.
I’ve studied the Bible a lot more since then, and I have a long time to think about how it is that every knee shall bow with Jesus Christ. I have since decided that every knee shall bow, because Jesus will return as he came, on his knees, serving.
When we look at the latest budget proposal, the question is, who will it serve? Does it serve the least of these? Does it fund war or peace? Does it support the disabled, widowed, imprisoned, sick? Are we taking good care of our children? Are we taking good care of our poor? Are we providing free healthcare and healing like Jesus Christ did? Are we welcoming the immigrant? Do we follow Matthew 25 in welcoming Jesus?
It is hard not to think about the gun violence that goes on and on in the United States. The Prince of Peace, who stopped the fighting in the garden before he was arrested and healed Peter’s ear, would not have stood for it. The one who wants us all on our knees, does not ask us to be armed. What are we doing to disarm ourselves for God?
The call to serve is a complicated one. We think that church is the easy answer but what if we let the definition of church expand?. Also, remember that Jesus never sent out his disciples alone. It is easy to fall into the trap that we are meant to do everything by ourselves. We are not. Jesus will be calling us together — of one mind.
Our God is a God who stoops and kneels. In Psalm 113:6-8 God kneels to see the heaven and the earth. Our God is the Jesus who uses his last day on earth to kneel and wash the feet of his friends. Our God is the one who serves.
Will we not then, all kneel to be beside him?
Jesus emptied himself and became human for us. He is a part of all of us, thus when we serve one another, we are serving Jesus Christ. You can bet he will return, on his knees, and we will all be anxious to be beside him.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean FeldmeyerWas Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem a protest demonstration or a celebrative parade? Either way, here are some interesting illustrations about both:
The Biggest Parades In The World
- Edinburgh’s Torchlight Procession — Every year, Scotland rings in the New Year by celebrating Hogmanay. Included in the festivities is the world famous torchlight procession, where thousands of people carry wax torches to create a river of fire down the Royal Mile.
- India’s Holi Festival — Marking the end of India’s winter season and the victory of good over evil, the Holi Festival includes one of the world’s most colorful parades. It is because of this that it also goes by the name “Festival of Colors.”
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — The world’s largest, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is also America’s second oldest. Millions of people line the streets in New York to watch massive floats and balloons depicting all kinds of popular characters make their way through Manhattan.
- Sri Lanka’s Esala Perahera — Considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful parades, the Esala Perahera takes place in Sri Lanka every year to honor the Sacred Tooth Relic. Those who possess the Relic are said to be able to rule the land and honoring the Relic along with the gods is said to bring good fortune.
- Mardi Gras in New Orleans — Mardi Gras consists of not a single parade but numerous parades that take place over about a two-week period. A weekend visit to New Orleans will allow you to take in a number of popular parades that usually stick to the same schedule and streets each year.
- Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade — Although large St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are held all over the world, Dublin manages to celebrate the holiday for nearly a week. More than simply a parade, you can expect to witness races, Celtic dance festivals, and carnivals as well.
The Oldest Parades in The United States
The oldest parade in the United States is the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City. Held annually since 1762, this parade is the longest continuously running parade in the United States. It is a celebration of Irish culture and heritage, commemorating Ireland's patron saint, Saint Patrick.
The parade began as a small gathering of Irish soldiers in the British army marching through the city streets. From there, it quickly grew in size and popularity, with many Irish immigrants joining in the festivities. By the mid-19th century, the parade had become a full-fledged event, with marching bands, floats, and even Irish dignitaries marching alongside the Irish soldiers.
Today it is one of the largest parades in the United States
The second oldest is the Bristol Fourth of July Parade, or Bristol Fourth of July Celebration (officially known as the Military, Civic and Firemen's Parade), which was founded in 1785, as a Fourth of July parade in Bristol, Rhode Island. The parade is part of the oldest Independence Day celebration in the United States and was founded by Rev. Henry Wight of the First Congregational Church and veteran of the Revolutionary War, and continues today, organized by the Bristol Fourth of July Committee.
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The Weirdest Parades in the USA
- Coney Island’s Mermaid Fest — The Mermaid Parade of Coney Island, NY takes the carefree spirit of Mardi Gras and combines it with celebrating the beginning of summer. This show is most notable for the thousands of ladies adorning mermaid costumes, often keeping with the Mardi Gras tradition of traversing the parade route (ah-hum) topless.
- Día de los Muertos — The Day of the Dead is traditionally celebrated in Mexico on November 1st and 2nd when families visit the graves of their deceased loved ones and celebrate the lives of the departed – making it a much happier event than the name would imply. In the cavalcade of this ritual, people paint their faces as skeletons and dress as the dead, often carrying coffins or other symbols of those who have passed on.
- The Texas Art Car Parade — The Houston, Texas Art Car Parade was the first — and is the largest — art car exhibition in the world. People line up their bizarrely-adorned and customized vehicles and drive them through the town, to the delight of the 100,000-plus parade goers. The moving sculptures range from whimsical to truly outrageous.
- Latvia’s Go Blonde Festival Parade — Sometimes blondes DO have all the fun! The Go Blonde Festival is a yearly event that takes place in Latvia, and features droves of pink-clad blonde women strolling shoulder-to-shoulder through the streets of Riga. Aimed to cheer people up and to promote the economic growth of the region, it has become the largest “Blonde Festival” in the world.
- The International Zombie Walk — Events like these have been spreading throughout the world for a while now, but the macabre march originated in North America. For reasons varying from just a twist on the typical night on the town to raising awareness and money for a charitable cause, people show up fully transformed as their “Dawn of the Dead” selves and moan their way down the city streets to the amusement — and sometimes shock — of the public.
- New York’s Easter Parade — Nothing embodies the rebirth of our lord and savior like a gaudy hat. In recent years, the New York Easter Parade has become known as much for its over-the-top costumes and festive bonnets as the celebration of the Easter holiday itself. Women, in particular, don extravagant and preposterous bonnets and hats. Everyone is involved with this one; the participants as well as the viewing public.
- Pasadena’s Doo Dah Parade — The Doo Dah Parade originated in Pasadena, California, and is a quirky and often absurd display of every sort of originality and flamboyancy you could think of. Copycat parades now take place in Columbus, Ohio and Ocean City, New Jersey. The Pasadena parade was originally conceived and created as a zany and irreverent alternative to the formal pomp and circumstance of the famous Rose Parade that marks the beginning of the New Year.
The 10 Biggest Protest Marches in American History
- The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – August 28, 1963.
Approximately 250,000 people participated in the 1963 civil rights march in Washington, DC, where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. After the march, King and other civil rights leaders met with President Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House, where they discussed the need for a strong civil rights bill. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 were enacted after the march. - Anti-Vietnam War protest in Washington, DC – November 15, 1969.
Between 500,000 and 600,000 people demonstrated against the Vietnam War, which had led to thousands of deaths by 1969. Coalitions started organizing smaller rallies in 1967, eventually leading up to the large anti-Vietnam march two years later. - The Solidarity Day march in Washington, DC – September 19, 1981.
Thousands protested President Reagan's budget cuts and tax policies. The Solidarity Day march was a rally of about 260,000 people in DC in 1981. It was sparked by President Ronald Reagan's decision to fire 12,000 air traffic controllers who went on strike and demanded wage increases and safer working conditions. - The Anti-Nuclear March in New York City's Central Park – June 12, 1982.
In 1982, around a million protesters filled Central Park to protest nuclear weapons during Ronald Reagan's presidency. A New York Times article from 1982 said, "The vast parade and rally, organized by a coalition of peace groups, brought together pacifists and anarchists, children and Buddhist monks, Roman Catholic bishops and Communist Party leaders, university students and union members." - The Million Man March to promote unity and family values in black communities - October 16, 1995.
In 1995, Washington, DC's Million Man March took place with a stated aim to unite the black community. Estimates for the number of attendees vary from 400,000 to 1.1 million people. Notable speakers at the march included Jesse Jackson, Rosa Parks, Cornel West, and Maya Angelou. - The March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation – April 25, 1993.
Between 800,000 and a million people marched on the National Mall in 1993 for LGBTQ rights. The organizers' primary demands were civil rights bills against discrimination, an increase in AIDS research funding, and reproductive rights. - The Million Woman March in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – October 25, 1997.
In 1997, two years after the Million Man March, anywhere from 500,000 to 2 million people convened for the Million Woman March. The event, which was held on a rainy Saturday in 1997, included prayer, musical performances, and speeches by local organizers and civil rights activists. - Protests against the Iraq war – February 15, 2003.
As a protest to George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq, between 10 and 15 million people marched in 600 cities across the world in 2003. At least 500,000 people protested in American cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Seattle. It's known as the biggest protest in world history. - The March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC – April 25, 2004.
In 2004, the March for Women's Lives was one of the largest protests in American history, with between 500,000 and 1.1 million attendees. - The People's Climate March – September 21, 2014.
The People's Climate March attracted between 311,000 and 400,000 participants. It is regarded as the biggest call-to-action on climate change. Though the largest demonstration was in New York City, there were nearly 120 marches in other cities, worldwide. Marchers included environmental advocacy groups, scientific organizations, and faith based groups, as well as political organizations.
Three of The Most Influential Historic Protests In American History — Historians and Sociologists at the University of Central Florida agree that these are the most influential protests in American History:
- Boston Tea Party, Dec. 16, 1773. Boston, Massachusetts — Sixty men led by the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Native Americans on Dec. 16, 1773, and threw 342 chests — 92,000 pounds — of tea into Boston Harbor to protest against the Tea Act of 1773, which granted a monopoly and tax exemption to the British East Indian Company. As punishment the British Parliament closed Boston’s port and began housing British troops in American homes, acts that sparked the First Continental Congress in 1774 and led to the American Revolution.
- Women’s Suffrage Parade, March 3, 1913. Washington, DC — After 60 years of women fighting for suffrage, the first major demonstration for the cause took place during a parade on the eve of President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. The parade, organized by the National American Woman Suffrage Association and activist Alice Paul, consisted of more than 5,000 suffragettes, four mounted brigades, nine bands and 20 parade floats. During the march on Pennsylvania Ave, opposing spectators attacked demonstrators and police did not intervene, leading to injuries for more than 100 women. The parade, however, launched even more protests that would lead to the 19th amendment seven years later, which grants women the right to vote. It was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920.
- Stonewall Riots. June 28 to July 3, 1969. New York — In the 60s, raids on local gay bars and harassment to patrons by the New York Police Department were common. But when officers raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village on the morning of June 28, 1969, members of the LGBTQ community had enough and resisted. Protests began that same morning and continued for six days, marking a monumental moment that has inspired decades of activism within the LGBTQ+ community.
Prior to Stonewall, there were no legal protections for the LGBTQ community, and since 1952, being gay had been listed as a mental illness in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
One year after the historic riots, the first Christopher Street Liberation Day march, which is named after Stonewall Inn’s location, was organized in New York and other US cities. This march would lead to a rise in annual Pride events worldwide. In 1973, the psychiatric association removed homosexuality from its diagnostic manual.
Since the 90s, the Supreme Court has established several landmark rulings that have put protections in place for and removed discriminatory laws against the LGBTQ community. These include decriminalizing homosexual behavior, legalizing gay marriage and, as recently as June 15, 2020, making it illegal to fire employees for their sexual orientation or gender identities.
The Jesus Way
(from “Kyiv doctor killed in Russian airstrike shows war’s fallout far from front.” The Washington Post, March 26, 2023)
In February 2022, as Russian troops bore down on Kyiv, the staff at Okhmatdyt hospital hunkered down. Some slept in their offices for weeks.
While most patients were moved to the basement during air raid alerts, Oksana and her colleagues stayed on the floor where they treated patients with life-threatening immunodeficiencies. Leaving those sterile rooms, where children spent months recovering from bone marrow transplants and other procedures, would be as dangerous as a potential airstrike.
The Kremlin’s invasion marked the second earthquake in less than a year for Oksana. In August 2021, her husband, Artem, died suddenly of an aneurysm, at age 37. After his death, Oksana juggled caring for Hrysha with long hospital shifts. Colleagues said that she smiled and joked less, but was managing.
Her father, Hryhorii Leontiev, said Oksana thought about leaving Ukraine when the invasion began. But she knew that she would need to start her career over, perhaps as a nurse and not a doctor. Moreover, she would always be a foreigner, a solo parent far from her family.
In the meantime, she worried how Hrysha was coping with his father’s death. Oksana put out photos of her husband in the apartment. Daschakovska said that Hrysha did not want his mother to go to work after his father died. “He was scared that she wouldn’t come home,” she said.
Then, on October 10, a massive blast hit Kyiv. Hryhorii Leontiev tried to call his daughter, but she did not pick up. He tried to tell himself that the cell network might be down.
Then he saw photos on social media showing that a car resembling hers had been hit, on a route he knew she might take. He hurried to one of the blast sites. Several burned-out vehicles were behind a police cordon. An investigator confirmed the license plate. There were human remains on the front seat. “Could it have been your daughter who was driving?” a police officer asked.
Hryhorii knew it could not have been anyone else. But he did not know about Hrysha. Just tell me, he demanded: “Were there any remains in the child’s car seat in the back?” The man said the car was too badly burned to know.
Hryhorii called the kindergarten. No one answered. The staff was probably sheltering in the basement with the children. It wasn’t until an hour and a half later that he was able to confirm Hrysha was there. Safe. But his daughter, Hrysha’s mother, the doctor who cared selflessly for Kyiv’s children, was gone.
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From team member Chris Keating:Matthew 21:1-11
Hail to the king
While plans for King Charles’ coronation on May 6 indicate that the ceremonies will be pared down somewhat from his mother’s 1953 coronation, it appears the events will exceed 100 million pounds — roughly twice the cost of Queen Elizabeth’s investiture. Those planning the event believe the higher costs will be recovered through worldwide television rights and a bump in British tourism. Still, it comes at a time when many think the UK economy is sputtering to avoid a recession. Soaring inflation rates have now exceeded 10.4% and many are having difficulty paying increased grocery costs.
Millions are expected to line the streets hoping to catch glimpses of the Royal family. The heads of state from around the world are also planning on attending.
Perhaps the point is obvious, but by comparison, Jesus’ coronation processional was a downright bargain. Apparently, Jesus “knew a guy” because even though the disciples were sent to procure a colt and a donkey, there’s no mention of any costs. All they were told to say was, “The Lord needs them.”
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Matthew 21:1-11
Everyone loves a parade
Both religious and military processionals have a long history. Throughout North American history, for example, parades functioned as a way of “visually reenacting history” through public manifestations of military or religious rituals. The early forms of these public performances were somewhat rudimentary in fashion, but eventually emerged as demonstrations of political power. According to historian Mary Ryan, by the mid-18th century, the American parade was born as representatives of different urban groups would walk in organized groups.
According to the City University of New York:
By marching under a specific rank along a planned route, the parader embodied the group’s identities and alliances in the eyes of the mass spectator. This seemingly subtle display was complete with ostentatious decoration, costumes, and classically patriotic symbols which gave parades their airs of communal festivity and jubilee. Indeed, being part of the parade meant being part of the community at large for one did not simply spontaneously walk on: the planning was left to an organizational committee tasked with grouping community members in marching units that represented specific social identities. Although women did not enter into the parade’s visible dynamics until later in the nineteenth century, almost everyone who applied to the organizational committee was granted participation; rare exceptions were made on the basis of gender and race.
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Matthew 21:1-11
Forget the palms, but grab some ticker-tape
Among the most prominent parade traditions in the United States is New York City’s historical ticker-tape parades. Ticker-tape was the one-inch wide tape used to print stock quotes long before CNBC was ever imagined. These machines were nearly ubiquitous in Lower Manhattan’s financial district. They provided an abundant supply of scrap paper for workers to toss from windows as part of the exuberant demonstrations.
The city held the first parade to welcome home soldiers returning victorious from World War I. According to the Downtown Alliance, “by the early 1960s, there had been so many ticker-tape parades that they came to be viewed as synthetic and routine. The city had to deliver confetti and shredded paper to buildings along Broadway to ensure an appropriate cascade of paper for the occasion.” The alliance has embedded granite markers along the sidewalks on lower Broadway to commemorate the many famous parades the city has hosted.
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Matthew 27:11-54
What evil has he done?
Sadly, the tradition of executing people has continued in our own time. A Broadway revival of the musical, “Parade”, offers a timely retelling of the story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man from Atlanta who was accused in 1913 of the sexual assault and murder of a 13-year old girl who worked at the same pencil factory as Frank. His trial, widely considered to be a travesty, received national attention. Following an appeal, his capital sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. Anti-Semitic fueled protests caused a mob to kidnap Frank and lynch him. Frank’s murder led to the revival of the KKK. When the 1998 musical returned to Broadway this February, neo-Nazi groups attempted to block theater goers from attending previews. As Ben Platt, the actor portraying Frank said, “…For those who don’t know, there were a few neo-Nazi protesters from a really disgusting group outside of the theatre, bothering some of our patrons on their way in and saying anti-Semitic things about Leo Frank, who the show is about, and just spreading anti-Semitic rhetoric that led to this whole story in the first place.”
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Matthew 27:11-54
Forsaken
Jesus’ cry of desolation from the cross finds an echo in the cries of Syrians suffering from overlapping crises of war and the recent catastrophic earthquake. BBC correspondent Quentin Sommerville notes that “catastrophes overlap in Syria,” with survivors of the decade-long war mixed in with those impacted by the deadly earthquake. In a report from February, Sommerville compared what he called the “cacophony” of response aid in Turkey with the idle silence in Syria. While rescuers used power tools and earth-movers to push through debris in Turkey, Syrian forces lacked equipment and resources. The frustration and sense of loss was palpable. Sommerville describes one survivor’s sense of hopelessness:
Abu Ala' breaks down when he describes the search for his missing 13-year-old son, Ala'. "We kept digging until evening the next day. May God give strength to those men. They went through hell to dig my boy up." He buried the boy next to his sister. A deeply religious man, he is now bereft. "What am I going to do?" he asks. "There are no tents, no aid, nothing. We've received nothing but God's mercy until now. And I'm here left to roam the streets."
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Matthew 27:11-54
When death causes the foundations to shake
Matthew’s account of Jesus’ passion reminds us that when Jesus “breathed his last,” the “earth shook, and the rocks were split.” The expression of the earth breaking in response to Jesus’ death evokes the power that death holds on creation. Jesus, in his resurrection, breaks that power, but its shattering impact remains with us. Without trying to prove the geological conditions near Jerusalem, it is not a stretch imagining the earth-shattering aspects of grief. One grief counselor has written that, for her, grief has been an experience of trying to make sense of the shattered pieces of life. Amanda Nelson notes:
I think my grief has been a bit like making stained glass. It all started by my whole world being shattered. I know I have used that word before — shattered — but the day he died, my world actually shattered. I looked around me and I saw my life in pieces. Literal pieces. There were the fragments of the future I saw him in. Shards of the plans he had made for himself. As I tried to walk forward, the pieces of the happiness I had taken for granted crunched under my feet.
Every night I would sit and examine the slivers of life that were piled around me. With each of those slivers piercing me, how could I ever enjoy life again? The pain of moving one inch was too much. Each of the shattered pieces pained me to my core. There was no way I could ever begin to sort through those pieces. And what would I do when I did sort through them? I didn’t want to throw them away — to move on from the pieces. They hold my happiness, my hopes, my love. So, there I sat, surrounded by the broken pieces of my life. Paralyzed in grief. My past was the only place that felt whole to me. I wanted to live there — in the past — where he was alive. But I wasn’t allowed to do that. I had to face the present and the future.
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From team member Mary Austin:Matthew 21:1-11
Revealing Character
The Palm and Passion Sunday parade into Jerusalem is interesting for what it reveals about Jesus’ character. As he rides in on the donkey, we see his courage and his resolve, his ambitions to be a peaceful leader. The Elite Eight basketball games on the way to the Final Four have also revealed character, at least for Kansas State coach Jerome Tang.
Shortly before his team played their high-profile basketball game, Tang made a phone call. Setting aside his own stress, “he decided to make a call unrelated to the game, momentarily stepping aside from the massive stage on which his team was about to play. Lily Koehn was a freshman at Kansas State University who graduated last year from Maize High School. She was an avid Kansas State basketball fan who met Tang when the first-year Wildcat coach had dinner with her sorority chapter. On March 10, Koehn died from her injuries in a car crash…” Tang knows grief, having “experienced sudden loss when his brother died 14 years ago and he recalled his mother describing the death of a child as the worst pain a parent can experience. Prior to Thursday night’s game against Michigan State, Tang called Koehn’s parents, Warren and Julie.”
After the game, which his team lost, Tang visited the winners' locker room to say congratulations, and tell the winning team that he’ll be rooting for them.
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Matthew 21:1-11
The Holy in the Chaos
In the noise and rush of the Passover crowd in Jerusalem, the divine somehow peeks through as Jesus rides into the city on his humble donkey. Somehow, people understand the ancient symbols at work, and know what they’re seeing.
The late Mike Yaconelli tells about a similar view of God in the chaos. He went with author and priest Henri Nouwen to visit L’Arche community.
“So many of my expectations were shattered there,” he says [in his book Dangerous Wonder.] “I expected to meet God in the lives of those who were ‘whole.’ Instead God was hiding” in the people with severe challenges. One of the first people he met was a young woman named Deborah, who was twenty-five, and scheduled for her first communion. Mike arrived at the house where she lived, a house with about sixty people with disabilities, and a dozen or so caregivers.
He recalls, “Deborah was in a fully restrained wheelchair, her face radiant, her hair beautifully done, her dress stunning,” but the room was noisy and chaotic. The noise was distracting. People were humming loudly, others were rocking back and forth, and one woman let out an ear-piercing shriek every now and then. Mike Yaconelli says, “I was completely distracted, disappointed at the chaos and confusion…secretly counting the minutes until I could leave.”
Father Henri Nouwen was going around to everyone, giving them the sacrament of communion. “When [he] stopped in front of Deborah, her body stopped jerking and moving out of control, her eyes glistened, she opened her mouth to receive the wine and the bread, and there, ever so slightly, I saw her smile…Deborah, the girl who could do nothing, the girl who would never give a talk, the girl who would never dance, the girl who would never write a book or play the piano or sing a song — taught me about the grace of God! For fifty years, I had struggled with God’s unconditional love; for fifty years I had tried to prove my worth to God by busyness.” Deborah revealed the grace of God, even in the chaos. She didn’t have the words to say it…but Deborah knew what it was to abide in God, and Jesus knows the same thing as he rides into the city.
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Matthew 26:14-27:66
Jesus’ Voice
Last summer, Amazon announced that Alexa would soon be able to speak with the voices of people who have died. Your grandma could read your kids a bedtime story, or your dad could remind you to get your oil changed. Alexa's lead scientist said “the desire behind the capability was to build greater trust in people's interactions with Alexa by putting in more "human attributes of empathy and affect." He explained, “While A.I. can't eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last.” What if we could recapture Jesus’ voice, speaking at the last supper, or chiding Pilate? What if we could hear him speak the words from the cross? Would it add to our faith, or make his words just more ordinary conversation, like the reminder to order paper towels or get gas?
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: O give thanks to God who is good.
All: God’s steadfast love endures forever!
One: Open the gates of righteousness and enter with thanksgiving.
All: Give thanks that God has answered us and become our salvation.
One: God is God, and he has given us light.
All: O give thanks to God whose steadfast love endures forever.
Blessings of the Palms
One: The Messiah comes, humble and riding on a donkey’s colt.
All: Humbly the Anointed One enters into our midst this day.
One: Let us greet our Redeemer with palms of praise.
All: Bless, O God, these palms we offer to your Christ.
One: As of old, the Christ comes among us to save us.
All: Hosanna to the One who comes in the name of our God.
OR
One: The Messiah comes, humble and riding on a donkey’s colt.
All: Humbly the Anointed One enters into our midst this day.
One: Let us greet our Redeemer with palms of praise. Let us pray:
Bless, O God, these palms which we bear this day that they may be signs of loyalty to the Messiah. Amen.
All: We wave our palms in honor of our Savior, the Christ.
One: As of old, the Christ comes among us to save us.
All: Hosanna to the One who comes in the name of our God.
Hymns and Songs
All Glory Laud and Honor
UMH: 280
H82: 154/155
PH: 88
GTG: 196
AAHH: 226
NNBH: 102
NCH: 216/217
CH: 192
LBW: 108
ELW: 344
W&P: 265
AMEC: 129
Mantos y Palmas (Filled with Excitement)
UMH: 279
GTG: 199
NCH: 214
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
UMH: 278
PH: 89
GTG: 197
NCH: 213
W&P: 267
AMEC: 130
What Wondrous Love Is This
UMH 292
H82: 439
PH: 85
GTG 215
NCH 223
CH: 200
LBW 385
ELW 666
W&P 257
STLT: 18
Renew: 277
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
UMH: 298/299
H82: 474
PH: 100/101
GTG: 223/224
AAHH: 243
NNBH: 113
NCH: 224
CH: 195
LBW: 482
ELW: 803
W&P: 261
AMEC: 147/148
Renew: 236
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
UMH: 295
H82: 441/442
PH: 84
GTG: 213
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193/194
LBW: 104
ELW: 324
W&P: 264
AMEC: 153
Take Up Thy Cross
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
GTG: 718
LBW: 398
ELW: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
GTG: 738
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
O Young and Fearless Prophet
UMH: 444
CH: 669
STLT: 276
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
GTG: 8029
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELW: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
CCB: 36
Renew: 4
His Name Is Wonderful
CCB: 32
Renew: 30
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The 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 rules through love and not through force:
Grant us the wisdom to see through the sham of coercion
and to embrace the power of love;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you rule without brute force but rather through love. You come to call us as a shepherd calls and not to drive us with force. Help us to see the power of love and to adopt it in our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our attraction to power and might.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have sold ourselves out to the idea of power and might in so many ways. We seek to pull the force of government to bolster our beliefs. We align ourselves with the political powers that brought about the execution of Jesus. In his name we embrace the very evils that he stood against. Forgive us and open our eyes to the reality of the power of love through which you created all that is. Send you Spirit upon us that we might truly be disciples of the Christ. Amen.
One: In love God comes to redeem us and then calls us to redeem the world through that love. Receive God’s grace and go to release the world from its addiction to power and brute force.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God, who comes into our midst not as the conqueror but as the humble, suffering redeemer. Your humble love is worthy of our adoration and praise.
(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 have sold ourselves out to the idea of power and might in so many ways. We seek to pull the force of government to bolster our beliefs. We align ourselves with the political powers that brought about the execution of Jesus. In his name we embrace the very evils that he stood against. Forgive us and open our eyes to the reality of the power of love through which you created all that is. Send you Spirit upon us that we might truly be disciples of the Christ.
We give you thanks for those who have heard the call of Jesus and have stood in solidarity with him as he faced the powers that seek to destroy rather than to heal. We thank you for those who have worked for peace and healing even when that meant they faced violence and death. We thank you for those who witness to the power of love in the face of destructive evil.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all of your children who are in need this day. We pray for those who suffer violence upon their bodies and upon their souls. We pray for those whom greed has left hungry, thirsty, and without decent shelter. We pray for those who face loneliness and fear. We pray for those who reach out in love to the suffering.
(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 SERMONPalms
by Tom Willadsen
Matthew 21:1-11, Psalm 118:1-2, 18-29, Matthew 26:14--27:66
Every church I have ever served has held a Palm Sunday procession led by children waving palm branches, which has taken the place of the Children’s Time. After the hymn has ended I ask the little ones if they know what “hosanna” means. “Save us, please,” or “Save us, we pray.” It comes right out of Psalm 118. We shout “hosanna!” and wave our branches. We get all the people to shout “hosanna!” and wave their palm branches. I instruct everyone to wave their palm branches one more time, then to be ready for the rest of the service. Every time the word “hosanna!” is spoken or sung for the rest of the day they are supposed to wave their palm branches. It works; it’s fun; it’s memorable. The hard part is keeping the kids, or the sopranos (my choir, oy!) from engaging in sword fights with their palms.
But suppose your church is observing Passion Sunday. Hmm. Here’s a twist:
Supplies: paper cut out of hand prints, like the kind you made turkeys with in kindergarten. You can attach them to sticks, so they can be held up and waved, but you will be wise to keep them from the sopranos (see above).
Remind the kids that today is Palm Sunday, and that its name comes from the people cutting down palm branches and waving them as Jesus rode the colt(s) up to the Temple. Point out that “palm” also refers to the part of the hand that people use to grip things, like palm branches. Ask the kids to look at their own palms. What do they see? How do they use the palms of their hands?
Do a brief survey of what lies ahead in Passion Sunday worship today, or Holy Week worship in the days ahead. The Last Supper, when Jesus used his hands to break the bread and pour wine. His journey to crucifixion, when his hands carried the cross on which he was would be executed. His hands through which nails were driven as he was killed….
Then, (spoiler alert!) a week after Easter morning he showed his palms to Thomas, who needed to see for himself that it really was Jesus who appeared behind the locked door when the other disciples were hiding because they were afraid.
In some ways, palms tell the whole story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
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The Immediate Word, April 2, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 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.
