What Is Marvelous Today?
Children's sermon
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Preaching
Sermon
Worship
For March 24, 2024:
What Is Marvelous Today?
by Tom Willadsen
Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-16, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Anosmic — the inability to smell. It may be partial, or total. It may be caused by an injury, infection, or blockage of the nasal passages. For the most part, the worship services I lead at the congregations I have served for more than three decades have been anosmic. I never give any attention to the sense of smell and how it might enhance the worship of those gathered.
Mary, Lazarus’s sister, knelt in front of Jesus and poured “a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard” on Jesus’ feet. Judas said it was wasteful, but we know how trustworthy he turned out to be. A pound of expensive perfume must have filled the whole house with a beautiful, extravagant smell. It would be marvelous!
How would your congregation of 21st century, American Protestants react if you blew 15% of the church’s operating budget on making the joint smell terrific on Palm Sunday? Would it be marvelous in their eyes?
In the Scriptures
Mark 11:1-11
The lesson from Mark’s gospel has some features unique among the gospels. For example, the action takes place outside Jerusalem. In Mark’s gospel Jesus does not enter the Temple at the end of his ride up to it. He looks at his watch, decides it’s too late in the day for cleansing, and decides to return the next day. He spends the night in Bethany.
Of course, we pull “Hosanna!” off the shelf for the one day of the year we shout “Save us, we pray!”
For the record, “Hosanna!” is Aramaic, not Hebrew.
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
I have done too good of a job educating my Presbyterian congregations. They all know, “We don’t have an altar; we have a communion table.” Yet here, in the psalm for Palm Sunday, it says,
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar
“Pastor, you keep telling us we don’t have an altar.”
“We don’t, but there was an altar in the Temple. Altars are where sacrifices are made. We have a table, around which we share a meal. It’s different.”
There’s an easy equivalence between the palm branches we’ll be waving in church and the festal procession’s branches.
The stone the builders rejected can be thought of as Jesus.
Everyone loves v. 24:
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
But call the worshippers’ attention to the verse that precedes it:
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
What’s marvelous to you? What are you marveling at this week?
John 12:12-16
The setting for John’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is profoundly different from the setting in the synoptic gospels. Jesus is having dinner with Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. A crowd turns out, to see Jesus, of course, but also to get a look at Lazarus who had been dead and buried for four days. It was six days before Passover, so people were headed to Jerusalem.
Only John specifies that the branches that they waved were palm branches. (In Luke’s account no branches of any kind are mentioned.)
In the News
These are days of miracle and wonder…
Medicine is magical and magical is art
Think of the boy in the bubble and the baby with the baboon’s heart.
(“The Boy in the Bubble,” by Paul Simon, from the album Graceland, 1986, Warner Brothers Records)
While that song clearly shows the two-sided nature of technological progress, one could easily substitute “marvelous” for “magical;” I did before a Google lyrics search set me straight. We are surrounded by marvelous, magical things every — single — day.
A member of my church had his knee replaced last week. It was originally scheduled for February 29, but apparently the irony of replacing someone’s knee on Leap Day was too much for the surgeon. The surgery took place a week later. I should be specific — the outpatient surgery took place a week later. This man had his knee replaced with one made of titanium in less than two hours. He was home in time for lunch, with written instructions, an ice machine, and a prescription for pain. I asked whether the drive through window at the hospital was taken.
There are a lot of news stories that one could focus on. The various legal proceedings involving the former president could fill volumes.
There are “hot” topics like the war between Israel and Hamas and chronic topics like climate change and racism.
We’re looking at the first presidential election rematch since Adlai Stevenson went toe-to-toe with Dwight Eisenhower for a sequel in 1956.
Two words: March Madness.
Only four days after Palm Sunday, baseball fans will join John Fogerty in singing “We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field,” as the Major League Baseball season starts.
Give yourself, and your congregation, a break. Focus on that overlooked verse in Psalm 118:
This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
You might want to think of it as a break in Lent, similar to Gaudete Sunday in Advent (that’s the one when we light the pink candle).
In the Sermon
Marvelous. Did you hear that word? Marvelous.
There’s a lot of hoopla at church today. We’re having a parade. The choir is singing, and the young ones are shouting “Hosanna!”
Originally Psalm 118 was sung in celebration when the king returned from battle victorious. And it hints at a dramatic turnaround for the king — the stone the builders rejected.
It’s a song of celebration, celebrating the marvelous thing the Lord has done in bringing victory from the jaws of defeat.
Mary got her brother back. After four days in the tomb, after her friend Jesus’ delay in reaching Bethany, Lazarus is back at the dinner table with Jesus. (Martha isn’t there, exactly, but that’s as a sermon for another Sunday.) Mary splurges and fills the house with a magnificent, marvelous fragrance. If there’s ever a time to pull out the costly nard, this is it. It’s marvelous!
Marvelous!
What is marvelous here, today? What do you marvel at?
The return of warm weather?
Medical miracles? They’re not less marvelous because we can explain them. Doctors and researchers have spent years inventing treatments and therapies that restore health, mobility, and function.
The Israelites celebrated the Lord giving them victory and called it “marvelous.”
Remind your people this morning to marvel.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Messages Mixed and Missed
by Chris Keating
Mark 11:1-11
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a photograph of a princess is downright priceless. That’s particularly true if the photo’s subject is Kate, the Princess of Wales.
If you’ve been on vacation — or in case you’re not on TikTok — a digitally altered photograph of the Princess of Wales created a new PR nightmare for the British Royal Family last week. Kensington Palace had released a photograph of the Princess and her children to cool rumors about her health and public absence. The photograph was supposedly taken by Prince William during British Mother’s Day. Yet something seemed amiss. Closer examination by photo editors revealed it had been manipulated in ways that did not meet journalistic standards.
Response to the episode was volatile, fanning controversies and conspiracies conjuring all sorts of explanations about Kate’s two-month absence. It was another reminder that deference to the Royal Family is a fading commodity. Media and messages rule, edging out sovereigns, royals, and politicians.
Messages matter.
Some messages act like porch lights drawing out moths. This is what psychiatrist Ronald Pies notes about both American political parties. Pies chronicles the ways our political parties have capitalized on promises of messianic redemption to woo voters. He says that rhetoric sprinkled with copious amounts of fear and even downright lies (such as antidepressants contributing to mass shootings or vaccines causing autism) had created a charged political environment. Pies suggests that these sorts of distortions have led to the psychological phenomenon known as the “true believer.” True believers are lured by messages that confidence can be acquired through identification with a holy cause.
Messianic messages matter even more.
That’s part of what anthropologist Alexander Hinton discovered while attending last February’s annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference (also known as CPAC). Hinton, who teaches at Rutgers University, attended the conference in an attempt to understand what sort of message motivates CPAC’s members. Hinton said he found a bus emblazoned with pictures of Donald Trump’s face. Attendees had scribbled their messages of undying support for Trump, including “We have your back” and “You are anointed and appointed by God to be president.”
Hinton notes that CPAC and its Trump-leaning cohorts are often dismissed as “crazies and racists.” What he found, however, were clear-eyed defenders of the former president who fervently believe it is Joe Biden who is placing America at risk. Hinton noted that what he found was an overall message rooted in “God, family, tradition, law and order, defense, and freedom.” Its members overlook fears of Trump’s authoritarian tendencies.
“Like all of us,” Hinton writes, “they acknowledge Trump has flaws. They say that some of his comments about women and minorities are cringeworthy, but not evidence of an underlying misogyny and hatefulness, as many critics contend.”
It’s the messages that matter, including the message Mark sends us as Jesus strides into Jerusalem. Note, for example, that Jesus is greeted not with palm fronds but with “leafy branches.” (“Leafy Branch Sunday” apparently never quite caught the attention of retailers.) Here is just one indicator that Mark’s messaging is a bit off.
In fact, the entire “triumphal entry” is a bit underwhelming. The story begins with the enigmatic detail of Jesus sending the disciples on a mission to procure a colt that has never been ridden. It concludes with Jesus alone in the Temple, silently anticipating the drama that awaits. There are few attempts to spell out clear answers. To draw from Thomas Troeger’s memorable hymn, a “cheering, chanting, dizzy crowd” may have greeted Jesus with shouts of hosanna, but later in the day, they’ve already gone home, perhaps tired from trying to make sense of what is happening.
It’s confusing. Is he coming to overthrow Rome? Is Jesus a political revolutionary, or perhaps a zealous claimant to the throne of David? Or is he just a shoeless rabbi in town for the holidays? No one seems to know for sure. Neither does anyone seem to understand the point of Mark’s story, at least not right away. Yet, as we have seen, that has been part and parcel of Mark’s theology. The message won’t be clear until next Sunday.
Mark reminds us that the gospel message was not crafted by political strategists like James Carville (“It’s the cross, stupid”) or David Axelrod (“Hey, forget the palms, let’s talk about hope and change”). Nor is it a reminder that the apostles should have picked up a phone like presidents Nixon, Reagan, and Trump to yell “Get me Roger Stone!”
The paradoxical, mixed-up Messianic message that emerges was neither manufactured by a PR team or cranked out in a smoke-filled room. That seems to be the point, however. Mark is not worried if the message has been field tested or crowd sourced or vetted against polling data. Instead, Jesus’ arrival parodies the power brokers who typically call the shots. He enters quietly and without much acclaim. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the occupying forces parade into Jerusalem astride gallant steeds replete with swords and armor.
Jesus’ message is not manipulated or massaged. It’s just Jesus, on a colt. He will not sidestep tragedy or overlook injustice. Instead, he comes just as Zecheriah suggested: Humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The chariot and warhorses will be cutoff, and he shall command peace to all the nations.
Just wait.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Katy Stenta:
Mark 11:1-11
Hosanna
In this passage, Jesus not only fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 to come in a lowly fashion for יָשַׁע salvation and liberation. But also, Jesus gives the Hebrew people a moment of hope, a moment to shout to God how life should be. It is a holy imagining, one where the Kin-dom is imagined as it should be, when the Prince of Peace can simply enter and the powers and principalities that be simply surrender. In the midst of the world, that is, it is important to practice art, joy, and imaginings of the world as it should be. It grounds us in our humanity and prevents evil from winning. A poignant example of this is a poem by Palestinian Poet Marwan Markhoul, who wrote
In order for me to write poetry that isn’t political
I must listen to the birds
and in order to hear the birds
the warplanes must be silent.
Palm Sunday is important, because it allows us to imagine the world as it should be, even as we know that humanity will mess up again by the end of the week. And it also reminds us that Jesus is walking before us, the Holy Spirit is inspiring us, and God is helping to pull all of the threads of the Kin-dom together.
* * *
Mark 15:1-39
My God, My God
The moment where Jesus feels abandoned by God is a poignant one. Here is the moment where the crowd has dispersed, the male disciples have left. Jesus is left with the women — who are faithful but without power — and his fellow convicts. He feels utterly abandoned. Jesus knows what it is like to feel without God. This is a mystery, because how can Jesus feel abandoned by God? But then, this may be how Jesus descended into hell, because what is hell but the absence of God, belovedness, and utter loneliness? I know people who deal with various conditions: Addiction, mental illness, homelessness, abuse, war to all describe this as a part of their real experience. To be truly human is to understand that sometimes one feels utterly alone. One moment you can feel on top of the world, and the next, you can feel in the depths of despair. Jesus felt that whole range of emotions. That is Holy Week, the fullness of what it is to be human. I find that comforting.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus consistently points to the fact that we will find him, and heaven, on our knees. The fact that God emptied Godself enough to become human means that while the disciples are squabbling over who gets to sit next to Jesus, they missed Jesus kneeling at their feet, washing them. I am convinced that when Jesus returns every knee will bow to Jesus, because Jesus will return as he came, on his knees, and we will all kneel, simply to be next to him.
* * * * * *
From team member Mary Austin:
Philippians 2:5-11
Humility
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,” the epistle tells us. On this Palm/Passion Sunday, Jesus is the epitome of humility, riding into the city on his donkey, the symbol of a king coming in peace. Cultivating humility is hard — even for professionals. Daryl R. Van Tongeren says, “Years ago, when I had my first media interview about my research on humility, the interviewer was curious whether studying humility actually made me any humbler. She asked me to poll my wife, to see how humble she perceived me to be. When I solicited my ranking from one to 10, my wife gave me a four. My embarrassment gave way to defensiveness. I was genuinely perplexed — why wasn’t I humble? I tried, counterproductively, to make a case for my humility by listing my humble attributes and actions (the irony is thick), but that initial defensiveness temporarily kept me from being able to use this feedback as a way to grow. I couldn’t see my own lack of humility.”
He shares, “Humility is an underrated but highly important human virtue. People prefer a partner or friend who is humble, partly because it signals trust and dependability. To make progress intellectually as a society or as individuals, we have to admit what we know — and, more importantly, what we don’t know — and be curious, open to new ideas, and willing to listen. Likewise, acknowledging that our own cultural worldview is but one of many ways to engage with the world, and meeting other perspectives with a desire to learn and an appreciation for diversity, helps us navigate an increasingly global and interconnected world. When we learn to tame our defensive instincts, we open ourselves up to all the benefits that humility can offer.”
In this, Jesus offers us a powerful example.
* * *
Psalm 31:9-16
Sorrow
We can hear the psalmist’s desolation as he prays, “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow.” As we picture Jesus entering the last week of his life, we can imagine him burdened by the same sorrow.
Writer Katherine May believes that learning to live with sorrow is a skill we all need. As she says, “If happiness is a skill, then sadness is, too. Perhaps through all those years at school, or perhaps through other terrors, we are taught to ignore sadness, to stuff it down into our satchels and pretend it isn’t there. As adults, we often have to learn to hear the clarity of its call. That is wintering. It is the active acceptance of sadness. It is the practice of allowing ourselves to feel it as a need. It is the courage to stare down the worst parts of our experience and to commit to healing them the best we can.”
As Jesus rides his donkey into the city, he’s holding the sorrow of what’s coming.
Teaching this skill to her son, Katherine May says, “The time had come to teach my son to winter. It’s quite a skill to pass on. So we took our time and sank into the things we love: We played on the beach and burrowed through the library. We made pirates out of air-drying clay, and walked in the woods to bring home pinecones and berries. We took the train up to London and visited the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs in relative solitude. One particularly cold morning we took advantage of a hoarfrost to make strangely indestructible snowballs. We baked cookies and kneaded pizza dough, and played more Minecraft than I would have preferred. We changed our focus away from pushing through with normal life and toward making a new one.”
May says, “When everything is broken, everything is also up for grabs. That’s the gift of winter: It’s irresistible. Change will happen in its wake, whether we like it or not. We can come out of it wearing a different coat.”
For Jesus, too, everything is about to be broken, and then up for grabs.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Disrupting the World
History shows that disruptive events — like Jesus entry into Jerusalem and his death — have a lasting impact. Professor Marcel Danesi says that events like “the toppling of a regime or the loss of a war — can force a new perspective and the brain is able to recalibrate…” This is one way we come to see the truth about a situation. Professor Danesi says, “Once the critical mind is engaged, away from the frenzy of fear and manipulation, the lie can become clear. This is the uplifting moral tale that can be gleaned from history — all the great liars, from dictators to autocrats, were eventually defeated by truth, which eventually will win out.” This turns out to be true for Herod and Pilate, too.
The people who saw Jesus ride into Jerusalem and witnessed his death found their lives turned upside down. As Professor Danesi says, we “need this kind of disruption. Without these jarring events to bring a dose of reality, it is unlikely that people with strong convictions will ever change their minds.” Looking back two thousand years, we can see the lasting impact.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Jesus Ships It
By riding into Jerusalem, Jesus takes decisive action that will lead to his death. As Seth Godin would say, he ships it.
“As Godin sees it, too many people are unwilling or unable to share their projects, dreams, and creations. They are leery of putting their ideas out into the world to see what will happen. They are afraid to ship. And that fear is understandable. Shipping is fraught with risk and danger,” Godin has written in his long-running blog, Seth’s Blog. “Every time you raise your hand, send an email, launch a product or make a suggestion, you’re exposing yourself to criticism.” If you ship, Godin adds, “you might fail. If you ship, we might laugh at you.” But it’s the chance you must take. Jesus is taking the biggest risk of all.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Descending with Jesus
Most church goers will move from Palm Sunday to Easter, from festive celebration to triumphant celebration. As Francis Weller notes, we would rather skip the descent into pain, fear, and death.
“It is challenging to honor the descent in a culture that primarily values the ascent. We like things rising — stock markets, the GDP, profit margins. We get anxious when things go down. Even within psychology, there is a premise that is biased toward improvement, always getting better, rising above our troubles. We hold dear concepts like progress and integration. These are fine in and of themselves, but it is not the way psyche works. Psyche, we must remember, was shaped by and is rooted in the foundations of nature. As such, psyche also experiences times of decay and death, of stopping, regression, and being still. Much happens in these times that deepen the soul.” (from The Wild Edge of Sorrow)
Easter is richer if we can travel into the shadowed days of Holy Week with Jesus.
* * * * * *
From team member Elena Delhagan:
Isaiah 50:4-9a, Mark 14:1--15:47
A Wordy Matter
This particular passage of Isaiah is one of the prophet’s poetic “Servant Songs,” a perplexing grouping of scriptures in the voice of an unknown divine servant (which may or may not be the voice of Christ). Of interest here is how Isaiah uses embodied imagery to illustrate his sense of the servant’s call. One cannot overlook the issue of speaking. In verse 4a, he is given “a trained tongue,” which in Hebrew denotes that of the learned elites (le-so-wn lim-mu-dim). With this trained tongue, the servant is given the ability to speak (presumably as the Lord would) comforting words to those who are weary. Additionally, since the Jews were so small in number, it seems likely that their Hebrew language was not widely spoken. Instead, Akkadian or Aramaic would probably have been the language of the learned elites of Isaiah’s day. For the Jewish servant, then, to be able to use the gift of speech to communicate God’s words with the upper ruling class of the nations surrounding Israel is no small feat.
Which begs the question: How often do we stop and consider the weight, responsibility, and significance of our words?
Interestingly, speech imagery is used elsewhere in this passage. The illustration in verse 8 of the servant being in court before his adversaries denotes images of accusatory, vindictive speech being brought against him.
Words, you see, have power. In this short passage we see speech can be used to comfort the weary and weak — and it can also be used to accuse and bring charges against others. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak words that soothe, but also to speak words that challenge injustice. Alternatively, we also use words foolishly at times, such as when Judas agrees to betray Jesus, or Peter uses his own gift of speech to deny Christ. The crowd waving palms spoke words of praise to the Messiah only to, a few days later, call out for his crucifixion.
What are you using your words for?
* * *
Psalm 31:9-16, Mark 14:1--15:47
Costly Things
In reading through Psalm 31 again this week, I was drawn to David’s description of himself as broken pottery. He is not the first person in scripture to use pottery imagery to describe the human condition (see Jeremiah’s prophecies about going down to the potter’s house, for example).
There is an ancient and beautiful Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery and ceramics with lacquer and gold. It’s called kintsugi, and once it is done, the fixed piece shows off a golden seam where the cracks had once been. Every repaired piece is unique; each golden “scar” comes from the randomness of how it shattered combined with the unpredictability of the patterns formed with pottery mixes with metal. Kintsugi is a tangible reminder that sometimes our scars and cracks — the pain and suffering we have been through — is what makes us beautiful and unique. God wastes none of it; each moment of our lives is as precious to God as gold.
Just as gold is one of the most expensive and precious resources we have, the woman’s alabaster jar of nard was costly and useful. Yet she broke the jar open and lavishly anointed Jesus with it. Kintsugi uses something precious to enhance something broken; the woman’s anointing shows us that something — or someone — who is broken can be precious, too.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
The Door of Humility
Built upon the very spot believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the world’s most sacred and significant sites. I first visited it in January of 2023 and was struck by the antiquity of the structure. Above the grotto believed to be where Jesus was born is part of the floor, walls, and columns dating back to 339 AD, though the majority of the reconstruction occurred around 533 AD.
What’s most striking about the church, however, is its entrance. Waiting in line to get into the church, I saw men, women, clergy, and lay people, from all different colors and cultures, enter the basilica one at a time by stooping low. See, the only doorway in the front entrance of the church is just short of 4 feet high and is appropriately named “The Door of Humility.” It seems most fitting that one must bow down low to gain entrance to the place where the God of the universe humbled himself and became man. It’s also a stark reminder that at the name of Jesus, every knee truly will bow.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
What Are You Hiding?
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the news, you might be aware that it’s not really a good time for Boeing right now. Their fleet of commercial planes has been rife with safety issues and violations, which is gaining them widespread media attention and concerns from the FAA and global flyers.
Dating back to 2018, when Boeing came under fire for two Boeing 747 crashes that killed over 300 people, it’s been shown that the company culture shifted away from safety and to (surprise, surprise) its stockholders’ interests. Since then, it’s failed nearly half of its 89 audits for a widespread variety of safety defects. In 2020, a 250-page report was released that revealed “a culture of concealment” within the company. The report said Boeing had failed to share information about a key safety system, called MCAS, designed to automatically counter a tendency in the 737 Max to pitch upwards. Boeing was at fault for “concealing the very existence of MCAS from 737 pilots,” it found. MCAS was not in crew manuals and Boeing sought to convince regulators not to require simulator training for Max pilots, which would incur extra costs.
So, what does any of this have to do with Passion Sunday? When reading the text from Mark, we see how much secrecy and behind-the-door scheming took place in the days leading up the arrest of Jesus. The chief priests and scribes were plotting. Judas went behind Jesus’ back when agreeing to betray him. At the council, people stood up to give false testimony. The thing is: When we do things we have no business doing, we often try to hide and conceal it from others because we know, on some level, that it’s wrong. Much of these schemes took place at night, when they thought the darkness would hide their deeds. Just like Boeing, we try to hide away what we’re not proud of, but our attempts are futile. The truth always has a way of coming out.
* * * * * *
From team member Quantisha Mason-Doll:
Mark 14:1--15:47
Leave her be
If one thing is for certain, Jesus is an ally of women and calls out his bros for treating them like they are lesser. There are multiple instances throughout the entirety of the Marken gospel where Jesus is trying to prepare his followers for his impending death. The men surrounding him, those that are supposed to be his most trusted followers, turn a blind eye for what is to come. Yet, the women listen. The women watch and prepare. Death and birth are women’s work and it is women who come to comfort Jesus. Jesus calls out his followers after they tried to reprimand a woman doing the work she had been called to do. In Jesus’ eyes her actions were not a waste but holy work.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Jesus got opps
Opps, short for opposition, are those who plot on your downfall. They are the ones who hate to see you succeed and rejoice in your failures. Opps want to see you downtrodden if it's the last thing they do. Jesus had plenty opps.
Mark tells us that Jesus’ opps wanted to wait until after the festival was over to carry out their plan because they knew their actions would see a man killed and they didn't want to be held accountable for the ramifications of their actions. Thou shall not kill. A simple commandment with multitude of meanings. Thou shall not kill the body nor the spirit of hope that dwells within it. Hope is one of the most powerful gifts given to us by the Lord our God. Oppression by the power and principalities brings about the dissolution of hope and without hope, the masses are easily controlled. The Lord hears, remembers, and sends Jesus to spread hope once again. The opps fear the ones who spread hope because hope breeds action and action breeds revolution. Revolution brings about change that is often for the better. Plotting against the one who spreads hope are the actions of people who have deep knowledge of all the ways in which they have turned their back on humanity. They fear losing their grip on power and privilege over the well-being of their kin.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by Katy Stenta
Call to Worship
One: God, call us according to your steadfast love
All: God, gather us in your love
One: Gather us, so we may be restored
All: Restore us to the joy, and sustain us
One: Come, let us be restored in the Lord
All: Come, let us worship the God who restores and redeems us!
Call to Confess
God knows all, therefore God can bear all. Come let us confess ourselves to God.
Prayer of Confession
God, we confess that we long for a clean heart. We want to be able to declare that we are washed whiter than snow. But we also confess, that often this need to better ourselves is not because we want to take joy in your presence, but it is because we are forever comparing ourselves and judging one another instead of resting in your grace. Forgive us. Teach us about your everlasting grace and love, so that we might better know your joy and gladness we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ who restores and renews us. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the Good news: God is our salvation, and promises a deliverance that will sing aloud from our tongue, therefore we can proclaim the truth to one another.
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day
God we pray that as we look towards your redemptive work, we might cry out for your salvation as both a prayer and a sign of hope. May we say Hosanna as a word of promise that we will be saved. Amen.
Prayer of the People
Prince of Peace and God of justice. We pray to you today, on the day where people took to the streets, praying of a different way. We pray for all those in need, today especially, God, we pray for all those who are crying out for help. We particularly think of those in the midst of violence on this day—those in need of peace. We pray for peace to come…
We lift up all those in need of care and healing, we pray for those sick or recovering, we lift them and caretakers up to you…
God we pray for all those in need, those who are hungry or homeless or otherwise in need of care, be with them and help them to find both the resources and connections and support they need..
And God, we rejoice with those for whom you have blessed, those who are healing, those who have had good news and hope, we celebrate with them…
God we lift up to you the world, our neighbors near and far. We pray that as we work together to be a community that we continue to pray with one another and to remember that you sent your son Jesus Christ to teach us how to see one another as siblings and to love and serve one another. May we do that in thought and word and deed. We pray this in your son’s most holy name. Amen.
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
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
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
UMH: 301
NNBH: 103
NCH: 197
CH: 587
ELW: 335
W&P: 479
AMEC: 321
O Come and Dwell in Me
UMH: 388
Take Up Thy Cross
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
LBW: 398
ELW: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
All Hail King Jesus
CCB: 29
Renew: 35
He Is Exalted
CCB: 30:
Renew: 238
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
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Palms of Peace
by Katy Stenta
Mark 11:1-11
Palms or the waving of palm branches can represent two things:
1. Victory — They were often handed out as a trophy.
2. Peace — It can mean that the war ended.
Which meaning do you think Jesus preferred? (Peace, because Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Or maybe Victory because Jesus won without fighting a war.)
If you study where Jesus traveled it is a very funny map. He zigzagged all over, avoiding Jerusalem, because he knew this parade would happen when he entered, and he knew that all the people in charge — we call them the powers and principalities — would not like this parade.
All the people threw Jesus a king’s parade because, they were excited that he was going to set everyone free. And probably because everyone was ready for peace.
Remember that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and that is why everyone waved palm branches to celebrate him.
Let’s pray:
Dear God
Thank you
For celebrating Jesus’
Victory
And also
His peace.
Help us
celebrate
His peace,
Too.
Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 24, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 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.
- What Is Marvelous Today? by Tom Willadsen based on Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-16, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29.
- Second Thoughts: Messages Mixed and Missed by Chris Keating. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem proclaims a message that challenges the false messianic messages of politicians, PR wizards, celebrities, and marketing moguls, prompting us to recall enduring hope of his passion.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Elena Delhagen, Quantisha Mason-Doll, Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by Katy Stenta.
- Children’s Sermon: Palms of Peace by Katy Stenta based on Mark 11:1-11.
What Is Marvelous Today?by Tom Willadsen
Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-16, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Anosmic — the inability to smell. It may be partial, or total. It may be caused by an injury, infection, or blockage of the nasal passages. For the most part, the worship services I lead at the congregations I have served for more than three decades have been anosmic. I never give any attention to the sense of smell and how it might enhance the worship of those gathered.
Mary, Lazarus’s sister, knelt in front of Jesus and poured “a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard” on Jesus’ feet. Judas said it was wasteful, but we know how trustworthy he turned out to be. A pound of expensive perfume must have filled the whole house with a beautiful, extravagant smell. It would be marvelous!
How would your congregation of 21st century, American Protestants react if you blew 15% of the church’s operating budget on making the joint smell terrific on Palm Sunday? Would it be marvelous in their eyes?
In the Scriptures
Mark 11:1-11
The lesson from Mark’s gospel has some features unique among the gospels. For example, the action takes place outside Jerusalem. In Mark’s gospel Jesus does not enter the Temple at the end of his ride up to it. He looks at his watch, decides it’s too late in the day for cleansing, and decides to return the next day. He spends the night in Bethany.
Of course, we pull “Hosanna!” off the shelf for the one day of the year we shout “Save us, we pray!”
For the record, “Hosanna!” is Aramaic, not Hebrew.
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
I have done too good of a job educating my Presbyterian congregations. They all know, “We don’t have an altar; we have a communion table.” Yet here, in the psalm for Palm Sunday, it says,
Bind the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar
“Pastor, you keep telling us we don’t have an altar.”
“We don’t, but there was an altar in the Temple. Altars are where sacrifices are made. We have a table, around which we share a meal. It’s different.”
There’s an easy equivalence between the palm branches we’ll be waving in church and the festal procession’s branches.
The stone the builders rejected can be thought of as Jesus.
Everyone loves v. 24:
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
But call the worshippers’ attention to the verse that precedes it:
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
What’s marvelous to you? What are you marveling at this week?
John 12:12-16
The setting for John’s account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is profoundly different from the setting in the synoptic gospels. Jesus is having dinner with Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. A crowd turns out, to see Jesus, of course, but also to get a look at Lazarus who had been dead and buried for four days. It was six days before Passover, so people were headed to Jerusalem.
Only John specifies that the branches that they waved were palm branches. (In Luke’s account no branches of any kind are mentioned.)
In the News
These are days of miracle and wonder…
Medicine is magical and magical is art
Think of the boy in the bubble and the baby with the baboon’s heart.
(“The Boy in the Bubble,” by Paul Simon, from the album Graceland, 1986, Warner Brothers Records)
While that song clearly shows the two-sided nature of technological progress, one could easily substitute “marvelous” for “magical;” I did before a Google lyrics search set me straight. We are surrounded by marvelous, magical things every — single — day.
A member of my church had his knee replaced last week. It was originally scheduled for February 29, but apparently the irony of replacing someone’s knee on Leap Day was too much for the surgeon. The surgery took place a week later. I should be specific — the outpatient surgery took place a week later. This man had his knee replaced with one made of titanium in less than two hours. He was home in time for lunch, with written instructions, an ice machine, and a prescription for pain. I asked whether the drive through window at the hospital was taken.
There are a lot of news stories that one could focus on. The various legal proceedings involving the former president could fill volumes.
There are “hot” topics like the war between Israel and Hamas and chronic topics like climate change and racism.
We’re looking at the first presidential election rematch since Adlai Stevenson went toe-to-toe with Dwight Eisenhower for a sequel in 1956.
Two words: March Madness.
Only four days after Palm Sunday, baseball fans will join John Fogerty in singing “We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field,” as the Major League Baseball season starts.
Give yourself, and your congregation, a break. Focus on that overlooked verse in Psalm 118:
This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
You might want to think of it as a break in Lent, similar to Gaudete Sunday in Advent (that’s the one when we light the pink candle).
In the Sermon
Marvelous. Did you hear that word? Marvelous.
There’s a lot of hoopla at church today. We’re having a parade. The choir is singing, and the young ones are shouting “Hosanna!”
Originally Psalm 118 was sung in celebration when the king returned from battle victorious. And it hints at a dramatic turnaround for the king — the stone the builders rejected.
It’s a song of celebration, celebrating the marvelous thing the Lord has done in bringing victory from the jaws of defeat.
Mary got her brother back. After four days in the tomb, after her friend Jesus’ delay in reaching Bethany, Lazarus is back at the dinner table with Jesus. (Martha isn’t there, exactly, but that’s as a sermon for another Sunday.) Mary splurges and fills the house with a magnificent, marvelous fragrance. If there’s ever a time to pull out the costly nard, this is it. It’s marvelous!
Marvelous!
What is marvelous here, today? What do you marvel at?
The return of warm weather?
Medical miracles? They’re not less marvelous because we can explain them. Doctors and researchers have spent years inventing treatments and therapies that restore health, mobility, and function.
The Israelites celebrated the Lord giving them victory and called it “marvelous.”
Remind your people this morning to marvel.
SECOND THOUGHTSMessages Mixed and Missed
by Chris Keating
Mark 11:1-11
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a photograph of a princess is downright priceless. That’s particularly true if the photo’s subject is Kate, the Princess of Wales.
If you’ve been on vacation — or in case you’re not on TikTok — a digitally altered photograph of the Princess of Wales created a new PR nightmare for the British Royal Family last week. Kensington Palace had released a photograph of the Princess and her children to cool rumors about her health and public absence. The photograph was supposedly taken by Prince William during British Mother’s Day. Yet something seemed amiss. Closer examination by photo editors revealed it had been manipulated in ways that did not meet journalistic standards.
Response to the episode was volatile, fanning controversies and conspiracies conjuring all sorts of explanations about Kate’s two-month absence. It was another reminder that deference to the Royal Family is a fading commodity. Media and messages rule, edging out sovereigns, royals, and politicians.
Messages matter.
Some messages act like porch lights drawing out moths. This is what psychiatrist Ronald Pies notes about both American political parties. Pies chronicles the ways our political parties have capitalized on promises of messianic redemption to woo voters. He says that rhetoric sprinkled with copious amounts of fear and even downright lies (such as antidepressants contributing to mass shootings or vaccines causing autism) had created a charged political environment. Pies suggests that these sorts of distortions have led to the psychological phenomenon known as the “true believer.” True believers are lured by messages that confidence can be acquired through identification with a holy cause.
Messianic messages matter even more.
That’s part of what anthropologist Alexander Hinton discovered while attending last February’s annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference (also known as CPAC). Hinton, who teaches at Rutgers University, attended the conference in an attempt to understand what sort of message motivates CPAC’s members. Hinton said he found a bus emblazoned with pictures of Donald Trump’s face. Attendees had scribbled their messages of undying support for Trump, including “We have your back” and “You are anointed and appointed by God to be president.”
Hinton notes that CPAC and its Trump-leaning cohorts are often dismissed as “crazies and racists.” What he found, however, were clear-eyed defenders of the former president who fervently believe it is Joe Biden who is placing America at risk. Hinton noted that what he found was an overall message rooted in “God, family, tradition, law and order, defense, and freedom.” Its members overlook fears of Trump’s authoritarian tendencies.
“Like all of us,” Hinton writes, “they acknowledge Trump has flaws. They say that some of his comments about women and minorities are cringeworthy, but not evidence of an underlying misogyny and hatefulness, as many critics contend.”
It’s the messages that matter, including the message Mark sends us as Jesus strides into Jerusalem. Note, for example, that Jesus is greeted not with palm fronds but with “leafy branches.” (“Leafy Branch Sunday” apparently never quite caught the attention of retailers.) Here is just one indicator that Mark’s messaging is a bit off.
In fact, the entire “triumphal entry” is a bit underwhelming. The story begins with the enigmatic detail of Jesus sending the disciples on a mission to procure a colt that has never been ridden. It concludes with Jesus alone in the Temple, silently anticipating the drama that awaits. There are few attempts to spell out clear answers. To draw from Thomas Troeger’s memorable hymn, a “cheering, chanting, dizzy crowd” may have greeted Jesus with shouts of hosanna, but later in the day, they’ve already gone home, perhaps tired from trying to make sense of what is happening.
It’s confusing. Is he coming to overthrow Rome? Is Jesus a political revolutionary, or perhaps a zealous claimant to the throne of David? Or is he just a shoeless rabbi in town for the holidays? No one seems to know for sure. Neither does anyone seem to understand the point of Mark’s story, at least not right away. Yet, as we have seen, that has been part and parcel of Mark’s theology. The message won’t be clear until next Sunday.
Mark reminds us that the gospel message was not crafted by political strategists like James Carville (“It’s the cross, stupid”) or David Axelrod (“Hey, forget the palms, let’s talk about hope and change”). Nor is it a reminder that the apostles should have picked up a phone like presidents Nixon, Reagan, and Trump to yell “Get me Roger Stone!”
The paradoxical, mixed-up Messianic message that emerges was neither manufactured by a PR team or cranked out in a smoke-filled room. That seems to be the point, however. Mark is not worried if the message has been field tested or crowd sourced or vetted against polling data. Instead, Jesus’ arrival parodies the power brokers who typically call the shots. He enters quietly and without much acclaim. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the occupying forces parade into Jerusalem astride gallant steeds replete with swords and armor.
Jesus’ message is not manipulated or massaged. It’s just Jesus, on a colt. He will not sidestep tragedy or overlook injustice. Instead, he comes just as Zecheriah suggested: Humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The chariot and warhorses will be cutoff, and he shall command peace to all the nations.
Just wait.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Katy Stenta:Mark 11:1-11
Hosanna
In this passage, Jesus not only fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 to come in a lowly fashion for יָשַׁע salvation and liberation. But also, Jesus gives the Hebrew people a moment of hope, a moment to shout to God how life should be. It is a holy imagining, one where the Kin-dom is imagined as it should be, when the Prince of Peace can simply enter and the powers and principalities that be simply surrender. In the midst of the world, that is, it is important to practice art, joy, and imaginings of the world as it should be. It grounds us in our humanity and prevents evil from winning. A poignant example of this is a poem by Palestinian Poet Marwan Markhoul, who wrote
In order for me to write poetry that isn’t political
I must listen to the birds
and in order to hear the birds
the warplanes must be silent.
Palm Sunday is important, because it allows us to imagine the world as it should be, even as we know that humanity will mess up again by the end of the week. And it also reminds us that Jesus is walking before us, the Holy Spirit is inspiring us, and God is helping to pull all of the threads of the Kin-dom together.
* * *
Mark 15:1-39
My God, My God
The moment where Jesus feels abandoned by God is a poignant one. Here is the moment where the crowd has dispersed, the male disciples have left. Jesus is left with the women — who are faithful but without power — and his fellow convicts. He feels utterly abandoned. Jesus knows what it is like to feel without God. This is a mystery, because how can Jesus feel abandoned by God? But then, this may be how Jesus descended into hell, because what is hell but the absence of God, belovedness, and utter loneliness? I know people who deal with various conditions: Addiction, mental illness, homelessness, abuse, war to all describe this as a part of their real experience. To be truly human is to understand that sometimes one feels utterly alone. One moment you can feel on top of the world, and the next, you can feel in the depths of despair. Jesus felt that whole range of emotions. That is Holy Week, the fullness of what it is to be human. I find that comforting.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus consistently points to the fact that we will find him, and heaven, on our knees. The fact that God emptied Godself enough to become human means that while the disciples are squabbling over who gets to sit next to Jesus, they missed Jesus kneeling at their feet, washing them. I am convinced that when Jesus returns every knee will bow to Jesus, because Jesus will return as he came, on his knees, and we will all kneel, simply to be next to him.
* * * * * *
From team member Mary Austin:Philippians 2:5-11
Humility
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,” the epistle tells us. On this Palm/Passion Sunday, Jesus is the epitome of humility, riding into the city on his donkey, the symbol of a king coming in peace. Cultivating humility is hard — even for professionals. Daryl R. Van Tongeren says, “Years ago, when I had my first media interview about my research on humility, the interviewer was curious whether studying humility actually made me any humbler. She asked me to poll my wife, to see how humble she perceived me to be. When I solicited my ranking from one to 10, my wife gave me a four. My embarrassment gave way to defensiveness. I was genuinely perplexed — why wasn’t I humble? I tried, counterproductively, to make a case for my humility by listing my humble attributes and actions (the irony is thick), but that initial defensiveness temporarily kept me from being able to use this feedback as a way to grow. I couldn’t see my own lack of humility.”
He shares, “Humility is an underrated but highly important human virtue. People prefer a partner or friend who is humble, partly because it signals trust and dependability. To make progress intellectually as a society or as individuals, we have to admit what we know — and, more importantly, what we don’t know — and be curious, open to new ideas, and willing to listen. Likewise, acknowledging that our own cultural worldview is but one of many ways to engage with the world, and meeting other perspectives with a desire to learn and an appreciation for diversity, helps us navigate an increasingly global and interconnected world. When we learn to tame our defensive instincts, we open ourselves up to all the benefits that humility can offer.”
In this, Jesus offers us a powerful example.
* * *
Psalm 31:9-16
Sorrow
We can hear the psalmist’s desolation as he prays, “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow.” As we picture Jesus entering the last week of his life, we can imagine him burdened by the same sorrow.
Writer Katherine May believes that learning to live with sorrow is a skill we all need. As she says, “If happiness is a skill, then sadness is, too. Perhaps through all those years at school, or perhaps through other terrors, we are taught to ignore sadness, to stuff it down into our satchels and pretend it isn’t there. As adults, we often have to learn to hear the clarity of its call. That is wintering. It is the active acceptance of sadness. It is the practice of allowing ourselves to feel it as a need. It is the courage to stare down the worst parts of our experience and to commit to healing them the best we can.”
As Jesus rides his donkey into the city, he’s holding the sorrow of what’s coming.
Teaching this skill to her son, Katherine May says, “The time had come to teach my son to winter. It’s quite a skill to pass on. So we took our time and sank into the things we love: We played on the beach and burrowed through the library. We made pirates out of air-drying clay, and walked in the woods to bring home pinecones and berries. We took the train up to London and visited the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs in relative solitude. One particularly cold morning we took advantage of a hoarfrost to make strangely indestructible snowballs. We baked cookies and kneaded pizza dough, and played more Minecraft than I would have preferred. We changed our focus away from pushing through with normal life and toward making a new one.”
May says, “When everything is broken, everything is also up for grabs. That’s the gift of winter: It’s irresistible. Change will happen in its wake, whether we like it or not. We can come out of it wearing a different coat.”
For Jesus, too, everything is about to be broken, and then up for grabs.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Disrupting the World
History shows that disruptive events — like Jesus entry into Jerusalem and his death — have a lasting impact. Professor Marcel Danesi says that events like “the toppling of a regime or the loss of a war — can force a new perspective and the brain is able to recalibrate…” This is one way we come to see the truth about a situation. Professor Danesi says, “Once the critical mind is engaged, away from the frenzy of fear and manipulation, the lie can become clear. This is the uplifting moral tale that can be gleaned from history — all the great liars, from dictators to autocrats, were eventually defeated by truth, which eventually will win out.” This turns out to be true for Herod and Pilate, too.
The people who saw Jesus ride into Jerusalem and witnessed his death found their lives turned upside down. As Professor Danesi says, we “need this kind of disruption. Without these jarring events to bring a dose of reality, it is unlikely that people with strong convictions will ever change their minds.” Looking back two thousand years, we can see the lasting impact.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Jesus Ships It
By riding into Jerusalem, Jesus takes decisive action that will lead to his death. As Seth Godin would say, he ships it.
“As Godin sees it, too many people are unwilling or unable to share their projects, dreams, and creations. They are leery of putting their ideas out into the world to see what will happen. They are afraid to ship. And that fear is understandable. Shipping is fraught with risk and danger,” Godin has written in his long-running blog, Seth’s Blog. “Every time you raise your hand, send an email, launch a product or make a suggestion, you’re exposing yourself to criticism.” If you ship, Godin adds, “you might fail. If you ship, we might laugh at you.” But it’s the chance you must take. Jesus is taking the biggest risk of all.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Descending with Jesus
Most church goers will move from Palm Sunday to Easter, from festive celebration to triumphant celebration. As Francis Weller notes, we would rather skip the descent into pain, fear, and death.
“It is challenging to honor the descent in a culture that primarily values the ascent. We like things rising — stock markets, the GDP, profit margins. We get anxious when things go down. Even within psychology, there is a premise that is biased toward improvement, always getting better, rising above our troubles. We hold dear concepts like progress and integration. These are fine in and of themselves, but it is not the way psyche works. Psyche, we must remember, was shaped by and is rooted in the foundations of nature. As such, psyche also experiences times of decay and death, of stopping, regression, and being still. Much happens in these times that deepen the soul.” (from The Wild Edge of Sorrow)
Easter is richer if we can travel into the shadowed days of Holy Week with Jesus.
* * * * * *
From team member Elena Delhagan:Isaiah 50:4-9a, Mark 14:1--15:47
A Wordy Matter
This particular passage of Isaiah is one of the prophet’s poetic “Servant Songs,” a perplexing grouping of scriptures in the voice of an unknown divine servant (which may or may not be the voice of Christ). Of interest here is how Isaiah uses embodied imagery to illustrate his sense of the servant’s call. One cannot overlook the issue of speaking. In verse 4a, he is given “a trained tongue,” which in Hebrew denotes that of the learned elites (le-so-wn lim-mu-dim). With this trained tongue, the servant is given the ability to speak (presumably as the Lord would) comforting words to those who are weary. Additionally, since the Jews were so small in number, it seems likely that their Hebrew language was not widely spoken. Instead, Akkadian or Aramaic would probably have been the language of the learned elites of Isaiah’s day. For the Jewish servant, then, to be able to use the gift of speech to communicate God’s words with the upper ruling class of the nations surrounding Israel is no small feat.
Which begs the question: How often do we stop and consider the weight, responsibility, and significance of our words?
Interestingly, speech imagery is used elsewhere in this passage. The illustration in verse 8 of the servant being in court before his adversaries denotes images of accusatory, vindictive speech being brought against him.
Words, you see, have power. In this short passage we see speech can be used to comfort the weary and weak — and it can also be used to accuse and bring charges against others. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak words that soothe, but also to speak words that challenge injustice. Alternatively, we also use words foolishly at times, such as when Judas agrees to betray Jesus, or Peter uses his own gift of speech to deny Christ. The crowd waving palms spoke words of praise to the Messiah only to, a few days later, call out for his crucifixion.
What are you using your words for?
* * *
Psalm 31:9-16, Mark 14:1--15:47
Costly Things
In reading through Psalm 31 again this week, I was drawn to David’s description of himself as broken pottery. He is not the first person in scripture to use pottery imagery to describe the human condition (see Jeremiah’s prophecies about going down to the potter’s house, for example).
There is an ancient and beautiful Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery and ceramics with lacquer and gold. It’s called kintsugi, and once it is done, the fixed piece shows off a golden seam where the cracks had once been. Every repaired piece is unique; each golden “scar” comes from the randomness of how it shattered combined with the unpredictability of the patterns formed with pottery mixes with metal. Kintsugi is a tangible reminder that sometimes our scars and cracks — the pain and suffering we have been through — is what makes us beautiful and unique. God wastes none of it; each moment of our lives is as precious to God as gold.
Just as gold is one of the most expensive and precious resources we have, the woman’s alabaster jar of nard was costly and useful. Yet she broke the jar open and lavishly anointed Jesus with it. Kintsugi uses something precious to enhance something broken; the woman’s anointing shows us that something — or someone — who is broken can be precious, too.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
The Door of Humility
Built upon the very spot believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the world’s most sacred and significant sites. I first visited it in January of 2023 and was struck by the antiquity of the structure. Above the grotto believed to be where Jesus was born is part of the floor, walls, and columns dating back to 339 AD, though the majority of the reconstruction occurred around 533 AD.
What’s most striking about the church, however, is its entrance. Waiting in line to get into the church, I saw men, women, clergy, and lay people, from all different colors and cultures, enter the basilica one at a time by stooping low. See, the only doorway in the front entrance of the church is just short of 4 feet high and is appropriately named “The Door of Humility.” It seems most fitting that one must bow down low to gain entrance to the place where the God of the universe humbled himself and became man. It’s also a stark reminder that at the name of Jesus, every knee truly will bow.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
What Are You Hiding?
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the news, you might be aware that it’s not really a good time for Boeing right now. Their fleet of commercial planes has been rife with safety issues and violations, which is gaining them widespread media attention and concerns from the FAA and global flyers.
Dating back to 2018, when Boeing came under fire for two Boeing 747 crashes that killed over 300 people, it’s been shown that the company culture shifted away from safety and to (surprise, surprise) its stockholders’ interests. Since then, it’s failed nearly half of its 89 audits for a widespread variety of safety defects. In 2020, a 250-page report was released that revealed “a culture of concealment” within the company. The report said Boeing had failed to share information about a key safety system, called MCAS, designed to automatically counter a tendency in the 737 Max to pitch upwards. Boeing was at fault for “concealing the very existence of MCAS from 737 pilots,” it found. MCAS was not in crew manuals and Boeing sought to convince regulators not to require simulator training for Max pilots, which would incur extra costs.
So, what does any of this have to do with Passion Sunday? When reading the text from Mark, we see how much secrecy and behind-the-door scheming took place in the days leading up the arrest of Jesus. The chief priests and scribes were plotting. Judas went behind Jesus’ back when agreeing to betray him. At the council, people stood up to give false testimony. The thing is: When we do things we have no business doing, we often try to hide and conceal it from others because we know, on some level, that it’s wrong. Much of these schemes took place at night, when they thought the darkness would hide their deeds. Just like Boeing, we try to hide away what we’re not proud of, but our attempts are futile. The truth always has a way of coming out.
* * * * * *
From team member Quantisha Mason-Doll:Mark 14:1--15:47
Leave her be
If one thing is for certain, Jesus is an ally of women and calls out his bros for treating them like they are lesser. There are multiple instances throughout the entirety of the Marken gospel where Jesus is trying to prepare his followers for his impending death. The men surrounding him, those that are supposed to be his most trusted followers, turn a blind eye for what is to come. Yet, the women listen. The women watch and prepare. Death and birth are women’s work and it is women who come to comfort Jesus. Jesus calls out his followers after they tried to reprimand a woman doing the work she had been called to do. In Jesus’ eyes her actions were not a waste but holy work.
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Mark 14:1--15:47
Jesus got opps
Opps, short for opposition, are those who plot on your downfall. They are the ones who hate to see you succeed and rejoice in your failures. Opps want to see you downtrodden if it's the last thing they do. Jesus had plenty opps.
Mark tells us that Jesus’ opps wanted to wait until after the festival was over to carry out their plan because they knew their actions would see a man killed and they didn't want to be held accountable for the ramifications of their actions. Thou shall not kill. A simple commandment with multitude of meanings. Thou shall not kill the body nor the spirit of hope that dwells within it. Hope is one of the most powerful gifts given to us by the Lord our God. Oppression by the power and principalities brings about the dissolution of hope and without hope, the masses are easily controlled. The Lord hears, remembers, and sends Jesus to spread hope once again. The opps fear the ones who spread hope because hope breeds action and action breeds revolution. Revolution brings about change that is often for the better. Plotting against the one who spreads hope are the actions of people who have deep knowledge of all the ways in which they have turned their back on humanity. They fear losing their grip on power and privilege over the well-being of their kin.
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WORSHIPby Katy Stenta
Call to Worship
One: God, call us according to your steadfast love
All: God, gather us in your love
One: Gather us, so we may be restored
All: Restore us to the joy, and sustain us
One: Come, let us be restored in the Lord
All: Come, let us worship the God who restores and redeems us!
Call to Confess
God knows all, therefore God can bear all. Come let us confess ourselves to God.
Prayer of Confession
God, we confess that we long for a clean heart. We want to be able to declare that we are washed whiter than snow. But we also confess, that often this need to better ourselves is not because we want to take joy in your presence, but it is because we are forever comparing ourselves and judging one another instead of resting in your grace. Forgive us. Teach us about your everlasting grace and love, so that we might better know your joy and gladness we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ who restores and renews us. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the Good news: God is our salvation, and promises a deliverance that will sing aloud from our tongue, therefore we can proclaim the truth to one another.
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day
God we pray that as we look towards your redemptive work, we might cry out for your salvation as both a prayer and a sign of hope. May we say Hosanna as a word of promise that we will be saved. Amen.
Prayer of the People
Prince of Peace and God of justice. We pray to you today, on the day where people took to the streets, praying of a different way. We pray for all those in need, today especially, God, we pray for all those who are crying out for help. We particularly think of those in the midst of violence on this day—those in need of peace. We pray for peace to come…
We lift up all those in need of care and healing, we pray for those sick or recovering, we lift them and caretakers up to you…
God we pray for all those in need, those who are hungry or homeless or otherwise in need of care, be with them and help them to find both the resources and connections and support they need..
And God, we rejoice with those for whom you have blessed, those who are healing, those who have had good news and hope, we celebrate with them…
God we lift up to you the world, our neighbors near and far. We pray that as we work together to be a community that we continue to pray with one another and to remember that you sent your son Jesus Christ to teach us how to see one another as siblings and to love and serve one another. May we do that in thought and word and deed. We pray this in your son’s most holy name. Amen.
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
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
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
UMH: 301
NNBH: 103
NCH: 197
CH: 587
ELW: 335
W&P: 479
AMEC: 321
O Come and Dwell in Me
UMH: 388
Take Up Thy Cross
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
LBW: 398
ELW: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
All Hail King Jesus
CCB: 29
Renew: 35
He Is Exalted
CCB: 30:
Renew: 238
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
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CHILDREN'S SERMONPalms of Peace
by Katy Stenta
Mark 11:1-11
Palms or the waving of palm branches can represent two things:
1. Victory — They were often handed out as a trophy.
2. Peace — It can mean that the war ended.
Which meaning do you think Jesus preferred? (Peace, because Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Or maybe Victory because Jesus won without fighting a war.)
If you study where Jesus traveled it is a very funny map. He zigzagged all over, avoiding Jerusalem, because he knew this parade would happen when he entered, and he knew that all the people in charge — we call them the powers and principalities — would not like this parade.
All the people threw Jesus a king’s parade because, they were excited that he was going to set everyone free. And probably because everyone was ready for peace.
Remember that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and that is why everyone waved palm branches to celebrate him.
Let’s pray:
Dear God
Thank you
For celebrating Jesus’
Victory
And also
His peace.
Help us
celebrate
His peace,
Too.
Amen.
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The Immediate Word, March 24, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 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.
