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| One parade had warhorses and sword-wielding soldiers, the other had a donkey and palm-waving peasants. Which procession will you join? |
The Liturgy of the Palms
The Liturgy of the Word
©2024 The Rev. Seth Olson
Holy God, let my words be your words and when my words are not your words, let your people be wise enough to know the same. Amen.
This week I watched some clips of the Homewood Patriots Marching Band performing in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. I love parades. Often I have taken Teddy to Christmas Parades or turned on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on the fourth Thursday in November. When I worked at All Saints, I even helped start a lawn party to coincide with the We Love Homewood Day Parade in early May. So, maybe my love of parades is why my focus this morning rests not on the agonizing Passion Gospel we just heard, but instead upon the reading from Mark about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem long ago.
(Just a quick aside—our bulletin included Matthew’s Palm Sunday lesson and not Mark—instead of reprinting and recycling several hundred sheets of paper, we kept the mistake. Perhaps, this is a good lesson as we embark upon our first Holy Week together with me serving as your pastor. Liturgy—the work of the people—is not about perfection, it’s about praise. This is not performance, this is about prayer. Mistakes will happen, what’s important is that we recognize the presence of God within, between, and among us and we worship God being inspired to go enact God’s love in this hurting world. Here endeth the aside.)
Where was I? Ah, parades! So, did you know that there were multiple parades happening at the same time? It was the beginning of the week of Passover. Entering through the western gate was a mighty caravan. What a parade it was! Horses in warring armament, soldiers by the legion, and chariots carrying sword-bearing leaders! It was a First Century show of might that was sure to impress and intimidate the citizens of Jerusalem. Certainly, this was the grander of the displays, and yet, this was not the parade we honored this morning.
On the other side of Jerusalem, coming from the east, like the dawning of a new day was another sort of parade—a counter one, a protest procession, if you will. Instead of war horses there was a meager donkey probably half the size of its equine sibling. In the place of soldiers there were peasants. There were no chariots with weapon laden leaders, instead there were grubby Galileans wielding palm branches. Jesus was offering the alternative programming to the normal way. What was the status quo?
During the Passover long ago, Rome would show its force to intimidate the People of Israel. Those Temple leaders who were in cahoots with the occupying Empire would more than likely cheer on the Romans through clinched teeth. The Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and Elders were not intrinsically bad. They were caught though between a rock and a hard place—their traditional seats of power on one side and an imperial force on the other meant that the peasant class of Israel was being exploited economically, governmentally, and even religiously. They were taxed on multiple fronts, intimidated by military might, and convinced this was legitimate by their religious leaders. Jesus saw the suffering of his people, the Israelite peasants from far flung parts of Palestine, and he led them into the Holy City during the highest of holy times to illuminate the power not of earthly kingdoms, but the heavenly reign of God.
We are invited to join this procession too. Regardless of who you are and how your story meets God’s story—regardless of whether you are a deserting disciple, a blindsided bystander, a persecuting high priest, a faithful female follower, a greedy governor, a converted centurion, or an unnamed onlooker—regardless of who you are you are invited to participate in this procession through Holy Week.
The final turn of today’s Passion Gospel with the Centurion’s affirmation of Jesus’ messianic identity reveals the true power of this week. Regardless of who we are, we can choose to join this procession—this Way of Christ. And, with Christ Jesus we walk this way championing not imperial domination, but a peaceable kingdom where all are welcomed, accepted, and loved. In this reign, you belong. Will you walk this Way of Christ journeying with Jesus through Holy Week and beyond?
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