I loved this Palm Sunday sermon from our very own Deacon Cindy at The Church of the Epiphany in Lebanon, TN. She shared about a journey where she experienced God’s deep delight—a beautiful and grounding message as we begin Holy Week.
A gentle reminder: we are all walking a sacred journey.
I’m grateful to share her words with you:
“Driving through the back roads on the way home from church this past Thursday, my thoughts were on the troubles of the world. I didn’t realize that God was listening in… But then, as the familiar road curved around and led me up into the hills, I began noticing all the changes that have been sneaking up on us these past few weeks.
There were still many dark, bare-branched trees (special thanks to winter’s sporadic reappearances lately for those!).
Some of those trees still showed the path of past destruction, as broken branches remained where they had smashed into roofs or blocked up the creeks.
But within this darkness, there was also a sudden sprinkling of green leaves on the trees. And the ground was beginning to be covered with bright green grass.
Along that road, there were also brilliant flowers that had appeared pretty much overnight, pink redbuds, white pear and dogwood blossoms, yellow daffodils, and purple hyacinths. A beautiful creation bursting out in all directions!
It was a picture of Life, death, and resurrection. And a reassurance that God, and God’s goodness, are with us through everything. God is listening and responding and is in charge.
Then, as I drove into town, a big sign in front of one of the churches beamed its message, “Walk with Jesus- let him change your life.”
That drive was a gift from God and quite a welcome to Holy Week.
And so here we are on Palm Sunday- hearing the story of Jesus and his disciples on a journey of their own. They are on the road to Jerusalem.
Their entrance into the city marks the beginning of the story of the last days of Jesus’s life here on earth.
This day also marks the beginning of the final part of our own Lenten journeys, which we began 6 weeks ago with Ash Wednesday.
The coming days between now and next Sunday are an essential part of our journey, to truly experience Easter…
It was a long, dusty road from Jericho, through Bethany and Bethpage to Jerusalem. Not a glorious or easy journey at all. Not at all what would seem a fitting prelude to a great entrance into Jerusalem, for the new Messiah.
But Jesus was not at all what people had expected anyway. He did not come in great power and glory. He came humbly and lived among the people.
These were ordinary people like you and me. In the stories of Jesus’ teachings and encounters, we have heard many instances of our shared human weaknesses, frailties, and brokenness.
Jesus had taken their brokenness, and loved and taught and nurtured them- not to be perfect, but to be transformed through knowing that they were the beloved children of God, who Jesus knew them to be.
“Love one another as I have loved you,” he had said, and the miraculous happened-.People saw one another with new eyes; people saw God with new eyes. Suddenly, they heard and understood the same old things in a completely new way-
Many had responded to Jesus’ call to live a life of God’s love, justice, and mercy. They had become his followers. As they joined, they traveled together, listening and learning and sharing the Good News with all who would hear…They walked with Jesus and their lives were changed…
As Jesus and his followers approached Jerusalem, it was a very busy city. Normally home to around 40,000 people, on that day it was teeming with pilgrims there to celebrate the Passover- probably as many as 200,000.
The feast of the Passover is the annual Jewish celebration, which commemorates the deliverance of the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. The dramatic escape from the plagues and defeat of Pharaoh is seen as a great and joyous victory for all who celebrate it. So the atmosphere must have been alive with excitement.
For the Roman officials, who were in power in the first century, all this Jewish celebrating of their historical uprising and overthrow of power was seen as a potential threat. It was tolerated but carefully monitored.
So, along with the people who were there to celebrate the Passover, there were also Roman authorities- there to be an intimidating presence and to keep order. Their parades of huge war horses, soldiers in full armor, and loud beating drums must have cast an ominous shadow across the otherwise joyful time.
It had become the tradition that the Roman governor himself would come and make his presence known during the festival. Scholars believe that Pilate was the one entering the gates on the other side of the city. It was a stark contrast as Jesus made his own humble entry on a mother donkey with her colt, through the East gate that day.
As Jesus rode, the street in front of him was soon covered with green branches and the cloaks of people. They were taking them off and throwing them down to make a path. It was the tradition at the time that a carpet would be rolled out for a parading king. This carpet was made from the heartfelt gifts of the people, who came to welcome this man for whom they had great hopes. Hopes of salvation, hopes of glory, hopes of God’s long-promised freedom.
As they went, the disciples and others who joined them in walking the path with Jesus loudly shouted the very same words we heard today from Psalm 118. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosannah in the highest heaven!”
From the very first, these words have been the traditional song of people making their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover. Hosannah sounds like Hallelujah, a celebratory word. But it actually means Please save us or even Save us now!. It was a timely and heartfelt word for the people then, just as it is now, for the world today.
Jesus’ entrance, surrounded by his possibly scruffy and definitely enthusiastic followers, as simple as it was, would soon be seen by the authorities as a sign of potential trouble. In his years of ministry, Jesus had brought new life and joy to the disciples and his followers, who had heard and experienced Jesus’s teachings and healings. But to those in power, he was now a definite threat. The Romans and the community leaders, who benefited from associating with them, heard the people shouting, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David”. They saw new energy and hope in the downtrodden people… and they were afraid and angry.
As the week went on, Jesus would both thrill and offend many by his words and actions- overthrowing the temple merchants, claiming God’s authority, telling parables about what happens to trees that do not bear fruit and careless tenants, the value of the widow’s gift of a mite, and so much more.
What Jesus said and did was life-changing news for many, and they could not help but share it. At the same time, it was becoming clearer and clearer to many in power, to the ones who liked the way things were, that Jesus was stirring up all kinds of trouble for them.
But it was the kind of trouble that had to happen- to bring God’s truth to the world. It is the kind of “good trouble”, as John Lewis said, that we are called to make in Jesus’ name.
Every time we remember what Jesus said and did, and make it a part of our life and actions… every time something new comes of what is no longer life-filled… that is God’s truth bringing the Good News of Salvation to the world.
I want to go back for a moment to a detail in Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem… It is the people lining the streets with their cloaks. Because people giving up their cloaks- and for us today, that really means not only cloaks but people giving of themselves, from their heart, for Jesus, for God’s people, is a very important way we live our faith. One author I read calls it “people laying down their lives for Jesus.”
Stories of people sharing God’s love and redemption are everywhere… I know, because I have seen you in action, that each of you must have some stories of your own.
Rev. Cindy Long
Whether your story is about a coat so badly needed to keep out winter cold and rain, reams of copy paper for teachers and the children who will learn to read, cans of food or a homecooked meal for people who are hungry, a kind word for someone who really needs to hear it, fervent prayers for people and situations of need, standing up to help fight against injustice, or any number of other ways we reach out to our fellow travelers in this life, each instance is a glimpse of the new life and the Good News of Salvation that Jesus came to share.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and spirit, Jesus said, and love your neighbors as yourselves.”…..
But in a world that wasn’t ready to hear him, the news Jesus brought sent him to the cross, to his terrible death, as we heard today…
And so, we have come to the end of our Lenten season. A time of turning our lives and priorities back around to God, of repenting and seeking God’s word and ways.
Now it is time to go on. Holy week is here-
from today’s festive, yet emotion-packed entry,
to Jesus’ final teachings of how we are to live,
to the last supper and washing of feet, which we will remember on Maundy Thursday,
to Good Friday, with the garden, the betrayal, the cross, where Jesus gave his life, that we might be saved,
to the tomb ….
and then finally to the tomb’s wondrous emptiness on Easter morning, with God’s promise of resurrection and new life.
Holy Week is truly the journey of a lifetime. Jesus is inviting each of us to walk through it with him.
“Walk with Jesus”-that sign on the road said-“Let him change your life.”
May it be so. Amen.
~A sermon by the Reverend Deacon Cindy Long.
Sermon shared with permission.
A newsletter by Katie Rea
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