What does Jesus look like to you on this day, this fateful day when he comes into Jerusalem with the disciples? Jesus arrives in the capital city, not on a powerful war-horse, not in a royal entourage, but bouncing in on the back of a donkey.
Some king, bouncing in on the back of a donkey. He looks, well, foolish.
So the question rears its head. “What were you expecting? What are our expectations? Not just of Jesus. What are our expectations of the church? What are they regarding our pastor?
There was a pulpit search committee that had spent months searching for a new pastor of a large, prestigious Presbyterian church. Dozens of candidates had been considered and eliminated. No one was to be found who was smart enough, good enough, good looking enough, competent enough, to be their new pastoral leader. Remember that when a church is looking for a pastor often what they want is someone who mirrors how they see themselves.
Eva Mader was reminiscing a few weeks back. Remembering that on the Call Committee that interviewed me a major voice made a point of saying, “We are a VERY highly educated congregation.” Ok…back to the story…
One night, when the committee had gathered for its usual meeting, one of the members said, "We have been sent an interesting letter of inquiry and resume, and I would like you to consider this person." Then he began to read from the letter. The letter said:
"I would like to be considered as your new pastor. I've only been in the ministry for a few years, and I must admit that my years of ministry have been rather stormy. I didn’t grow up in the church but came into the church as an adult through a dramatic religious experience; alongside the highway I heard voices and bright lights. Totally changed my life and I gave myself to Jesus. Then I quit what I was doing and began to roam about preaching the Gospel. Some people liked my sermons, but a lot didn't. I have been arrested at least four times and had served time in three different jails.
On one occasion, after one of my sermons, the congregation was so upset that they dragged me out of the pulpit, beat me, and drug me out to the city limits and pushed off, “Never come back again!” In the churches that I have served, I think that I have been a loving pastor, but also a strict one. I've had to chase more than one member out of the church for immoral actions. I certainly don't mind calling an ace and ace and a spade a spade when it comes to disciplining church members. I write this letter to you while I am in jail. I hope to be released from jail sometime soon, but I have found that when it comes to jail time, one never knows. However, I hope that you will consider me as your new pastor. As soon as I get out of prison, I would certainly like to have gainful employment."
Well, the committee was incensed. "How dare someone write a church of our caliber, with a presumption that we would be desperate enough to hire somebody like that?" one of the members wanted to know.
"Is this some kind of joke?" another asked.
"A jailbird, as our new pastor! I would love to see the congregation get hold of that!"
Who is this guy that wrote this?" one demanded.
The person holding the letter said simply, "It's signed, St. Paul."
What are you expecting from Jesus? What do you expect him to be?
With all of this talk about foolishness, fools, and cross bearing, there ought to be a warning. When you look at our church, this building, its beauty, and stability, you’re likely to be to be confused. When we gather on Sunday morning, everything looks so stable, so pure and solid,
Despite the cross, despite Paul's clear, no holds barred talk about the way of the cross as a way of foolishness, there does seem to be built right into the church this relentless tendency for the church to degenerate from the body of Christ into the Rotary.
There is that tendency to take the Gospel foolishness and repackage it as just another brand of worldly wisdom, common sense, something on which all thinking Americans ought to be able to agree. We have our little rituals…they make us feel good and give us a sense of security. Church is a great place to connect…to make connections. All the brightest and best come, they hear a word and get inspired…meet people, the best of Bellevue, all the up and comers, the movers and shakers, and I want to be part of that.
Rotary.
Paul's words remind us that we are called, as Christians, for more than slacks and polo shirt, sweater and pearls respectability.
I don't know how you feel about Palm Sunday, but I am here to tell you that for me it is always the most confusing day in the church calendar. It has the festive feel of a prelude to Easter high with its fragrance of spring flowers and stirring sound of trumpets;
yet it has the dark and down, old, cold shadow of Good Friday looming on the horizon, with its smell of death and its sound of silence.
In fact, the only way to get from Palm Sunday to Easter is straight through the darkness in between - shortcutting the pain of this week that stretches before us will only short-circuit the power on the other side.
Trying to get from the high of Palm Sunday to the high of Easter without descending into the valley of death will not work. And yet we do it. Every year…we’ll have a 100-110 people on Palm Sunday 250 to 300 people on Easter. And 50 on Good Friday.
"What do you make of Palm Sunday? Is this day good news or bad news? On the one hand, on the first Palm Sunday all kinds of people clearly recognized something about who Jesus was and either acclaimed him or were threatened depending on who they were and whether they perceived him as good news or bad news. On the other hand, the very same folk in the very same week came together and colluded to kill Jesus. You almost have to fasten your seatbelt, so abrupt is the transition from celebration to crucifixion, from waving palms at Jesus to nailing him on a cross."
Step by step as you walk with him through this story…First he sets off the religious leaders. People love that!
Then he goes in and causes a riot in the temple. Merchants, money changers are added to the list.
Then he teaches, but in teaching about the coin and Caesar the Zealots are set off.
Then the rich when he holds up the widow as an example of REAL generosity.
By the time he’s done he’s managed to cheese off most of the population. How? By exposing them, ripping away the veil of false respectability, ripping away our little illusions that make us feel so good but Jesus says, “They’re messing you up, and messing up everyone around you.” You have to wonder…if he really did show up here…show up in Bellevue...how long before WE crucified him.
This day Jesus goes to do something world shaking, and life-changing in our behalf. For us he is going to do something foolish. Bouncing on the back of a donkey, hanging in agony on a cross, he looks like a loser according to the way the world judges things… rather than the savior of the world. What are you looking for? And are you willing to set it aside for a bit…recognize for one brief shining moment that its not about you…not about what you want…not about making you feel good. But it’s about healing this whole big mess we’ve made.
