Sermon for Palm Sunday March 28, 2010

First Presbyterian Church
Ripley Tennessee
March 28, 2010
Palm Sunday
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Luke 19:28-40
I never saw it that way!

I have a book at home that is a collection of artistic images. The particular type of art is really special. It is 3-D art. The pages appear to be just regular pages with some consistent design across the page.

The trick is to look into the design. You have to relax your eyes and gradually, an image will become fuzzy and then, something you never saw before will pop right off the page into a realistic 3-D image that appears to float above the page. But some people, try as they might never actually find anything in the design. No matter how instructed, each person has to find the secret to seeing the 3-d image.

It is really cool to watch someone who has been struggling mightily to suddenly see what everyone else in the room has been talking about.

There is another famous saying that I probably over use. Certain people are said to be unable to “See the forest for the trees”. What does that mean exactly? Well, it pretty well indicates that the big picture is lost on that person. Their world is the key focus and sometimes the scope of the person’s imagination is rather limited.

But like we have spoken of before, I enjoy pushing your imagination to the limits. I really like to challenge you to think big. After all, God is bigger than we can ever imagine. Let us not get into the practice of placing limits or restrictions on our expectations of God. We must also continually our concept of what God can do.

I am an office manager during the day. I only play a preacher on Sunday. But this week, I had an opportunity to be in the middle of a, shall we say, “difference of opinion”. As a manager, it is my job to find common ground, to find it quickly and to resolve conflicts for the betterment of the organization.

In fact, it was this situation and the reply I got that inspired me on the title of our sermon. After calmly explaining ALL perspectives, the person at the center of this situation looked at me and calmly said, “You know, I never saw it that way!”

It was as if a light went off. He had the same reaction I have seen exhibited by those who suddenly see the 3-D image just pop off the page…”Oh…there it is! I see it now! Wow! That is so cool!”

In our scripture passage this morning, Jesus is greeted like a celebrity. He is a celebrity! There is a lot of buzz about this guy. Everybody is talking about this guy and his entourage. During the Passover, when everyone is required to show up, the gossip, rumors and conversations would have reached a fever pitch.

Let’s look at the way Jesus arrived. It reminds me of some of those entrances made into coliseums by rock stars, celebrities or people famous just for being famous. It was staged. Jesus entry was completely staged.

Our call to worship this morning is from the prophet Zachariah. It was this exact prophesy that Jesus was using to make his grand entrance. Some say he did it just so he could claim by fulfilling that prophesy, that it was a lock. He was the messiah.

Others counter, “Anyone could have done these things.” In the book “The Case for Christ, author Lee Strobel interviewed Louis S. Lapides, M.Div.,TH.M. It was Lapides that a point out that Jesus of Nazareth was the ONLY person in history to have fulfilled all of the forty eight prophesies, many of which were completely beyond Jesus control.

But what I really want to look at is what happened next. Jesus is received like a hero! Jesus has the paparazzi after him. He is a target of great interest that is a fascinating figure. Everyone realizes how this person has begun to change the very way people thing about the world and the people around them.

People are so funny. All people across all of time, we are so funny. Anything bright and shiny, oh how we love it. Bells and whistles, we can not resist. I read in a National Geographic article once that scientists have proven that “Novelty produces dopamine”. Dopamine is a pleasure chemical in our brains. When we get a rush of this chemical, we get a small pleasant buzz.

Retailers know that novelty produces dopamine. All you have to do is pay special attention to the placement of merchandise in stores. In this sense, we are no different than an old bass hanging around in the Lilly pads. When something bright and shiny comes by, it is all over with.

So there was a high tide of sympathy, of novelty and of attention as Jesus made his prophetic entrance. Even the coats were part or the Old Testament prophesies from 2 Kings 9:13.
But let’s admit it here and now, when we see or hear about a ruckus, we want details!

People are so funny! Have you ever seen television shows or books featuring former stars? Many are called “Where are they now?” What has happened to someone who used to be a house hold name? As a society, throughout history, our collective attention spans have never been that great.

And, holding true to that theme, look what happened when Jesus first came under close scrutiny by the authorities? Even Peter, (Luke 22:57) who I can identify with very closely, denied that he had ever met Jesus, not once, but three times! When things started going badly, or when things get uncomfortable, we tend to cut and run. It becomes every person for themselves.

We have all heard the stories about how the officials were intimidated, spooked or even envious of the attention Jesus was getting from the surging crowd. But that is not where I want to focus.

Over the next few minutes, I want to draw a parallel between the crowds at that particular Passover celebration and you and me today. Oh how we love to gather to celebrate the Christ. No, wait…our numbers are down across the nation. Oh well we love to worship Him just as the crowd did…no wait, our worship has really become about the things we worship with.

Well, at least we still love to talk about Jesus and the stir and excitement is still… hum. But the crowd was excited, the crowd had something novel and new happening. This was a big deal in history!

Oh if only we could recapture that novelty!

This is Palm Sunday. This is the day we traditionally celebrate what is known as Jesus Triumphant entry into Jerusalem. But this is also the beginning of what we know as Holy Week. Holy week contains some elements that we sometimes would rather not speak of.

If we simply go from the triumphant entry to the resurrection, (people are so funny) we gloss over the entire sacrifice and suffering that made this event relevant to you and me two thousand years later. Holy week contains Maunday Thursday, when the church is stripped of all liturgical color and officially enters mourning.

Maunday Thursday is when the ghoulish reality of what Jesus suffered comes home. But we would always prefer to look away. The recent film Passion of the Christ was reviewed by most as being to horrific to be seen by minors. Even those of us who saw this Hollywood reenactment had a hard time watching.

But we are talking about the actual torture and killing of an innocent man for our sakes.

Another element of Holy Week is Good Friday; the burial of Jesus. Holy week is full of major events that we must not relinquish. We must remember them and have them present as we gather to worship this Sunday and on Easter Sunday.

When things got bad, where was the crowd that cheered him on when he rode into Jerusalem? I’ll tell you where we were. When the tide of popularity began to turn, we were the very ones spitting on him. We were the very ones who had cheered earlier and who were now jeering. We, the crowd had suddenly turned. It was now popular to be against Jesus.

Oh, SHINY…let’s go this way and do that popular thing. We turned on Jesus, just like that (snap). We lost sight of the forest.

I must stop you before you make yourselves too forlorn. Even as the film “The Passion” was released, different groups began the old routine of blaming the Jews for executing Jesus, or blaming that group or this group…

But please don’t forget the big picture. Look beyond the surface to see what will pop up and surprise you. Let’s remember to see the forest for the trees. Let’s remember the prophesy! Do you remember that we were told centuries before Jesus death that he must suffer and die? It had to happen for the forgiveness of our sins. Another prophesy fulfilled indicating the validity of the claim of Christ.

I encourage you, this holy week to remember the crowd. I encourage you to think, to believe and to develop faith…for yourselves. Sometimes that means going against the crowd. Know you are His beloved for whom he sacrificed everything, live like you are his and show His light and life to all around you.

Before we gather again on Ester Sunday, I want to leave you with the words of the Roman Centurion at the foot of the cross (Mark 15:39) as Jesus died. As if to say, I never saw it that way, oh now I see it, Wow!…after all something new and novel and different was happening…”Surely, this man was the Son of God!”

AMEN