After that dramatic reading of the Gospel leading us from the palm procession to the crucifixion there is only one thing you can be sure of about this morning's sermon--it will be short. Quite honestly there is a power in the words--sometimes it is best to just let the Bible speak for itself. A couple weeks ago we had a guest preacher who did just that--his sermon looked at the Old Testament lesson--unpacked the lesson verse by verse. There is no more significant portion of scripture to a Christian than the Gospel story we just heard read--words that clearly can stand on their own without need of comment or sermon.
Today is Palm Sunday-Passion Sunday-what more can one say--maybe we should just look at the lesson verse by verse--if only the Gospel for today wasn't 139 verses long. So many words--so much activity--mood changes-ups and downs. Even if we just look at the main theme points of the text we can identify at least 18 preaching points--a sermon outline that does justice to all these points looks like the plot summary for a Russian novel.
To summarize today's gospel is like providing a one sentence summary of a classic novel or play or even a two hour movie. Somehow saying Melville's Moby Dick is the story about an obsessed ship's captain and a white whale or that Shakespeare's King Lear is the story of an old king going mad just doesn't come close to revealing the truth about such works of art. Surely no one would say the movie Star Wars is about the character Luke finally meeting his sister and long lost father. Today's Gospel is hardly summarized by saying it begins with Jesus riding into town on a donkey and leaving with a cross.
Obviously that doesn't begin to tell the whole story. What is too easy to forget is that at the center of the events described is a human being. A human being who is moving from a moment of high triumph with cheering crowds to his death at the hands of a jeering crowd--all in the space of a few short days.
Volumes have been written about how this could happen. Dissertations have analyzed every nuance of the story. But what really matters is not any detailed description or even interpretation. What really matters is how we hear this story. What does it mean to us. Jesus losses his life--we still are living ours. But what if we see in his death something that touches us--reaches us. What could that be?
Yesterday afternoon I was working at home on my computer writing this sermon when suddenly the computer went dead along with the stereo and the lamp on my desk. I actually continued typing for several minutes trying to finish my thought before I realized that the wind must have knocked out the power. I reached for the cordless phone to call the power company and punched in several numbers before I realized that the phone wouldn't work without power either. I needed a telephone plugged directly into the phone lines not cordless. So I headed for the basement phone. As I reached the top of the stairs I instinctively flipped on the light switch to light my way. Of course there was no light--no power. No computer--no stereo--no telephone--no light.
Actually the power has been out before--it's no big deal. It has always come back on again--that is the kind of world I live in--the power will return--I live my life based on that fact--that belief. I believe--I believe computers will be restored to life--I believe the refrigerator and freezer will continue to preserve my food--I believe the lights will burn bright again each night as will my television screen. Simple faith in things is the stuff of which our lives are made. Faith in electricity--in our cars--in the laws of the land.
But what if all the things I believe in were lost--did not exist--could not sustain me. Few of us have known such a complete and total loss. Let us be clear about the story--Jesus was taken prisoner by the Roman authorities without rights or protection--he was accused--abused--and sentenced to death.
This was no minor power outage--no short term inconvenience. The journey of Holy Week--especially of the three days at the end of the week--is a journey to the brink of faithlessness the source of our very will to live. The journey of this Holy Week begins today. Faith walking now toward the darkness of Good Friday--and beyond. The beginning of Holy Week is a challenge to re-examine our faith--all that we believe about the world. It is a question of priorities and beliefs. Can one life be truly sacrificed for another? Can we find in one death the power to live? We have walked with palms--celebrated in song--as the story is told again and again we also walk a pathway to the cross. Thursday--Friday--Saturday--and glorious Easter morning. What can we say in a few words? Walk by faith--kneel at his table of grace--and here hear as you extend your hand the sermon for this morning delivered in seven short words: "The body of Christ--given for you."
Imagine, 139 verses captured in just seven words: "The body of Christ--given for you.
Amen