I had the privilege of leading worship and presenting the message at our Worship service on Palm Sunday. What follows is that message:
Gospel Message
Palm Sunday
March 29, 2015
Mark 11:1-11
Please pray with me, May
the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts together be pleasing to
you oh God. Amen
Today’s Gospel reading ends with the words, “Then He
entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple.”
Bike riding has become not
only a form or exercise for me, but also a great way to clear my head and put
my thoughts in order. We all know Dave
Nelson is the cycling master, I can only aspire to one day ride at his
level. However, as I was riding on Friday
I began to think about this week’s Gospel. When I ride I begin to think about what the Gospel means to me and how God wants me to share that meaning with you.
I began thinking about this
week ahead, Jesus had entered the Temple, and this week of Passion was now in
full swing. Jesus' purpose on Earth was
coming to it’s climax. It was truly a
week of Passion…a week of Brokenness, we all know the Passion Story.
We hear the beginning in today’s Gospel. Jesus makes his triumphant entrance into
Jerusalem. We hear shouts of Hosanna as
his followers anticipate the pronouncement of a new King. As this week progresses we will see and
experience the very high of Palm Sunday move to the very low of Good Friday
back to the very high of Easter Morning.
In preparation of Easter, we have heard through Lent of brokenness
restored. We heard of broken hearts, broken
vessels, broken trust, broken bread, broken promises, and broken justice. We heard of the brokenness restored in
covenants made to Noah, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist in a Holy Meal, and in
Christ’s Crucifixion.
This week we experience the ultimate brokenness. In this week of
Passion we see the breaking of Jesus. We
experience an angry Jesus as he clears the temple of merchants and tax
collectors.
We are told of a final meal where Jesus lays out what’s coming. It is here he reveals, much to their
surprise, he will be betrayed and denied by his disciples.
We find Jesus alone in the garden where he is abandoned by his
Disciples (Peter, James and John). We
hear His cries to God, feeling abandoned not only by his disciple, but by
God. Then finally we hear his concession
to God’s will.
The betrayal by Judas, which he foretold, is carried out. There is a confrontation, which Jesus quickly
ends as he is arrested and taken away.
He is taken to a reluctant a reluctant Pilate. Pilate expresses his lack of interest in
becoming involved, after all he feels it should be Herod’s responsibility to
deal with this Jewish problem.
Jesus is sent to a cowardly Herod, afraid to do anything which
might interfere with his Kingship, he returns him to Pilate.
We see a still reluctant Pilate, believing he has committed no
crime, the people convince him that Jesus is trouble for Caesar, and Pilate
must deal with the matter.
Jesus is put on trial and ultimately condemned to death. He is awarded a crown of thorns, paraded out
before the people and sentenced to the worst kind of death—Crucifixion on the
cross.
In
this week of Passion I would like to suggest you take some time to ponder the
pain of the crucifixion.
·
The humiliation of
such a cruel death
·
The prick of the
thorns in Jesus head
·
The penetration of
the nails in his feet and hands
·
The piercing of the
sword in his side
Only
then can you realize the great sacrifice, which Jesus endured for you and for
me and for all of mankind. Realize the
pain he endured was yours and mine, not his.
He took on our brokenness.
In
his final moments on the cross he cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? and He Jesus
dies.
Is
this the end of the story!
The
assigned Gospel for today was the Passion narrative, the 14th and 15th
chapters of Mark. Spend some time this
week reading and contemplating the words you read. Put yourself there, at the cross, witnessing
His death. Think of how this was all
done for YOU!
Come
back here Friday evening to hear the passion story, to experience the pain of Jesus,
to deepen your understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice for you and for me.
Leave
your Brokenness at the foot of the cross.
Whether you are broken in relationships, in work situations, in
spirit. Jesus has taken on all of it and
has once again made you whole.
Come
to service Friday so that you may prepare yourself for the amazing story of the
empty tomb.
The truly Good News is the Cross is not the end of the story! If
the story had ended with Jesus death, there would be no story. The real story exists in an empty tomb,
not a broken cross!
Jesus
left all of our brokenness on the cross, in the empty tomb he restored us to
God. We are not people of the cross. We are people of the empty tomb! We are Easter
People!
As
Easter People we live in the resurrection, as people restored to God, our
brokenness made whole. We live life as
those who have been restored to God.
As Easter people we take on some special responsibilities. We
are called to share the good news of the Empty Tomb,
to bring Christ to the world. We are to
share the promises of a resurrected Jesus.
We must commit ourselves toInvite others to share in our brokenness
restored.
Next Sunday we will come together again, as restored followers in
the new covenant, a new life as broken made whole, to rejoice in the Good News
of the resurrection.
The tomb was empty, Jesus has Risen, to restore our brokenness.
In the resurrection
we are Easter People!
Amen
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