Palm Sunday John 12:12-18 April 5 2009

Part I: Prepare the Way of the Lord –Open To God
John 12:12-18

(This message was in two parts for Palm/Passion Sunday)

John’s gospel begins by introducing us to a character called John the Baptist. John the Baptist’s message was a simple one: he called people to repentance and he described his own ministry in John 1:23, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" Prepare the way of the Lord.
John was actually quoting the prophet Isaiah
Isaiah 40:3-5 3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Now in John chapter 12, we see the people doing just that. Listen:
John 12:12-18 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, 15 "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him.
They are putting down their cloaks and waving palm branches as Jesus passes by. The way is prepared and the King is coming to the capital city, and he is being welcomed by the people.
For over a year now I’ve been watching the new lane of Highway 60 being built. You know what, it takes a lot of work to prepare the way. I noticed the surveying crews putting their flags and stakes out. Then farmers moved their fences back, and soon trees were being cut out of the new right-of-way. Brush piles burned for weeks. And then months of digging, blasting, hauling, dumping as the high places had to be brought low, and the valleys had to be lifted up, and the crooked places had to be made straight…or in Missoui, “straight-er.”
Isaiah had never imagined a track-hoe, or a bulldozer. For that matter, he never imagined guys and gals in orange vests leaning on shovels…but he instinctively knew what it would take a lot of groundwork to prepare a highway for the King.
John’s gospel describe a different kind of preparation for the King…rich in symbolism…but pretty low budget in terms of the re-arrangement of hills, valleys and rock and dirt. The people were putting there cloaks down on the road, so that the donkey Jesus was riding could step on their cloak instead of the roadway. This is a gesture not unlike the old fashioned custom of a man putting his coat down so his lady can step on the coat, rather than in a mud puddle. It’s a pretty grand gesture of respect. Personally I prefer the purchase of boots for my lady…but that’s just me.
The crowds were welcoming Jesus with respect, if the mayor had been handy, he’d have been given a key to the city. The people were also waving palm branches. If they’d had the big foam #1 fingers I’m sure they would have waved those too, but palm branches were available, and they were waved in a gesture of exuberant welcome.
It started me thinking, what would it take to make a way for the Lord to be fully welcomed and at work in our life today? If you were to make a “highway for the king” to enter your life…what “low places” would have to be lifted up? I mean by that, where in your life would you need to raise your level to fully welcome the King?
In examining our hearts to welcome the Lord, we need to grasp the whole picture, it’s not just our low mindedness that can be a problem, our heights can be a problem too. Attitudes that are, “high and mighty” come to mind. One thing about preparing a way for the Lord, is it is a ground leveling experience…so if we are looking down on other people…we’re not ready. The high places need to be brought down.
And if you’ve ever worked on your attitudes, and other heart issues, you know that our attitudes, our motives, our thought life is a mess of twists and turns. We have good motives mixed with selfish ones. We deceive, others and ourselves. Where has life gone crooked? Our ways are supposed to be straight, but upon honest examination they rarely are. Can you look at your life right now and say, “My heart is ready for the King to come in?” If you are that’s fantastic!
But if on the other hand you look at your own heart and you see a twist of thoughts, motives, and attitudes. If (in your heart) you see too high, and too low places… it’s hard to say you’re truly ready to welcome the King.
It’s very important for us to take thought and prayer time to prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus. Isaiah said the value of this preparation is that the “glory of the Lord will be revealed.”
The “glory of God” enter our lives…Jesus can shine in our lives if we will prepare the way for the king to come in. This palm/passion Sunday reminds us that preparing the way, opens our lives to the glory of God. No wonder John the Baptist called people to repentance…calls us to come up from low ways, and to come down from high-minded ways…to start again in the waters of baptism to live the new life God has for us.
The closest distance between two place (they taught us in geometry) is a straight line, (never mind science fiction for a moment). The quickest way to your best life now, is in your hearts preparing a way for Lord.
Though you’d want to put it in your own words. It might sound something like this: Jesus, I’m sorry for my sins, those low places that have made your way into my life difficult or impossible. And I’m sorry for the high minded attitudes and pride that makes me feel self sufficient, when the truth is I am really dependent upon you for anything good. And Lord I invite you to cut through the tangle of crooked thoughts and confusion that keeps me from fully welcoming you. I open myself to you Lord, come in today come in to stay, come straight on into my heart, Lord Jesus.
(End Part I)


Palm Passion Sunday
Part II: “It is Finished” A way to God is Open to us.
John 19:23-30 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. 28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Some years ago, a 14-foot bronze cross was stolen from Calvary Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas. It had stood at the entrance to that cemetery for more than 50 years. The cross was put there by a Catholic Bishop and it had been valued (at the time) at $10,000. The thieves apparently cut it off at its base and hauled it off in a pick-up. Police speculate that they cut it into small pieces and sold it for scrap.
As Scrap the 900-pound cross probably brought about $450. The new owners obviously didn't realize the value of the cross.
That is the problem for many, of course—do we understanding the value of the cross. As the gospel writer relates the story of Jesus' crucifixion, a theme that runs through all the details of the story is rejection. We reject what we do not value. Jesus is not valued, he’s rejected throughout the passion narratives. There is the betrayal Judas, one of his disciples…the crowd at the trial chose Barabas a criminal instead of Jesus to be pardoned… Jesus is whipped and spit upon… He is mocked by Roman leaders and denied by Simon Peter. The soldiers who crucified him tossed dice to see who would get his clothing… the cloth of his clothes were valued…but Jesus himself was no longer a consideration...he had been utterly rejected. When he was thirsty, they offered him vinegar…a cruel joke. He was an object of ridicule. Not only did they not understand the worth of Jesus, they did not understand the value of his death.
If Palm Sunday reminds of the importance of opening the way and welcoming Jesus to enter our lives. Sadly, it also reminds us what happens when people express only a shallow welcome. If we are not prepared to welcome the Lord, we can get caught up in a happy moment that doesn’t really mean very much. We don’t want to welcome Jesus like a crowd at a basketball game that wildly cheers the introductions of the players, and is soon booing. Sadly, many of the branch-waving, cloak-tossing crowd who welcomed Jesus to the city, were soon booing…on Sunday they cheered, by the following Friday they were shouting, “Crucify.”
We want to open the way of Jesus in our life, and our being open to him should not depend on the circumstances of the moment.
Jesus (as we were mentioned last week) knew that it was “for this moment” that he had come to earth. The cross upon which he would die, would also be the means for offering the world the gift of eternal life.
From the cross Jesus cried, “It is finished.” John’s gospel introduces Jesus saying, “in the beginning.” Jesus final words from the cross, tell us that the mission has been completed. Love’s redeeming work is done. God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
To rightly welcome Palm Sunday we open ourselves to Christ, on that first Good Friday Jesus opened the way to God for us. And He is that way, the truth, the life. The cross of Jesus is what allows us to be forgiven. In forgiveness we are set free, because the Lord has laid on him the sins of us all.
We look forward to the day when Highway 60 is complete. When all the flags are gone, the rocks are moved, the pavement poured, the approaches finished, the crews gone...because then we will be free to travel at full speed.
If you are open to God, the way to God is open to you because of the cross of Jesus. The days of construction are over...there will not be another way...it is finished...the way to God is complete...it is open to you.
Communion is for many a meeting place with God. A time when in the sharing of the bread and the cup we recall that Jesus has completed the work of our salvation by giving his life for us. And in thanks and in faith we receive that gift…we open ourselves to receive God…and we recognize that a way to God has been opened for us in Christ.
I invite you to use today’s celebration of communion as a time to further open the doors of your heart to receive God’s grace. Invite Jesus to work in your life as he sees fit. And use this time to thank the Lord for opening the way for us to be in loving fellowship with the father. It is finished.