April 13, 2003

Palm Sunday

Mark 11:1-11, Mark 14:12-15:47

 “Holy Week, Wholly Meek”

     If you’ve always jumped right from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday with little thought as to what comes in-between, then as Paul Harvey says, you’ve just heard, “The rest of the story.”

     We need the rest of the story, because without it there would be no Christ, no Palm Sunday, no Easter, no Christmas.  None of the rest would matter without Holy Week. 

     The praises of the first Palm Sunday were quickly followed by the tragedies of a Last Supper filled with intrigue, a tearful garden prayer, an arrest and a trial, torture and a cross, death and a tomb.  These aren’t the happy parts of the story of Jesus.  They are the essential parts.

     Holy Week: when the King of Kings became wholly meek and the most incredible paradox of all time played out where defeat was victory, sacrifice was gain and death was life.

     Holy Week tells us how far the Lord will go for our forgiveness -  through suffering and death, giving his life.  Here we see the ultimate sacrifice, the price he paid for us.  Here, we see how much the Lord loves us…this much…as much as arms outstretched…on a cross.

     This is why a large cross hangs on the wall of our chancel, the focal point of our sanctuary.  It is not an object of worship, but the symbol above all others that explains who Christ is.  More than a great teacher, more than a healer, a miracle worker, an advocate for peace and justice, Jesus is the who gave himself completely for us.  As he put it, “No greater love has anyone than this, but to lay down their life for their friends.”  The cross, once feared by all who saw it as a Roman execution device, has now become the great symbol of our salvation, the constant reminder that come what may…hurt, disappointment, personal struggle, even war…there is always hope, always peace, always life in him who loves us this much.

     It all comes down to this - this Holy Week.  So, I encourage you to make the most of this time.  Experience it.  Let it sink in.  Allow yourself to hear the story and absorb the truth.  Be open to what God has to say to you through these things.  Enter Holy Week open, receptive, ready, humble, wholly meek.

     If you are able, come to the retreat this afternoon as we pray about and talk about current events from the perspective of Palm Sunday and Holy Week.  Come to the Maundy Thursday service and experience the sights, sounds and flavors of the Last Supper.  Come to the Good Friday service and sit in increasing darkness as the seven “last words” of Christ are carried on the rhythms of scripture, music and silence.  Then join us in the Ancientist Cemetery on Easter morning to welcome the dawn of resurrection. 

     Do I sound like an advertisement?  Actually, this is my invitation to you to discover the fullness of this powerful story of tragedy and victory, the truth of God revealed as at no other time.  This is the rest of the story, the climax of the greatest story ever told, waiting to unfold in your life.

     So wave your palms today in the joyous parade of the King…but then walk on to Jerusalem with him, to the supper, the garden, the court, the cross.