Well, it’s just a few more days until the big day – the day we’ve all been waiting on, right? That special day that comes when everybody is looking to see what others are wearing and the celebration of new life being pumped into a tired family. You know what day I am talking about, right? (Somebody should say Easter).
No! I am referring to William and Kate’s wedding, of course!
Now, let me say, while I am being a bit sarcastic about the royal wedding, I am planning to tune in to the event, because it is intriguing. I mean, it astounds me to think how much time, money, and energy is being put into that one day. So much hype!
Of course, we will be witnessing similar exciting buildup in my hometown of Charlotte in the coming months. The 2012 Democrat National Convention will be hosted there. Even some of the staunchest die-hard Republicans that I know are becoming a bit enthused about it, albeit they are comparing it to a horrific wreck from which you can’t turn your gaze.
If you like it or not, there is something enticing about parades or events that spotlight notable persons. We are drawn into all the excitement and hullabaloo.
Now, I want to thank (whoever said Easter earlier) because really, that’s what we are all about in this place. And this day, Palm Sunday, is the day that is recorded in the Bible as a day of great excitement as the well-known, Jesus of Nazareth, came into the city of Jerusalem.
John 12:12-19
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.
The passage tells that the people greeted Jesus by waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” Those were some optimistic shouts to the one they believed would save them.
The word Hosanna is best translated as Help, or Save Me. The palm branches represented true respect for one they saw a victorious king or conqueror. They laid the branches down along the road into the city much for the same reason we “roll out the red carpet” for those we idolize in modern society. It was showing that someone special, someone important was on their way in.
I find a bit of irony in that scene though. Visualize for a moment, Jesus riding on that colt, which signified him being a Prince of Peace, over that roadway covered with those green branches.
(Video clip from The Green Mile shown)
For Jesus, this triumphal entry into Jerusalem was the last journey to the Cross. It was his “green mile”. The Green Mile is the name given to death row. The name comes from the Cold Mountain Correctional Institution where the floor is tiled green. And those on death row knew that though the execution chamber was only a short walk down the hall, it would seem to be agonizingly long on that cold, green, tile floor.
Jesus too, knew that his journey along this green path would lead to his execution, by the hands of those whom now called out for him to save them. He knew he was a Dead Man Walking.
In a way, I believe we are still much the same as those who lined the streets some two millennia ago. We like the spectacle of Jesus coming and we too shout out “Save Me!” without giving much of a conscious effort as to what that means.
Let’s take a look at the symbol of our faith – the cross. For a good segment of society, it has become a fashion statement, nothing more than sanctified bling. Yet for many us, we do look at it as a symbol of our faith, but maybe a sanitized version of it.
Let me explain. The majority of Christianity in the world is comprised of Catholics, Roman and Orthodox. While they have varied symbols or icons of the faith, the central one for them is a form of the Cross, known as the Crucifix.
The Crucifix is a Cross with the image of Jesus hanging on it. The word comes from the Latin cruci fixus, meaning “(One) fixed to a cross.” It shows there central belief is in the passion and death of Jesus.
Most protestant churches don’t display Crucifixes though. The emphasis we place is on the resurrection, the conquering of sin and death. Thus, we tend to sanitize our faith.
We can be seen as guilty of this as we eagerly jump from Palm Sunday to Easter. For most of us, we go from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem directly to his victorious resurrection of the dead. Thus, we omit the period in between.
This also tends to desensitize us to the reason for the passion and death. From our rote memory, we profess that Jesus died for the sin of humanity. We know why, how, and when, but we contend with it as it being a historical fact, one from which we are far removed.
For most of us, the next time we give Jesus more than a passing thought will be next Sunday, Easter Sunday. That’s why today, I want us to be intentional about what this week, Passion week, means.
There is an old spiritual song that is found in our church’s hymnal that tends to draw us into the Passion story. It says this,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there, when they crucified my Lord?”
Brothers and sisters, I contend that we were there. Although we are physically separated by time and space, we were as much a part of the crucifixion of Jesus as those who hammered the nails in his hands and feet. It was my sin, your sin that fixed Jesus on that Cross.
This morning, I want us to vividly remember the passionate cost Jesus paid for us. Earlier, you were given a tag with “Hosanna! Save _____!” I would like for you to take a moment to think about that sin, that something in your life that separates you from God. Then write your name on the tag and come up and nail your tag to the cross. As you come up, I also invite you to bring your palm branch and lay it at the foot of the Cross, recognizing Jesus' conquering even death.
You and I fixed Jesus to the Cross. Let’s own up to it, remember it, so we can allow God’s mercy to change us as we leave our sin on the Cross.
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