Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Palm Sunday


There are two kinds of cheering at the Superbowl.  The first is the cheering of victory expected.  Each team comes running onto the field amid the cheers, paper cannons, fireworks, and musical introductions of their adoring fans.  They break through the paper barrier that introduces them with the power that their fans assume they will use on the opposing team.  And the television is careful to show us each team receiving such anticipatory accolades in turn.

When the final seconds finally wind down, there is the other kind of cheering, the cheering of victory accomplished.  While the losing team fades into the throes of defeat, the cheers of the victors will rise to a pitch even beyond that of the expected victory.

Jesus’ Triumphal Entry, celebrated on this Palm Sunday, conflates these cheers.  He is riding up to Jerusalem on a donkey, anticipated as the New King.  People are singing out, paving the way with their cloaks, with palms, while waving the palms in exultation.  They are expecting victory from their Messiah, from the one who has gone head to head with the Jewish authorities for the last three years, from this one who is the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Son of David.

But it is more then that.  Jesus has the full faith and backing of God!  Better guarantee than the US government…  God has done this before, rewind history to the Exodus, when God crushed the Egyptian Pharaoh and his army to free the Israelites from bondage and slavery.  Over the last three years, Jesus has been building and demonstrating his “brand” as the Holy One of God, the Good Shepherd, the Messiah. 

So these cheers are not just in expectation of victory, they are cheers of victory accomplished, because who can stand against God’s power?  And God is in Jesus!!

Yet Jesus has not come to lead a cosmic battle of victory between the forces of Good and Evil.  Rather, Jesus has come to walk a road into the heart of darkness, into the bowels of hell itself, into every evil, pain, and revulsion possible before he rises up once more, on the light of the divine, to new life, overcoming all of this for our sake.

And the people will be disappointed.  All these cheers, all these accolades, all these preparations to be part of what they assumed to be God’s plan, they will disappear as Jesus seems to be just another disappointment, ignominiously arrested and put to death like a common criminal.  Their cries of “Hosanna” will be drowned out by cries of “Crucify Him” before the week is out.

And Jesus will die alone, cut off even from our God who art in heaven.  But then He shall be restored to life, to limb, and to glory.  Thus, when each of us, or the least of us, or the lost of us are cut off and fearful-or maybe welcoming the possibility-that we shall die alone, there Jesus will be, the Light of heaven, to show us the way back. 

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Catechism from March 31, 2019


WHO ARE WE AND WHAT DO WE DO AT CHURCH?

Why does worship start with a Prelude?
The prelude is music to aid in the transition from the world outside to the community at worship.  As people come into church, the music is designed to be relatively soft, deliberately calming.  Dead silence causes tension, as people try not to break the silence with the sounds of taking off coats, preparing the program, getting settled, greeting friends.  The music provides cover for the sounds of transition and sets the tone for what is to come.

Why is there the ringing of the Church Bell?
It is an announcement to the world that we are gathered to worship the Lord. It serves as a signal to the community around us that worship is about to begin, and is a final invitation to come and join us.  For the people inside, it marks the opening of the service. 

What is the Call to Worship?
The call is the official transition into ‘sacred’ or ‘worship’ time.  It begins with a call and response, reminding the community of the power of God in our lives in thanksgiving, in joy, in outreach, in adulation.  This call is drawn from the Scripture to be shared during the service to help set the tone and tie the service together.  The call ends with the united declaration of our intent, “Let us worship the Living God.”