3.24.24, "A Great Day!" Palm Sunday at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Psalm 118.19-29; Mark 11.1-11

Oh, what a beautiful mornin'

Oh, what a beautiful day

I got a beautiful feelin'

Everything's goin' my way!

Over the years of ministry, it has been my special joy to celebrate the baptism of a child … 

The family gathers … Christ is present … the saints watch from afar … the angels sing … all God’s creatures rejoice.

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world:

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--

His hand the wonders wrought.

Hosanna, cries the crowd on that fateful day when Jesus comes to town … down from the Mt. of Olives, on a colt, a young animal …  

The prophet Zechariah wrote:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! 

Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! 

Lo, your king comes to you; 

triumphant and victorious is he, 

humble and riding on a donkey, 

on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim 

and the war-horse from Jerusalem; 

and the battle bow shall be cut off, 

and he shall command peace to the nations; 

his dominion shall be from sea to sea, 

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

The church commemorates the day with palms … the ancient sign of victory … a new day coming … a day of peace and prosperity … when violence shall cease, and war be no more.

A great day … joyful songs and the cries of children … 

The day our LORD enters the city of Jerusalem … 

the heart of the matter, 

where cross the crowded ways of life … 

religion at its most intense … 

the Roman Empire with its legions … 

commerce and trade, poverty and disease … 

Jesus enters on a young donkey … 

a gentle beast of burden, 

to carry the burdens we all bear … 

burdens of love and broken dreams … 

burdens of hope and shattered lives … 

burdens common to all, 

and burdens unique - for our time and place.

Into that fabled city on a hill, Jesus rides amidst the hopes and fears of the age … Jesus comes, not as a warrior, with sword and spear, but as the Prince of Peace, with healing in his wings.

It’s common for some branches of Christianity these days to confuse the cross and the sword … I’ve seen images of Jesus cradling an AR-15, bulging muscles, hardened fists … a Rambo-like character eager for blood. 

Have you seen some of these images? 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Christ is no Rambo.

The cross is not a weapon.

God is not at war with humanity.

God is not at war with you or me.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a gentle beast of burden.

Jesus goes to the Cross to rescue and redeem the lost.

Jesus becomes the gentle beast of burden, to carry away the sins of the world.

To reconcile us to God!

Earlier this morning, we celebrated the baptism of Noah John Stepanian … a great day for all of us … 

Baptism is a bridge … a bridge

between our present and Noah’s tomorrow … 

a bridge between past and future … 

right here, right now … 

from all that has been, to all that can be … from the ancient families of Sarah and Abraham, to all the families to come.

A bridge in time … and a bridge from the very heart of Christ to each of us … 

Christ stands in the water, and welcomes all of us … 

little Noah John … 

Mom and Dad, Grandparents, Godparents … young and old … 

infants, children, youth, adults … 

all are welcomed to the waters of baptism, in a place where the Tower still stands.

The language of baptism is filled with promises … 

A promise made by God … you are mine.

A promise made by the parents - yes, we are yours, and we will give to Noah John all that we can … the material blessings of this life, and the spiritual blessings of Christ.

A promise made by the church … we will abide with these parents, and we will provide love and care … 

A promise made by all of us … we will stand with Christ in Jordan’s water … we will honor the truth, the life, and the goodness of God, in this place, where the Tower still stands.

A real tower, of stone and steel, but wherever there is love, there’s a tower to be found, where you can worship God …

Whoever you are, a spiritual tower - reaching high into the heavens, rooted in the earth … call it the Cross of Christ, or Jacob’s ladder … call it faith, hope, and love … call it grace, mercy, and peace … call it the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

By baptism, we give this child a past:

A Christian past, the Christian story … the stories of Adam and Eve, Sarah and Abraham … Moses and Miriam and the Prophets of Old … Mary and Joseph … the life and work of Jesus … the stories of the early church … Peter, James, and John … the Apostle Paul … Lydia, Dorcas, and Priscilla … from sea to shining sea, and all across the world … stories of love and hope.

And with Baptism, God gives to us a future … Noah John will carry on the good work of Christ … 

From time-to-time, Noah John will look back at us … he’ll see us all standing here, praying for him, wishing him the very best … 

He’ll hear our words and remember our care … 

he’ll remember the Christmas Story, and the Easter Story … and all the stories of faith; 

he’ll remember good food, and good times … and he’ll remember moments of sadness and difficulty … 

he’ll know, and remember, one vital piece of the story:  he is loved … 

loved by a gracious God, 

loved by his family … 

loved by Mom and Dad, 

loved by faithful pastors and church organists, and all the music … 

and he will turn to all us, and whisper to each one of us: Thank You!

Then he’ll turn to face his future … to take up his own work and life, to set the course for generations still to come … the great onward march of time … 

To wave the palms of victory … shout Hosanna … do the work of love … help others to the waters of Baptism.

Dear Noah John … we’re glad you’re here.

We give to you our blessing and our love.

Our prayers go with you.

The palms signal God’s victory over death and sorrow.

The water of your baptism seals you to the heart of God.

And the heart of God holds you forever.

Hallelujah and Amen!

4.2.23 Palm Sunday, "The Triumph of All Good!" Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Psalm 118.19-29; Matthew 21.1-11 

Much of the news this week has been sad … very sad … and infuriating … 

I watch this great nation of ours stumble and fall, again and again, on the issues of gun violence and needless death … 

I hear politicians excuse and defend our current failures … claiming their right to own, carry, and use guns.

A right, they say, not to be challenged or changed … a right greater than all other rights!

What about the rights of the teachers who’ve been wounded and killed … the rights of the children … the rights of families forever scarred with sorrow and loss … the communities where they live, the nation we all love … needless death and suffering.

There is in all of this, something terribly wrong, terribly frightening, incredibly sad.

It doesn’t have to be … 

Yet for reasons known only to hell, we’re incapable of confronting the issues, stymied on writing legislation, to improve safety.

Of course, perfect solutions don’t exist, we know that … but we can do a lot more than what we’re presently doing.

I want our schools to be safe, our children secure … so they can enjoy a good education, with good teachers, and libraries …yes, libraries, free of mindless censorship and narrow-minded oversight, a pinch-faced morality, that does more harm than good.

Every day, I see racism at work … anti-Semitism on the rise, attacks on Asians, violence against gays and lesbians, against “woke” people (of which I am one) … I support the teaching of CRT, the truth about our history, because truth is always hopeful, even when it’s hard.

I hear terrible things said about trans-children and their families … terrible things said to teachers and librarians, at school board meetings and city hall … attacks against women and their freedom, women and their right to choose the level of healthcare they deem important …  

I watch our Democracy - challenged and questioned, at every turn, by too many people who would set aside what this nation fought for in the Civil War.

What we fought for in both World Wars … 

For Democracy to win the day, freedom prevail, human rights endure … because liberty and justice for all is possible … 

We must not set aside our ideals, our dreams, our hopes … we must preserve our Constitution and its Bill of Rights!

God has give us this nation … a nation from sea to shining sea … we’re a long way from perfection, but we’re on the right road, and the right road IS our Democracy … 

Wherein all religions have a place at the table.

Where faith is respected, in all its forms and practices.

Where people are honored, in their diversity and uniqueness.

Where children are precious … and the common good celebrated.

We’re in this life for one another … do unto others what we desire for ourselves … love one another … with all due respect … care for the widow, the orphan, the stranger in our midst … feed the hungry … cloth the naked … these deep biblical principles are the pillars of Democracy … 

To seek the best, and pay the price … goodness is never cheap … justice is expensive … peace is costly … but whatever the price we pay for a better world - is a price far less - than what we’re paying right now, in the sorrow and tears of our children

Truly, this IS our Lenten Journey … 

The realities of the day, a role to play, an important work to be done … to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world.

Yes, it’s Palm Sunday … the day our Lord rode into Jerusalem, on a donkey, a beast of burden, a humble creature, slow and steady … this is not the stuff of power and worldly glory, but peace and grace … Jesus, not a conquering hero, waving a sword and marshaling armies, but a servant of God … prepared to give himself away, until there’s nothing more to give … Jesus takes the cross … he’s crucified, dead, and buried.

He descends into hell … he falls into the faraway land of death … the deepest, darkest, realms of human failure and sorrow … to give hope to everyone … heal the sin-sick and ravaged souls of humanity … break down the walls of sin and violence … set the captives free … gives sight to the blind … points the way, not with a spear, not with a sword, not with AR-15 … but with mercy and words of truth … this is my body, this is my blood … given for you.

Palm Sunday, a festive day … yet we pause to think … beneath the joy, a strange tide running … a few days later, the crowd cries for his death.

Why did they turn? What did they expect?

They were were looking for a hero … a mighty king … like King David, who ruled Israel for 40 years … 

We have to clear about something: David reigned in ancient Israel a thousand years before Jesus came to Jerusalem … a thousand years, twice the age of this nation, and then some - a thousand years … what do any of us remember from a thousand years ago?

When was the last time we had a lively conversation about:

~ The Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066.

~ Pope Urban II calling for the Crusades, 1095.

~ Or the Magna Carta signed in 1215.

The people of Jerusalem had a long memory, an incredibly long memory … centered in King David … they longed for the past, they yearned for the past, they prayed for the past, they measured everything by the past … a past that never existed, quite as they imagined … 

Nothing more dangerous than long memories … political memories, religious memories … memories that long ago lost touch with reality, and turned their backs on the future. 

Jesus said, If you put your hand to the plow. don’t look back …

When the angel rescued Lot and his family from the doomed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the angel said, Don’t look back … but Lot’s wife turned her head, and in that moment, she became a pillar of salt … paralyzed, immobilized, stuck in time, unable to move forward.

The crowed welcomed Jesus, with expectations - to bring back the good times, to make things like they once were … 

Who doesn’t have some of that same instinct?

To be young again, Christmas like we remember from 25 years ago, that first car we bought, the happy times on vacation … our college days, or whatever it be … that happy place in our memories.

Yes, plenty of good, but never so good as to deserve a restoration in time, a reincarnation, a reenactment, a return.

The crowd longed for the past … when Jesus failed to bring the past into fruition, the crowd turned on him … when he pointed to the future, they lost what little faith they had in him.

 By the end of the week, they demand his death … Rome was more than happy to oblige; Pilate said, “Have it your way!” … the religious leaders were pleased … “Who needs a troublemaker?”  

Palm Sunday … a festive day, a mindful day … a reminder … love is the way of life, it’s the only way to keep life holy and good, to keep life balanced and purposeful, safe and secure … optimistic and realistic … love builds, love creates, love forgives, love is patient, love makes all things new … love rolls up its sleeves and goes to work … love never ends.

Palm Sunday … we welcome Christ into our lives, we sing the songs of love, we wave our palm branches in salute to his glory, we lay down our cloaks, and bow before the LORD Almighty … the LORD of day and night, the LORD of all hope, the LORD of all our futures … the triumph of all good.

Hallelujah and Amen!

April 10, 2022, "Hope" Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena

 Psalm 118.19-29; Luke 19.28-40

Last week Sunday, it was all about Go!”

On your mark, get set, go!

To the future we go … to the work that needs to be done … to be faithful to the LORD, faithful to one another … no matter what the day might bring, or however the night should come … faithful to the LORD, and faithful to one another.

Today, Palm Sunday, we go … we go to the Mount of Olives in ancient Jerusalem, a place of promise and hope … a promise of deliverance, and a promise of God’s mighty presence.

What could go wrong?

But something did go wrong.

That jubilant crowd, shouting their praise and singing their joy, took a turn to the wrong side of the street, in just a few days … shouts of joy turned to cries for crucifixion … 

What went wrong?

As best as we can determine, the people of Jerusalem had long harbored a hope, a good hope, for sure, that God would set them free from the brutal, bloody, Roman Empire … an empire of steel and slavery …where all roads led to Rome, and on those roads, all the money, all the power, all the goods of that vast and terrible empire. 

The people longed for a new King David … to set things right, restore the kingdom, recapture the past, set the people free, from the bloody, brutal, Roman Empire.

The people were ready!

From Galilee comes Jesus, a preacher of wisdom and justice, a miracle worker … could he be the one? Could this be the moment? 

The people shouted and danced … laid down their cloaks to acknowledge his royalty, waved the palms of victory and triumph. 

It took but a few days for the people to realize that Jesus was of a different order, offering hope of a different kind … something deeper … the peace that passes all understanding.

The people were impatient, and who can blame them?

What they wanted, they wanted now … they wanted deliverance, they wanted fireworks, as John the Baptist had said:

Even now, says John, the axe is lying at the root of the tree; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

“Misplaced hope” I call it. Hope for something that couldn’t happen, something out of line with reality … hope that was more fantasy than faith.

All the hope in the world won’t add two more inches to my stature … I’m 5’ 8”, and that’s that … and so are you when it comes to height … though I may have some control over my width … but here’s the deal: I’m not overweight; I’m under height.

As my friend Howard says, “It is what it is!” 

Nothing can alter the reality of my mortality … though I may try, and should try, to live as well as I can!

Medicine and science and good habits can help, yet a time will come when I draw my last breath; I’ll be no more … I’ll sail away to the everlasting arms of God.

Hope has to be related to reality … 

We can, and we must, pray for peace in Ukraine … but the reality of the times, the twisted history of Russia and the West … WW1, WW2, the Cold War, and all the rest … we have to pray for miracles, but we also have to know the story, the realities, the history … and then pray for leaders of all nations who will choose the pathways of peace rather than the highways of hell.

We can, and we must, pray for miracles … but the reality of this world has to be kept in mind and heart, too … even Lazarus, raised from the dead, still had to die in the end. the little girl raised from her bed of death, still had to die in the end. Dust to dust, earth to earth, ashes to ashes is our reality … that’s a part of what Lent is, Ash Wednesday … our reality … and the love of God, the mercy of God, at work in our reality, at work in all things for the good of God’s creation, and the wellbeing of our souls.

I like to watch dystopian sci-fi movies - everything is falling apart … but always hope - the hope we have with one another, in community, bonds of friendship, loyalty, kindness and mercy - we’re gonna make it, because we’re doing this together. 

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never loose infinite hope” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Everyone of us here has prayed for our share of miracles … healing for a loved one, for ourselves, for the welfare of children and grandchildren … the restoration of a broken love … a better job, a better future … peace and safety in our communities. 

And pray we will, and pray we must.

But pray with care … mindfulness … knowing the difference between hope misplaced, and hope grounded in reality, grounded in God. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

God Almighty has woven hope into the fabric of time.

Hope strong, hope true, hope that cannot be swayed by time or circumstance; hope in the face of sorrow and setback … hope at midnight, and hope by the grave.

Hope endures, hope sings, hope dances, even when there’s no music.

Hope waits for the Monarch to break out of its chrysalis … hope takes time to talk with a child … hope plants a tree for another generation; hope gives someone a second chance, a third, even fourth chance, and seven times seventy … hope walks quietly with the sorrowful … hope holds a hand gently and tenderly … hope points to the bird in the sky and to a little flower growing in a sidewalk crack  … hope knows when to stay put, and when to get up and go … hope can laugh, and hope can cry … hope is the energy of God’s love at work in all things, the heart of God’s creation, and the very life of Jesus the everlasting Christ.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus' name

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:

all other ground is sinking sand;

On Christ the solid Rock, I stand.

Hallelujah and Amen!