No Quick Fix
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
For March 28, 2021:
No Quick Fix
by Tom Willadsen
John 12:12-16; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
There is an inherent inconstancy in the American people. We can be proud of developing three vaccines in less than a year’s time, and still, filled with a recklessness that many of us equate with freedom, brazenly turn on the very public health officials who led the creation of the vaccines. Sort of like the people who sang “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, who shouted “Crucify him!” five days later.
In the News
Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint… Proverbs 29:18 NRSV
Where there is no vision, the people perish… Proverbs 29:18 KJV
After living under the pandemic for a little more than a year — think of this Sunday as the 53rd Sunday in the Season of Covid-19 — for the first time I see how both renderings of this verse above can make sense.
The snippet from the King James Version is often used as an attention-grabbing sound bite. The stakes are high, people! The Church of Jesus Christ is always only one generation from disappearing! If we do not pass on the gospel to our children, it will disappear — and what kind of world would be left?
The New Revised Standard’s take on the verse is an eerie echo of the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions in many states. The people are casting off restraints…and it coincides with spring break…and many of us are experiencing Covid fatigue.
The requirement to wear masks has been politicized for a year. I am frankly baffled that this simple, practical, common sense for the common good gesture has been politicized. In December of last year I encountered this sign (below) in Waushara County, Wisconsin, a deep red portion of a distinctly purple state.
Many people are definitely eager to cast off their masks (restraint), even though the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for all people, even those who have been vaccinated, to continue to wear masks. It sets a good example, and new variants of the virus may not be slowed by the vaccines that are currently in use.
Vaccinations are averaging 2.5 million a day in the United States, but health officials say it’s still a race against time, additional spikes in Covid cases are a definite possibility if we become complacent. President Biden’s goal of 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days of office was achieved on Day 58!
Still, there is an inherent inconstancy in the American people. We can be proud of developing three vaccines in less than a year’s time, and still, filled with a recklessness that many of us equate with freedom, brazenly turn on the very public health officials who led the creation of the vaccines. Sort of like the people who sang “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, who shouted “Crucify him!” five days later.
In the Scriptures
John’s account of Palm Sunday is substantially different from the accounts in the synoptic gospels. John, for example, is unique in identifying the branches that were cut as palm branches. Matthew and Mark identify them merely as branches; Luke makes no mention of foliage, only coats were strewn on the road in Luke’s account of Palm Sunday.
It is not clear where Jesus was when he learned that Lazarus was ill. He and his disciples stayed there two more days before deciding to return to Bethany, where his pals Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. When he tells the disciples he’s going to Judea, that is Bethany, they remind him that the last time he was there the Jews wanted to stone him.
[This and some other passages, largely in John’s gospel, are seeds that can re-sow anti-Semitism every time they are read without regard to their original context. Please, please, preacher — give careful thought to interpreting that verse. Is that familiar, TIW readers? Good, it appeared in the main article for January 3, 2021.]
Jesus explains to the disciples that Lazarus has gone to sleep, and he needs to go wake him up. Jesus meant Lazarus was dead, but the disciples are a little obtuse on this point, as they are frequently. Finally, Jesus tells them that Lazarus is dead. Thomas, unfairly dubbed The Doubter, bravely says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” It’s not clear whether Thomas intends to join Lazarus in death, or he embraces the peril that Jesus can expect to face on his return to Judea.
Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem. By the time Jesus and his posse get there Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days. “The references to the stench in the tomb emphasize that Lazarus is really and truly dead, and therefore stresses in anticipation the marvel of his return to life.” (The Jewish Annotated New Testament, NIV, Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 181n.) Mary is being consoled by other mourners when Jesus arrives. They’re all crying and Jesus begins to cry also. John 11:33-35 and 13:21, the scene where Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, are the only passages in John’s gospel that ascribe emotion to Jesus. (Ibid.)
After Jesus raises Lazarus from the tomb (the best movie account of this in “The Last Temptation of Christ.”) some of the people go to the chief priests and Pharisees who are afraid.
47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” (John 11:47-48, NRSV)
Caiaphas, the high priest, observed that it was better to have one man die than to have whole nation destroyed. “So from that day on they planned to put him to death.” (John 11:53) Jesus retreated to Ephraim, about 13 miles north of Jerusalem. As the Passover approached the priests and Pharisees were staking out Jerusalem, waiting for Jesus to show up.
Six days before Passover, Jesus was back in Bethany, chez Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and there Mary anointed Jesus’ feet, “wasting” the costly perfume, but filling the house with a lovely aroma. (Presbyterians overlook that detail because we’re largely anosmic. Look it up.)
When the people who were heading into Jerusalem for Passover heard that Jesus was in Bethany they wanted to see Jesus and Lazarus.
10 So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. (John 12:10-11)
This is a profoundly different story than the synoptic gospels, in which the plot to kill Jesus comes on the heels of his cleansing the temple.
There is no mention of the crucifixion in today’s lesson from John. We know it’s there, the Pharisees and priests’ motive is clear. In John they aren’t as riled about the crowd as in the other gospels, but the resurrection of Lazarus is getting too much press, and perhaps too much attention from the Romans.
In the Sermon
Tony Campolo has a famous Good Friday sermon in which “It’s Friday…but Sunday’s coming.” is the refrain. Challenge your congregation to say “It’s Palm Sunday…but Good Friday is coming…and we’re the ones who are driving the train!” The crowd who was so excited to see Lazarus come back to life, and the guy who made it happen, the guy they’ve cut branches off the trees to wave in his honor, is going to be the object of their derision and abandoning in just five days.
Like spring breakers crawling across beaches or people pent up from a year of social distancing, the crowd believes the end is in sight. They make the choice to discard the pandemic precautions, just as the crowd discards the belief of Jesus as God’s child. Instead of crying “He saves! Hosanna!” the pandemic-fatigued proclaim: “We’re done!” They are spreading out their masks like cloaks in the road, even though the CDC is urging caution. Likewise, Jesus is no quick fix. There is no vaccine from crucifixion, and he is not going to be exempt from suffering (and neither will the crowds, but then they’ll figure that out soon enough).
The Stations Of The Covid Cross
by Dean Feldmeyer
Philippians 2:5-11
The 14 Stations of the Cross (also known as the Way of the Cross, Via Crucis, Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows) has been a Christian devotional practice since the time of St. Francis of Assisi. It involves meditating at points on the way to the cross, recalling Jesus' journey in Jerusalem on Good Friday.
There are three versions of the Stations in popular use, today. 1) The traditional version dating back to St. Francis of Assisi, about 1650 C.E.; 2) The Scriptural Stations of the Cross, introduced by Pope John Paul II in 1991; and 3) the Alternative or Protestant version that includes the resurrection. All of them are easily accessible on the internet and can be used with the format in this article. I will be using the Protestant version as it is the one with which I am most familiar.
The 14 stations could, conceivably, constitute 14 mini-sermons. That is an error we want to avoid on a single Sunday. So, in this article, we will explore how to create a sermon experience that touches on each of the stations and links them to our experience in 2020-21, the year of the pandemic. We will walk with Jesus and invite Jesus to walk with us down the Way of Sorrows as he experienced them and as we have experienced them in the past year, all the way to the victory that is resurrection and Easter Sunday.
In the News
I remember when 2020 was a reference to perfect vision. If your eyesight was 20/20 it meant that you could see at 20 feet of distance what the average person could see at 20 feet of distance. It wasn’t “perfect” vision, necessarily, as some people had better than 20/20 vision. Professional athletes, for instance, often have 20/15 or even 20/10 vision which gives them an advantage over other players.
Then there was the ABC television news magazine show, “20/20” that was meant to rival CBS’s “60 Minutes” with a similar format of investigative journalism. 42 seasons later, it has become more of a True Crime magazine but still kind of entertaining.
And then came the coronavirus pandemic which landed on us in the year 2020. And when I say landed I mean crashed. So devastating was its impact that the number 2020 has, in some parts of the country, become a verb. As in, “Yeah, he ran that red light and completely 2020’d his car.” Or, “She thought the mike was off and said some insensitive things and it looks like she has 2020’d her career.”
No one is arguing that it hasn’t been a tough year. Everyone has had to bear a certain amount of suffering, but some more than others.
Maybe you’ve heard of the “K-Recovery.” This metaphor illustrates how people are being affected by the pandemic. Some, very few people are represented by the upper arm of the K and they have actually benefited and gotten better off through the past year:
They are the exceptions, however. Most of the country suffered devastating financial losses and hardships.
More than 16 million Americans are currently receiving some form of government unemployment benefit. 22 million jobs were lost in 2020 and only about 10 million were regained. About 16 million renters (20% of the total in the USA) are behind on their rent. 18% of households with children have reported that they didn’t get enough to eat during at least one week in December. 11% of households without children said the same. According to the Department of Agriculture, 10.5% of households were food insecure for “at least some time” during the year. Retail sales fell .7% during the Christmas season this year. Over 100,000 businesses have permanently closed. 60 percent of all small businesses lost more than 75 percent of their revenue over the previous year.
The year wasn’t all bad, however. Americans who were fortunate enough to have an income saved more, they spent more time with their families, they learned to cook, they spent more money on their homes, they invested more for their retirement.
And most American’s still have faith in God, their families, and their country. We will get through this, most believe, and we will be stronger for having gone through it.
In the Scripture
The theme of suffering pervades Paul’s brief (four chapter) letter to the Christian church at Philippi. He was, himself, in prison when he wrote it. The contents of the letter tell us that the church was being persecuted by non-Christian authorities. They were also being challenged by Jewish missionaries; Jewish-Christian missionaries; libertines or antinomians who “preached freedom from moral restraint,” and Jewish Gnostic perfectionists who claimed for themselves a spiritual superiority, and pneumatics who believed that they had already been raised to new life. (New Interpreter’s Study Bible, p.2099.)
Paul’s first desire is to reassure the church that he is okay. They should not worry about him. Better their attention should be focused on their own problems and challenges so that they might remain faithful to the gospel even in the face of trials and difficulties.
In chapter 2, verses 5-11, (the Epistle lesson for this Sunday’s liturgy of the passion) he provides them with a strategy for overcoming those trials and difficulties. Namely, be like Jesus. He reverses his normal approach and places the imperative before the indicative. First, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” Be humble and obedient to the gospel of love, grace, kindness and forgiveness.
Then, he offers the indicative: If we can bring ourselves to be like Jesus then we shall receive a reward not unlike his. We will sit at his right hand when he take his place upon the throne of glory.
In the Sermon
What follows is not so much a sermon as what I like to refer to as “a sermon experience.” Again, the goal of this format is to walk with Jesus as he traverses the Via Dolorosa to Calvary and to invite Jesus to walk with us as we walk the Via Pandemica of 2020 & 2021, all of us ending up, together, in the garden on Easter morning.
I suggest two or three readers: The first reader reads the name of each station. The second reader reads the text for that station. The third reader reads the Covid station and makes a brief, theological observation. There is a brief pause for prayer after each station, followed by one of the readers leading the congregation saying or singing a brief response such as: Lord have mercy upon us, etc.
Stations --- Covid Stations --- Scripture
1. The Last Supper --- 12/31/19 - mysterious pneumonia sickening dozens in China --- Matthew 26:26-30
2. Garden of Gethsemane --- 1/21/20 - first case of coronavirus on US soil --- Matthew 26:36-41
3. Jesus before Pilate --- 1/30/20 - WHO declares global health emergency --- Mark 15:1-5, 15
4. Scourging & crown of thorns --- Schools / restaurants / theaters / churches / concert venues closed --- Mark 15:15-20
5. The Receiving the cross --- Breonna Taylor, George Floyd & others killed by police --- John 19:6, 15-17
6. The Fall --- Babies at the border - children arriving three times faster than they can be placed.
7. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus People --- reach out to help those hurt by the coronavirus --- Mark 15:21
8. Women of Jerusalem --- Violence against Asian Americans, women murdered in Atlanta --- Luke 23:27-31
9. Stripping of his Garments --- Jan. 6 - Violent insurrection threatens the government --- John 19:23-24
10. The Good Thief --- Millions wearing masks & social distancing 6’ – 25% refuse --- Luke 23:39-43
11. Mary and John at the cross --- Churches discover and invent new ways of worshiping together --- John 19:25-27
12. The Death of Jesus --- 550,000+ American, 2,683,209 worldwide deaths from Covid --- Mark 15:33-39
13. The laying in the tomb --- 500,000 American dead remembered at presidential inauguration --- Matthew 27:57-61
14. The Resurrection --- 100 million Americans, 320 million worldwide vaccinated --- Matthew 28:1-7
These are suggestions, of course. You may be able to find more apt or up-to-date scripture lessons and better, more applicable events to note as part of the path we have trod this past year. The difficult changes in education, massive unemployment, the blizzard in Texas and western states, 19 mass shootings, rising food insecurity, stimulus checks. Your community may offer some items specific to your location.
Whichever way we go, it is the walk and the acknowledgement that Jesus walks with us that changes us for the better. It is a walk that will strengthen us and makes us better, more faithful Christians if we can do it with the mind of Christ.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 11:1-11
Longing for a Sign (Palm/Passion)
As Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem, it’s hard to tell what he wants from the crowd around him, if anything. He is signaling something to them and to the religious rulers, but what? We would love to have a more clear sign from him.
That same longing for clarity took artist Richard Ankrom to extraordinary lengths.
“In the 1980s, when artist Richard Ankrom drove past his Los Angeles freeway exit and got lost, he didn’t think much of it at the time, but this missed turn stuck with him. Years later, he was passing by the same spot and noticed the continued absence of an exit sign that would help him and other drivers get to where they needed to go. Where others might have asked someone in a position of authority to fix the problem, Ankrom saw an opportunity to put his artistic skills to work. He decided to make his own sign and hang it above the 110 as an act of “guerrilla public service”—and he would keep his intervention a secret. For his plan to work, the sign had to look like it belonged there, which meant measuring the exact dimensions of other official signs. Ankrom also held up color swatches to match the paint and read the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to determine the right typeface. He even sprayed a thin layer of gray paint over his copycat sign to make it blend in better with the smog-glazed signage around it. Ankrom wrote his name on the back with a black marker like a painter signing a canvas (except he put it out of sight so it wouldn’t risk drawing attention to his piece). After a lot of work and planning, Ankrom and a group of friends assembled near the target location on the morning of August 5, 2001. To pull off the operation, the artist cut his hair and bought a set of work clothes, an orange vest, and a hard hat. He even applied a magnetic sticker to his truck to make it look like the vehicle of a Caltrans contractor to avoid raising suspicion that might lead to his arrest. Using a ladder, Ankrom made his way up to the catwalk thirty feet above the freeway and spent the next half hour installing the sign. He worried the whole time that he might get caught or, worse, drop a tool on one of the speeding drivers below. In the end, the installation went off without a hitch and no one was the wiser. The whole affair remained a secret until a friend leaked it to the press nearly a year later, at which point Caltrans sent people out to inspect Ankrom’s handiwork.”
Ankrom’s sign was good enough to pass inspection, and it stayed put for another eight years. “When the sign finally had to be updated years later, Caltrans not only replaced Ankrom’s creation but also added a few more I-5 North exit signs along the 110.”
The right sign yields its wisdom over time, and Jesus’ actions also become more clear to us with time, and on the other side of the cross.
(From "The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design" by Roman Mars, Kurt Kohlstedt)
* * *
Mark 11:1-11
Transforming the Function (Palm)
Who can help you imagine something in a new way? Children. And Jesus. As Tom Vanderbilt observes in his book Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning, "In the famous “candle problem,” people are asked to attach a candle to the wall using nothing more than a box of matches and a box of tacks. People struggle to solve it because they get hung up on the “functional fixedness” of the box as a container for tacks.”
Jesus is taking the familiar street theater of a leader entering the city and using this ancient ritual in a new ay, to announce a new kind of kingship and a new kind of kingdom, or even kin-dom, as people often say. Jesus understands that a parade is not just a parade, it’s also a vehicle for God’s message of transformation.
When asked to solve the candle problem, “there is one group, it turns out, that tends to do pretty well on the candle problem: five-year-olds.” The five-year olds can see that the box is also a small shelf for the candle. Researchers says that younger children have more open minds, and can see more possibilities. They “have a more fluid “conception of function” than older children or adults. They are less hung up on things being for something, and more able to view them simply as things to be used in all sorts of ways. Small wonder they conquer new technology so handily; everything is new for them. Children, in a very real sense, have beginners’ minds, open to wider possibilities."
On Palm Sunday, Jesus invites us all to see that way, so we can see the newness in what he’s doing.
* * *
Mark 11:1-11
Alone in the Crowd (Palm/Passion)
In the Jerusalem crowd, Jesus has a peculiar aloneness. Surrounded by people, he alone knows how the week will end.
Author Kate Bowler describes a similar time of feeling alone, when she was first diagnosed with stage four cancer. She remembers, “Most of my worst thoughts hover around a single word. Alone. For a long time, I felt like I was the only person in the world who will die. It was the weird feeling that began in the haze of my diagnosis. I remember standing in the lobby of Duke Hospital, waiting for them to admit me. I was talking on the phone to my friend, Margaret, with my hand on the window. “I feel like I’m behind glass now. And you’re all on the other side.” Even today I still feel it in the moment between shaking someone’s hand and the spark of recognition in their eyes. Oh, it’s YOU. And then they cock their heads to one side like sorrowful cocker spaniels.”
She adds, “It is true that there are some things I’m always going to have to do alone. It’s the deep breath I take before they put in a fat needle into the port in my chest. It’s the sinking feeling in my stomach when the doctor holds the test results. It’s the catch in my throat when I watch a little baby curved into the dip of a new parent’s shoulder.”
Bowler realizes that she has a consolation. “But this is also the truth: I am never alone. You are with me. I come home and there are cookies in my mailbox from Katy. Last week Mandy sent me smelly pencils (called “Smencils”!) and I am hooked on the grape one. Molly made me a crossword puzzle where all the clues are drawn from American religious history trivia. Rob, my doctor friend, talks me through some recent findings. Andrea, my college roommate, e-mails me funny videos to watch during chemo and my little sister Maria sends me funny articles with titles like “Types of Guys I Would Like to Date, If Anyone Could Please Introduce Me to Them.” I was late to a meeting the other day because at the faculty meeting I had gotten too many hugs.”
“These little things,: she says, are the cure for the desperate aloneness. “These are the little whispers: youareloved, youareloved, youareloved. I can feel it in moments of divine closeness when God seems to say, I am here.” We can only pray that Jesus hears the same whispers as he rides through the crowd, and faces the week ahead.
Bowler says, “The most alone I have ever been is when I woke up from my surgery. The room was empty and all I could hear was the chirping of the heartrate monitor. The hospital had, of course, taken everything that was familiar to me. My dress I love to teach in. My ring from the man I love. All I had was my hospital gown and a carved up body I hardly recognized. And then I saw it. Something around my wrist. It was a bracelet. But not just any bracelet. It was a slap bracelet, the kind I played with when I was ten and they were all the rage. It was such an absurd situation, the more I thought about it. Someone had crept into my room, past security, and quietly slapped it on my wrist so I would have it when I woke up. It was bright neon. It was hideous. And all it said was: FIERCE.” God speaks into the aloneness – ours and Jesus’.
* * *
Mark 11:1-11
Having a Different Experience (Palm/Passion)
It’s easy to imagine, as Jesus rides through the crowds on his donkey, that his thoughts are completely different from anyone else gathered there. They may be seeing a hero and a king, and he’s contemplating the danger he’s in, and the death that awaits.
Maria Shriver tells about a parallel experience, being invited to what was supposed to be a celebration at Arlington Cemetery. On the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics, a cause dear to her family’s heart, she got an invitation, to “a mass at Arlington for Uncle Bobby [Kennedy.] And I stared at the invitation for really the last ten days, debating myself, do I want to go to that, because so much of my childhood was going to Arlington, marking deaths. And I thought to myself, I really don’t want to go back and have that experience again, because it’s so raw, and it’s so present. It’s so much about how I grew up and so much about making a trek to Arlington and what was my mother thinking at Arlington; what was everybody feeling at Arlington; oh, my God, we’re going to Arlington again.”
It felt like it would be only an experience of pain. And then, she says, she realized, “I can actually go to Arlington, because I can choose to decide that it’s a celebration — not a marker of a death, but a celebration of my family, a celebration of everybody that’s still here. And so I want to turn the story around on that day, and I want to go feeling like it’s not about the past, but it’s about a moment honoring somebody who stood for something; and I can do that without being consumed by it.”
Perhaps Jesus finds the layers of honor, love and purpose in the Jerusalem crowd, even while his thoughts are so different from theirs.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
A pile of Good Things and a Pile of Bad Things (Palm/Passion)
Why is it Palm Sunday happened? Why did Jesus Christ go through the splendor of the Palm Sunday greeting, only to be crucified mere days later? Dr. Who has a great episode about this featuring Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent Van Gogh is visited by Dr. Who and his best friend Amy, where he wrestles with depression. In the end they celebrate him and show him that he will be featured and admired as one of the greatest painters in museums. Upon their return from their visit, Amy is convinced that Van Gogh had changed — had not committed suicide and painted many more paintings. But it’s not to be, and she is upset. Dr. Who says the way he looks at life, it’s a pile of good things and a pile of bad things. The good things cannot change or negate the bad things. But so too, the bad things cannot destroy the good things. And, Dr. Who adds, they definitely added to Vincent Van Gogh’s pile of good things.
Palm Sunday is a good thing. It is a vision of the triumph of God, it is a moment where the Hebrews felt free. It is a time where people get to display and celebrate their love for Jesus Christ. Good Friday is coming, but it doesn’t destroy what happened Palm Sunday, even as Palm Sunday cannot solve what is coming on Good Friday. Life is a pile of good things and a pile of bad things, and the good news is, we are invited, encouraged and called to add to the world’s pile of good things.
* * *
Celebrating the small stuff (Palm)
The evidence points to the officials beings surprised about how big a reaction the crowd had to the entry of Jesus. They did not expect a single person’s entry into a city to cause a triumphal parade — the likes of which usually happened as a result of military victory. It was a little thing in the grand scheme of the empire. During this time of the pandemic I have been reminded to rejoice in the small things: a card from a friend, a day where I get the chance to sit in the sun, the chance to do something on zoom, for free, that I never would have had time or money for before. There was a remarkable conversation among my colleagues on twitter that all of the things that I thought I did “for fun” were actually pivotal for surviving and thriving, we just did not realize it until they were taken away.
Celebration is necessary for human existence. We must celebrate. Why did the people celebrate Jesus’ arrival? Because they couldn’t help it. I know every single time I hear that someone is vaccinated, I want to throw a party. Celebration is not something we do “for fun” it’s something we do because it is ingrained in us. We want to “sing a new song to the Lord,” we long to dance and shout and celebrate one another — indeed celebrating together is one of the things we miss the most during our time of quarantine.
Did you know that one of the key indicators of a good relationship is how often they celebrate one another? Luckily it’s not the bumps or the pitfalls, it’s not how successful they are, or how often they fight. This is true of friendships, mentorships, parenthoods, childhoods, and siblinghoods too! The real investment in a relationship is how much we celebrate one another. I have a theory that Jesus was so celebratory of every single person he met, that Palm Sunday was inevitable. Others wanted to invest in their relationship with Christ, too. They wanted to celebrate him. And yes, they were all counting on some kind of military victory that was not going to happen. Yet, they also just needed a reason to celebrate in the midst of a hard life under the occupation of a militaristic nation that did not even count them as people or citizens. Thus they celebrated the little (big) event of Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem and made it a big deal. What can we celebrate in/for one another today?
* * *
Scapegoating (Passion)
They had a tough week. It is true that when Good Friday comes, Jesus is ready. He knows that these people are ready to turn and scapegoat him. Rev. Lenny Duncan recently did a strong presentation where he says that he finds it unacceptable that people have to die to open one’s eyes to the problems that are going on. Why did Emmett Till have to die for white people to understand just how stacked the courts are? Why did George Floyd have to be filmed dying for people to understand that violence and abuse that Black people have been suffering under state violence for years? Duncan says that for him it is not worth it for Black people to die in order to make it understandable that Black Lives Matter. So too, the horrific deaths of 8 people, of varied Asian people, should not have to happen, for the United States to wake up to the fact that we need to Stop Asian Hate.
Rev. Lenny Duncan says that Jesus should not have had to die to make God’s love for us clear. Jesus should not have had to die for us to realize that his ministry to the poor and marginal is important. The Prince of Peace should not have had to die for us to give peace a chance.
In today’s world the question is how many people have to die of racism, coronavirus, hunger, or for being trans, for us to believe the truth about that existence. Why do people have to die? When we talk about who we are on Good Friday, it’s not just that we are the angry crowd or the scared disciples. We are also the ones who have to see death to believe how important things are. God loved us into being from the beginning of time, but we humans put the limit on it that we could not believe it until someone died. (And even then, God tricks us, because death is not the end we thought it was, but the beginning).
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Save us, we beseech you! (Palm)
The Psalm’s declaration of God’s salvation take on fresh significance in light of this week’s shootings in Boulder, Colorado, as well as last week’s massacre in Atlanta, and rising rates of violence against Asian Americans. In Colorado, bystanders live-streamed video of a shooting at a Boulder grocery store. The shooting reportedly began when a gun man entered a King Sooper’s grocery store after lunch. There were rallies in Atlanta and other cities over the week to protest the shooting deaths of eight people at two Asian spas and massage parlors last week as well as recent increases in violence aimed at Asian Americans. Hate acts and violence toward Asian’s have increased during the pandemic, including apparently random acts of violence directed to elderly Asians in several major cities recently.
In a speech following the Atlanta shootings, Vice-President Kamala Harris noted that there had been more than 3,800 assaults on Asians in the past year. Prior to introducing President Joe Biden, Harris said, “For the last year, we've had people in positions of incredible power scapegoasing [sic] -- scapegoating Asian Americans. People with the biggest pulpits spreading this kind of hate. Ultimately, this is about who we are as a nation. This is about how we treat people with dignity and respect. Everyone has the right to go to work, to go to school, to walk down the street and be safe, and also, the right to be recognized as an American -- not as the other, not as them, but as us.”
* * *
Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-16
What sort of king? (Palm)
Jesus is hailed as the ancestor of David (Mark) and greeted as the conquering king of Israel (John), though Jesus’ self-understanding of what constitutes a king differs from the crowd’s expectations. Indeed, the reign of Jesus continues to stand in stark contrast to the kingdoms of the world. In contemporary terms, Jesus would likely be accorded celebrity status today rather than receive military or diplomatic greetings. But it raises a great question: what is it like to be a monarch today?
Worldwide, monarchies continue to decline. There are currently 44 monarchies in the world, though only 29 reigning monarchs. South America is the only continent to not include royalty (bonus points awarded for those who can name the 10 monarchies in North America!).
Meanwhile, Americans continue to be fascinated by royalty—particularly the British royal family. More than 17 million persons watched Oprah Winfrey’s recent interview with Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. The couple’s concerns over bullying and racism within the royal family has proved especially incendiary—and are reminders of how Jesus’ kingdom of inclusion and justice is markedly different from the empires of the world. One wonders what sort of ruler the world really wants.
Anthony Andrew, writing for the Guardian, noted that the interview “rattled Buckingham Palace and raised issues about the monarchy that could yet build into a serious crisis for the royal family.” While Meghan Markle spoke of diversity and inclusion, Andrew wonders how the “firm” could actually embody such changes.
But how can an institution based and run on the hereditary principle, one that has luxuriated in great privilege and enforced social distance, accommodate the concepts, let alone the practices, of inclusivity and diversity?
Andrew concludes: “The answer, in our age of optics optimization, seems to be that no one seriously expects the monarchy to be more egalitarian. They just want it to look that way.”
* * *
Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-16
Royal diversity (Palm)
According to Buckingham palace, the prince and duchess’ concerns regarding racism are being taken seriously. Some efforts at inclusion apparently predate the interview, but the global viewing audience has prompted additional efforts. According to the Guardian:
The move to improve diversity will include LGBTQ+ and disability representation and is said to have the full support of the royal family. It aims to seek independent views to help assess and improve representation.
A royal source said “This is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the royal households. We have the policies, the procedures and programmes in place but we haven’t seen the progress we would like and accept more needs to be done, we can always improve.
“Therefore we are not afraid to look at new ways of approaching it. The work to do this has been under way for some time now and comes with the full support of the family.”
* * *
Psalm 31:9-16
“My Times Are In Your Hand” (Passion)
In a recent column, Diana Butler Bass offered insightful reflections on how Christians have responded to previous pandemics. Bass recounts the response of Christians during the Antonine Plague that began in 166 CE and lasted 23 years.
Bass notes how Christians faced the dangers of the plague directly by serving their neighbors, often at great personal risk. In communities with particularly strong Christian communities saw death rates that were in some cases half of other cities. As a result, Christianity saw remarkable growth in the years following the pandemic. But Bass cautions against an overly optimistic prediction of what might happen following the current pandemic. She notes:
Perhaps a religious revival of some sort lies just ahead. But the Romans had an advantage over us — those ancient Christians didn’t have to worry about their brethren on Facebook or Twitter spreading falsehoods regarding the disease. Instead of facing the pandemic squarely and doing the hard work of neighborly care (even in the simple act of wearing masks), a considerable portion of America’s Christian population has been in denial of the extent and danger of COVID, revealing a self-centered moral cowardice that is exactly the opposite reaction of their ancient ancestors when they faced the first pandemic following the birth of the church.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
“Selfless” CEO’s death (Passion)
When Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry, Kent Taylor fought back by giving up his both his salary and a $1 million bonus while also making a personal donation of $5 million to a fund that helped his employees facing financial hardship. His selfless action, friends say, was typical for the hands on, high energy founder of the Texas Roadhouse chain of restaurants. Even Taylor’s own battle with Covid-19, which had left him with severe tinnitus (ringing in the ear) prompted him to pledge funds to a clinical study of the mysterious condition. It was among his last charitable gifts.
Taylor died by suicide on March 18. Family members said that his Covid symptoms became increasingly dire long after he had recovered from the virus. Studies have shown that roughly 40 percent of Americans have reported with mental health issues since the pandemic began.
A company spokesperson said that no one who knew the CEO was surprised by his generosity toward his front-line employees. “This selfless act was no surprise to anyone who knew Kent and his strong belief in servant leadership,” Greg Moore, the chain’s lead director, said in a statement referring to Taylor’s donation. “He was without a doubt, a people-first leader. His entrepreneurial spirit will live on in the company he built, the projects he supported and the lives he touched.”
Suicide can be prevented. If you or someone you know need help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Observation (Passion)
This week, the violence of our world will intersect with the violence inflicted on Jesus. We will read the account of Jesus’ passion and crucifixion against the backdrop of our nation’s encounters with violence and death. Our joyous cries of “Hosanna” cannot drown out the cries from the victims of gun violence, the laments of African American mothers mourning the deaths of the sons, or the cries of millions who have lost loved ones to Covid-19.
In the previous year, we have witnessed the unrest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis – a death that Penn Rhodeen has called “an American crucifixion.” In addition, this week has renewed our awareness of the unique American dilemma over gun violence and mass shootings. We face the horror of victims gunned down in Atlanta and Boulder. The victims represent the entire tapestry of American life—Asian immigrants, small business owners, grocery store employees, families stopping by the store to grab lunch or something for dinner.
Their lives and deaths invite us to rethink Jesus’ steps toward Calvary. Indeed, a 2020 take on the stations of the cross might include:
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: O give thanks to God who is good.
All: God’s steadfast love endures forever!
One: This is the day that God has made.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
One: God is God, the One who has given us light.
All: Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the altar.
OR
One: Let us wave our palms and receive the Christ of God.
All: We rejoice that the Christ comes among us today!
One: These palms will soon die and be turned to ashes.
All: We will receive them back next year into our lives.
One: The way of the palms will lead to the way of the cross.
All: We will walk both ways with our savior until we reach Easter.
Hymns and Songs:
All Glory, Laud, and Honor
UMH: 280
H82: 154/155
PH: 88
AAHH: 226
NNBH: 102
NCH: 216/217
CH: 192
LBW: 108
ELW: 344
W&P: 265
AMEC: 129
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
UMH: 278
PH: 89
NCH: 213
W&P: 267
AMEC: 130
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
UMH: 286
H82: 168/169
PH: 98
AAHH: 250
NNBH: 108
NCH: 226
CH: 202
LBW: 116/117
ELW: 351/352
W&P: 284
AMEC: 133
STLT: 265
Renew: 235
What Wondrous Love Is This
UMH: 292
H82: 439
PH: 85
NCH: 223
CH: 200
LBW: 385
ELW: 666
W&P: 257
STLT: 18
Renew: 277
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
UMH: 295
H82: 441/442
PH: 84
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193/194
LBW: 104
ELW: 324
W&P: 264
AMEC: 153
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
UMH: 301
NNBH: 103
NCH: 197
CH: 587
ELW: 335
W&P: 479
AMEC: 321
O Come and Dwell in Me
UMH: 388
Take Up Thy Cross
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
LBW: 398
ELW: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
All Hail King Jesus
CCB: 29
Renew: 35
He Is Exalted
CCB: 30
Renew: 238
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who comes to reign in peace and love:
Grant us the grace to accept you as our sovereign
that we may know peace and love in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, because you come among us to reign in love and peace. You come in humility and compassion. Help us to accept you as our savior so that we may truly know peace and love in our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to accept you as the one who rules in gentleness and compassion.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We claim to be your children and to be followers of the Christ but we often act in ways that are self-centered and in opposition to our Lord. We look for power instead of peace; we look for what we can get instead of what we can give. We want the thrill of the palms without the cost of the cross. Forgive us and lead us back to the side of Jesus that we may learn anew what it means to be a child of God. Amen.
One: God is always looking for us and calling us back home. Return to Jesus and know that love and peace of God as you share it with others.
Prayers of the People
We praise you, O God, because you are the one who brings salvation. You never leave us or forsake us but come to bring new life in the midst of death.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We claim to be your children and to be followers of the Christ but we often act in ways that are self-centered and in opposition to our Lord. We look for power instead of peace; we look for what we can get instead of what we can give. We want the thrill of the palms without the cost of the cross. Forgive us and lead us back to the side of Jesus that we may learn anew what it means to be a child of God.
We give you thanks for your constant love and presence in our lives even during those times when we get distracted by what is going on around us and we fail to see you there. We give you thanks for all the blessings of this life which are signs that you love us and care for us. We thank you for those who have shared your love with us, sometimes at great cost to them.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another In our need. We pray for those who suffer from illness and death. We pray for those who are in need for the basics of this human life. We pray for those who suffer from the thoughtlessness and cruelty of others.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Today we hear about Jesus’ suffering and how badly people treated him. It is a sad story but when we hear it we always remember that Easter is coming. No matter what happens to us, God is always ready to bring something new and good into our lives.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
It's Okay to Be Angry
by Bethany Peerbolte
Mark 14:1--15:47 or Mark 15:1-39, (40-47)
Anger is a holy emotion. We see Jesus get angry from time to time. His expression is often explained to the people who matter the most. Jesus processes his anger so that it does not get misinterpreted or wrongly infect others. This Easter season we can learn this from Jesus and begin expressing healthier anger in our lives.
In your message say something like:
Who here has ever felt angry? (allow time for kids to raise their hands) Have you ever gotten so…so…so angry? (when you say this clasp your hands in front of you in one fist and squeeze your hands until you shake a little) Sometimes we get so angry we don’t know what to do with it, but when anger lives inside us it only grows bigger. We need to let it out.
This happened to Jesus too. He got angry that people were being mean inside the temple, a worship building like our church. Jesus got so angry he flipped over tables and shouted at everyone. Jesus also got angry once and cursed a tree. When anger lives inside us we need to let it out.
One way we can do this is by squeezing our hands together. Can you all do this with me? Hold your hands together in front of you and make one fist with your hands clasped together. Now squeeze. Harder. Harder. Some of you are shaking, that’s good keep going, harder. Now hold for three seconds, 1…2…3. Now let go and relax. Ahhhhhhhh
Did you notice not just the muscles in your hands were squeezing? Your arms, elbows, neck, shoulders all of them were tensing up. This is what happens with anger. It spreads without us noticing. There were some people around Jesus who were angry. Their anger spread from one person to the next until lots of people were angry at Jesus. This eventually leads to people wanting Jesus to be killed. That is a lot of anger.
So how is Jesus’ anger different than the people who let it spread? Jesus talked about his anger. When Jesus felt angry he would talk to his friends. He would admit he was feeling angry and talking helped him feel better. It also helped his friends understand why he had flipped tables.
We learn from Jesus that being angry is okay as long as we notice it and talk about it. I want you to think about something that might be making you angry. (give them time to think) Who could you talk to about it? (give them time to think/answer)
Let’s say a prayer to ask God to help us too:
Understanding God, we know anger is normal. We feel angry sometimes. Jesus showed us talking helps. Help us find people to talk to when we feel angry. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 28, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- No Quick Fix by Tom Willadsen — Like people pent up from a year of social distancing, the crowd believes the end is in sight. They make the choice to discard the pandemic precautions, just as the crowd discards the belief of Jesus as God’s child.
- The Stations Of The Covid Cross by Dean Feldmeyer — Sometimes it feels like we’ve been schlepping our way along our own Via Dolorosa for the past year.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Katy Stenta, Chris Keating.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: It's Okay to Be Angry by Bethany Peerbolte.
No Quick Fixby Tom Willadsen
John 12:12-16; Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
There is an inherent inconstancy in the American people. We can be proud of developing three vaccines in less than a year’s time, and still, filled with a recklessness that many of us equate with freedom, brazenly turn on the very public health officials who led the creation of the vaccines. Sort of like the people who sang “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, who shouted “Crucify him!” five days later.
In the News
Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint… Proverbs 29:18 NRSV
Where there is no vision, the people perish… Proverbs 29:18 KJV
After living under the pandemic for a little more than a year — think of this Sunday as the 53rd Sunday in the Season of Covid-19 — for the first time I see how both renderings of this verse above can make sense.
The snippet from the King James Version is often used as an attention-grabbing sound bite. The stakes are high, people! The Church of Jesus Christ is always only one generation from disappearing! If we do not pass on the gospel to our children, it will disappear — and what kind of world would be left?
The New Revised Standard’s take on the verse is an eerie echo of the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions in many states. The people are casting off restraints…and it coincides with spring break…and many of us are experiencing Covid fatigue.
The requirement to wear masks has been politicized for a year. I am frankly baffled that this simple, practical, common sense for the common good gesture has been politicized. In December of last year I encountered this sign (below) in Waushara County, Wisconsin, a deep red portion of a distinctly purple state.
Many people are definitely eager to cast off their masks (restraint), even though the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for all people, even those who have been vaccinated, to continue to wear masks. It sets a good example, and new variants of the virus may not be slowed by the vaccines that are currently in use.
Vaccinations are averaging 2.5 million a day in the United States, but health officials say it’s still a race against time, additional spikes in Covid cases are a definite possibility if we become complacent. President Biden’s goal of 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days of office was achieved on Day 58!
Still, there is an inherent inconstancy in the American people. We can be proud of developing three vaccines in less than a year’s time, and still, filled with a recklessness that many of us equate with freedom, brazenly turn on the very public health officials who led the creation of the vaccines. Sort of like the people who sang “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, who shouted “Crucify him!” five days later.
In the Scriptures
John’s account of Palm Sunday is substantially different from the accounts in the synoptic gospels. John, for example, is unique in identifying the branches that were cut as palm branches. Matthew and Mark identify them merely as branches; Luke makes no mention of foliage, only coats were strewn on the road in Luke’s account of Palm Sunday.
It is not clear where Jesus was when he learned that Lazarus was ill. He and his disciples stayed there two more days before deciding to return to Bethany, where his pals Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. When he tells the disciples he’s going to Judea, that is Bethany, they remind him that the last time he was there the Jews wanted to stone him.
[This and some other passages, largely in John’s gospel, are seeds that can re-sow anti-Semitism every time they are read without regard to their original context. Please, please, preacher — give careful thought to interpreting that verse. Is that familiar, TIW readers? Good, it appeared in the main article for January 3, 2021.]
Jesus explains to the disciples that Lazarus has gone to sleep, and he needs to go wake him up. Jesus meant Lazarus was dead, but the disciples are a little obtuse on this point, as they are frequently. Finally, Jesus tells them that Lazarus is dead. Thomas, unfairly dubbed The Doubter, bravely says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” It’s not clear whether Thomas intends to join Lazarus in death, or he embraces the peril that Jesus can expect to face on his return to Judea.
Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem. By the time Jesus and his posse get there Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days. “The references to the stench in the tomb emphasize that Lazarus is really and truly dead, and therefore stresses in anticipation the marvel of his return to life.” (The Jewish Annotated New Testament, NIV, Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, New York: Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 181n.) Mary is being consoled by other mourners when Jesus arrives. They’re all crying and Jesus begins to cry also. John 11:33-35 and 13:21, the scene where Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, are the only passages in John’s gospel that ascribe emotion to Jesus. (Ibid.)
After Jesus raises Lazarus from the tomb (the best movie account of this in “The Last Temptation of Christ.”) some of the people go to the chief priests and Pharisees who are afraid.
47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” (John 11:47-48, NRSV)
Caiaphas, the high priest, observed that it was better to have one man die than to have whole nation destroyed. “So from that day on they planned to put him to death.” (John 11:53) Jesus retreated to Ephraim, about 13 miles north of Jerusalem. As the Passover approached the priests and Pharisees were staking out Jerusalem, waiting for Jesus to show up.
Six days before Passover, Jesus was back in Bethany, chez Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and there Mary anointed Jesus’ feet, “wasting” the costly perfume, but filling the house with a lovely aroma. (Presbyterians overlook that detail because we’re largely anosmic. Look it up.)
When the people who were heading into Jerusalem for Passover heard that Jesus was in Bethany they wanted to see Jesus and Lazarus.
10 So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. (John 12:10-11)
This is a profoundly different story than the synoptic gospels, in which the plot to kill Jesus comes on the heels of his cleansing the temple.
There is no mention of the crucifixion in today’s lesson from John. We know it’s there, the Pharisees and priests’ motive is clear. In John they aren’t as riled about the crowd as in the other gospels, but the resurrection of Lazarus is getting too much press, and perhaps too much attention from the Romans.
In the Sermon
Tony Campolo has a famous Good Friday sermon in which “It’s Friday…but Sunday’s coming.” is the refrain. Challenge your congregation to say “It’s Palm Sunday…but Good Friday is coming…and we’re the ones who are driving the train!” The crowd who was so excited to see Lazarus come back to life, and the guy who made it happen, the guy they’ve cut branches off the trees to wave in his honor, is going to be the object of their derision and abandoning in just five days.
Like spring breakers crawling across beaches or people pent up from a year of social distancing, the crowd believes the end is in sight. They make the choice to discard the pandemic precautions, just as the crowd discards the belief of Jesus as God’s child. Instead of crying “He saves! Hosanna!” the pandemic-fatigued proclaim: “We’re done!” They are spreading out their masks like cloaks in the road, even though the CDC is urging caution. Likewise, Jesus is no quick fix. There is no vaccine from crucifixion, and he is not going to be exempt from suffering (and neither will the crowds, but then they’ll figure that out soon enough).
The Stations Of The Covid Crossby Dean Feldmeyer
Philippians 2:5-11
The 14 Stations of the Cross (also known as the Way of the Cross, Via Crucis, Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows) has been a Christian devotional practice since the time of St. Francis of Assisi. It involves meditating at points on the way to the cross, recalling Jesus' journey in Jerusalem on Good Friday.
There are three versions of the Stations in popular use, today. 1) The traditional version dating back to St. Francis of Assisi, about 1650 C.E.; 2) The Scriptural Stations of the Cross, introduced by Pope John Paul II in 1991; and 3) the Alternative or Protestant version that includes the resurrection. All of them are easily accessible on the internet and can be used with the format in this article. I will be using the Protestant version as it is the one with which I am most familiar.
The 14 stations could, conceivably, constitute 14 mini-sermons. That is an error we want to avoid on a single Sunday. So, in this article, we will explore how to create a sermon experience that touches on each of the stations and links them to our experience in 2020-21, the year of the pandemic. We will walk with Jesus and invite Jesus to walk with us down the Way of Sorrows as he experienced them and as we have experienced them in the past year, all the way to the victory that is resurrection and Easter Sunday.
In the News
I remember when 2020 was a reference to perfect vision. If your eyesight was 20/20 it meant that you could see at 20 feet of distance what the average person could see at 20 feet of distance. It wasn’t “perfect” vision, necessarily, as some people had better than 20/20 vision. Professional athletes, for instance, often have 20/15 or even 20/10 vision which gives them an advantage over other players.
Then there was the ABC television news magazine show, “20/20” that was meant to rival CBS’s “60 Minutes” with a similar format of investigative journalism. 42 seasons later, it has become more of a True Crime magazine but still kind of entertaining.
And then came the coronavirus pandemic which landed on us in the year 2020. And when I say landed I mean crashed. So devastating was its impact that the number 2020 has, in some parts of the country, become a verb. As in, “Yeah, he ran that red light and completely 2020’d his car.” Or, “She thought the mike was off and said some insensitive things and it looks like she has 2020’d her career.”
No one is arguing that it hasn’t been a tough year. Everyone has had to bear a certain amount of suffering, but some more than others.
Maybe you’ve heard of the “K-Recovery.” This metaphor illustrates how people are being affected by the pandemic. Some, very few people are represented by the upper arm of the K and they have actually benefited and gotten better off through the past year:
- Michael Dell, Dell Technologies chairman and CEO, increased his fortune from $22.9 billion to $38.5 billion.
- L’Oreal heiress, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the richest woman in the world, increased her fortune from $48.9 billion to $65.2 billion.
- Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ fortune grew by 18.2% amid the pandemic. To be fair, however, we should note that he gave the largest monetary donation to coronavirus causes of any billionaire from March to August: $305 million about .27 percent of his total worth.
- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg grew his fortune from $54.7 billion to $96.8 billion, a 77% increase. His donation to coronavirus charities as of August equaled $180 million – about .0019% of his total worth.
- The richest man in the world, Amazon magnate Jeff Bezos, gained about $72.6 billion in 2020. More than anyone else.
- And, in spite of having to shut down his Tesla production facilities Elon Musk managed to increase his net worth from $24.6 billion to $87.9 billion, a whopping 257.3 percent
They are the exceptions, however. Most of the country suffered devastating financial losses and hardships.
More than 16 million Americans are currently receiving some form of government unemployment benefit. 22 million jobs were lost in 2020 and only about 10 million were regained. About 16 million renters (20% of the total in the USA) are behind on their rent. 18% of households with children have reported that they didn’t get enough to eat during at least one week in December. 11% of households without children said the same. According to the Department of Agriculture, 10.5% of households were food insecure for “at least some time” during the year. Retail sales fell .7% during the Christmas season this year. Over 100,000 businesses have permanently closed. 60 percent of all small businesses lost more than 75 percent of their revenue over the previous year.
The year wasn’t all bad, however. Americans who were fortunate enough to have an income saved more, they spent more time with their families, they learned to cook, they spent more money on their homes, they invested more for their retirement.
And most American’s still have faith in God, their families, and their country. We will get through this, most believe, and we will be stronger for having gone through it.
In the Scripture
The theme of suffering pervades Paul’s brief (four chapter) letter to the Christian church at Philippi. He was, himself, in prison when he wrote it. The contents of the letter tell us that the church was being persecuted by non-Christian authorities. They were also being challenged by Jewish missionaries; Jewish-Christian missionaries; libertines or antinomians who “preached freedom from moral restraint,” and Jewish Gnostic perfectionists who claimed for themselves a spiritual superiority, and pneumatics who believed that they had already been raised to new life. (New Interpreter’s Study Bible, p.2099.)
Paul’s first desire is to reassure the church that he is okay. They should not worry about him. Better their attention should be focused on their own problems and challenges so that they might remain faithful to the gospel even in the face of trials and difficulties.
In chapter 2, verses 5-11, (the Epistle lesson for this Sunday’s liturgy of the passion) he provides them with a strategy for overcoming those trials and difficulties. Namely, be like Jesus. He reverses his normal approach and places the imperative before the indicative. First, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” Be humble and obedient to the gospel of love, grace, kindness and forgiveness.
Then, he offers the indicative: If we can bring ourselves to be like Jesus then we shall receive a reward not unlike his. We will sit at his right hand when he take his place upon the throne of glory.
In the Sermon
What follows is not so much a sermon as what I like to refer to as “a sermon experience.” Again, the goal of this format is to walk with Jesus as he traverses the Via Dolorosa to Calvary and to invite Jesus to walk with us as we walk the Via Pandemica of 2020 & 2021, all of us ending up, together, in the garden on Easter morning.
I suggest two or three readers: The first reader reads the name of each station. The second reader reads the text for that station. The third reader reads the Covid station and makes a brief, theological observation. There is a brief pause for prayer after each station, followed by one of the readers leading the congregation saying or singing a brief response such as: Lord have mercy upon us, etc.
Stations --- Covid Stations --- Scripture
1. The Last Supper --- 12/31/19 - mysterious pneumonia sickening dozens in China --- Matthew 26:26-30
2. Garden of Gethsemane --- 1/21/20 - first case of coronavirus on US soil --- Matthew 26:36-41
3. Jesus before Pilate --- 1/30/20 - WHO declares global health emergency --- Mark 15:1-5, 15
4. Scourging & crown of thorns --- Schools / restaurants / theaters / churches / concert venues closed --- Mark 15:15-20
5. The Receiving the cross --- Breonna Taylor, George Floyd & others killed by police --- John 19:6, 15-17
6. The Fall --- Babies at the border - children arriving three times faster than they can be placed.
7. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus People --- reach out to help those hurt by the coronavirus --- Mark 15:21
8. Women of Jerusalem --- Violence against Asian Americans, women murdered in Atlanta --- Luke 23:27-31
9. Stripping of his Garments --- Jan. 6 - Violent insurrection threatens the government --- John 19:23-24
10. The Good Thief --- Millions wearing masks & social distancing 6’ – 25% refuse --- Luke 23:39-43
11. Mary and John at the cross --- Churches discover and invent new ways of worshiping together --- John 19:25-27
12. The Death of Jesus --- 550,000+ American, 2,683,209 worldwide deaths from Covid --- Mark 15:33-39
13. The laying in the tomb --- 500,000 American dead remembered at presidential inauguration --- Matthew 27:57-61
14. The Resurrection --- 100 million Americans, 320 million worldwide vaccinated --- Matthew 28:1-7
These are suggestions, of course. You may be able to find more apt or up-to-date scripture lessons and better, more applicable events to note as part of the path we have trod this past year. The difficult changes in education, massive unemployment, the blizzard in Texas and western states, 19 mass shootings, rising food insecurity, stimulus checks. Your community may offer some items specific to your location.
Whichever way we go, it is the walk and the acknowledgement that Jesus walks with us that changes us for the better. It is a walk that will strengthen us and makes us better, more faithful Christians if we can do it with the mind of Christ.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:Mark 11:1-11
Longing for a Sign (Palm/Passion)
As Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem, it’s hard to tell what he wants from the crowd around him, if anything. He is signaling something to them and to the religious rulers, but what? We would love to have a more clear sign from him.
That same longing for clarity took artist Richard Ankrom to extraordinary lengths.
“In the 1980s, when artist Richard Ankrom drove past his Los Angeles freeway exit and got lost, he didn’t think much of it at the time, but this missed turn stuck with him. Years later, he was passing by the same spot and noticed the continued absence of an exit sign that would help him and other drivers get to where they needed to go. Where others might have asked someone in a position of authority to fix the problem, Ankrom saw an opportunity to put his artistic skills to work. He decided to make his own sign and hang it above the 110 as an act of “guerrilla public service”—and he would keep his intervention a secret. For his plan to work, the sign had to look like it belonged there, which meant measuring the exact dimensions of other official signs. Ankrom also held up color swatches to match the paint and read the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to determine the right typeface. He even sprayed a thin layer of gray paint over his copycat sign to make it blend in better with the smog-glazed signage around it. Ankrom wrote his name on the back with a black marker like a painter signing a canvas (except he put it out of sight so it wouldn’t risk drawing attention to his piece). After a lot of work and planning, Ankrom and a group of friends assembled near the target location on the morning of August 5, 2001. To pull off the operation, the artist cut his hair and bought a set of work clothes, an orange vest, and a hard hat. He even applied a magnetic sticker to his truck to make it look like the vehicle of a Caltrans contractor to avoid raising suspicion that might lead to his arrest. Using a ladder, Ankrom made his way up to the catwalk thirty feet above the freeway and spent the next half hour installing the sign. He worried the whole time that he might get caught or, worse, drop a tool on one of the speeding drivers below. In the end, the installation went off without a hitch and no one was the wiser. The whole affair remained a secret until a friend leaked it to the press nearly a year later, at which point Caltrans sent people out to inspect Ankrom’s handiwork.”
Ankrom’s sign was good enough to pass inspection, and it stayed put for another eight years. “When the sign finally had to be updated years later, Caltrans not only replaced Ankrom’s creation but also added a few more I-5 North exit signs along the 110.”
The right sign yields its wisdom over time, and Jesus’ actions also become more clear to us with time, and on the other side of the cross.
(From "The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design" by Roman Mars, Kurt Kohlstedt)
* * *
Mark 11:1-11
Transforming the Function (Palm)
Who can help you imagine something in a new way? Children. And Jesus. As Tom Vanderbilt observes in his book Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning, "In the famous “candle problem,” people are asked to attach a candle to the wall using nothing more than a box of matches and a box of tacks. People struggle to solve it because they get hung up on the “functional fixedness” of the box as a container for tacks.”
Jesus is taking the familiar street theater of a leader entering the city and using this ancient ritual in a new ay, to announce a new kind of kingship and a new kind of kingdom, or even kin-dom, as people often say. Jesus understands that a parade is not just a parade, it’s also a vehicle for God’s message of transformation.
When asked to solve the candle problem, “there is one group, it turns out, that tends to do pretty well on the candle problem: five-year-olds.” The five-year olds can see that the box is also a small shelf for the candle. Researchers says that younger children have more open minds, and can see more possibilities. They “have a more fluid “conception of function” than older children or adults. They are less hung up on things being for something, and more able to view them simply as things to be used in all sorts of ways. Small wonder they conquer new technology so handily; everything is new for them. Children, in a very real sense, have beginners’ minds, open to wider possibilities."
On Palm Sunday, Jesus invites us all to see that way, so we can see the newness in what he’s doing.
* * *
Mark 11:1-11
Alone in the Crowd (Palm/Passion)
In the Jerusalem crowd, Jesus has a peculiar aloneness. Surrounded by people, he alone knows how the week will end.
Author Kate Bowler describes a similar time of feeling alone, when she was first diagnosed with stage four cancer. She remembers, “Most of my worst thoughts hover around a single word. Alone. For a long time, I felt like I was the only person in the world who will die. It was the weird feeling that began in the haze of my diagnosis. I remember standing in the lobby of Duke Hospital, waiting for them to admit me. I was talking on the phone to my friend, Margaret, with my hand on the window. “I feel like I’m behind glass now. And you’re all on the other side.” Even today I still feel it in the moment between shaking someone’s hand and the spark of recognition in their eyes. Oh, it’s YOU. And then they cock their heads to one side like sorrowful cocker spaniels.”
She adds, “It is true that there are some things I’m always going to have to do alone. It’s the deep breath I take before they put in a fat needle into the port in my chest. It’s the sinking feeling in my stomach when the doctor holds the test results. It’s the catch in my throat when I watch a little baby curved into the dip of a new parent’s shoulder.”
Bowler realizes that she has a consolation. “But this is also the truth: I am never alone. You are with me. I come home and there are cookies in my mailbox from Katy. Last week Mandy sent me smelly pencils (called “Smencils”!) and I am hooked on the grape one. Molly made me a crossword puzzle where all the clues are drawn from American religious history trivia. Rob, my doctor friend, talks me through some recent findings. Andrea, my college roommate, e-mails me funny videos to watch during chemo and my little sister Maria sends me funny articles with titles like “Types of Guys I Would Like to Date, If Anyone Could Please Introduce Me to Them.” I was late to a meeting the other day because at the faculty meeting I had gotten too many hugs.”
“These little things,: she says, are the cure for the desperate aloneness. “These are the little whispers: youareloved, youareloved, youareloved. I can feel it in moments of divine closeness when God seems to say, I am here.” We can only pray that Jesus hears the same whispers as he rides through the crowd, and faces the week ahead.
Bowler says, “The most alone I have ever been is when I woke up from my surgery. The room was empty and all I could hear was the chirping of the heartrate monitor. The hospital had, of course, taken everything that was familiar to me. My dress I love to teach in. My ring from the man I love. All I had was my hospital gown and a carved up body I hardly recognized. And then I saw it. Something around my wrist. It was a bracelet. But not just any bracelet. It was a slap bracelet, the kind I played with when I was ten and they were all the rage. It was such an absurd situation, the more I thought about it. Someone had crept into my room, past security, and quietly slapped it on my wrist so I would have it when I woke up. It was bright neon. It was hideous. And all it said was: FIERCE.” God speaks into the aloneness – ours and Jesus’.
* * *
Mark 11:1-11
Having a Different Experience (Palm/Passion)
It’s easy to imagine, as Jesus rides through the crowds on his donkey, that his thoughts are completely different from anyone else gathered there. They may be seeing a hero and a king, and he’s contemplating the danger he’s in, and the death that awaits.
Maria Shriver tells about a parallel experience, being invited to what was supposed to be a celebration at Arlington Cemetery. On the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics, a cause dear to her family’s heart, she got an invitation, to “a mass at Arlington for Uncle Bobby [Kennedy.] And I stared at the invitation for really the last ten days, debating myself, do I want to go to that, because so much of my childhood was going to Arlington, marking deaths. And I thought to myself, I really don’t want to go back and have that experience again, because it’s so raw, and it’s so present. It’s so much about how I grew up and so much about making a trek to Arlington and what was my mother thinking at Arlington; what was everybody feeling at Arlington; oh, my God, we’re going to Arlington again.”
It felt like it would be only an experience of pain. And then, she says, she realized, “I can actually go to Arlington, because I can choose to decide that it’s a celebration — not a marker of a death, but a celebration of my family, a celebration of everybody that’s still here. And so I want to turn the story around on that day, and I want to go feeling like it’s not about the past, but it’s about a moment honoring somebody who stood for something; and I can do that without being consumed by it.”
Perhaps Jesus finds the layers of honor, love and purpose in the Jerusalem crowd, even while his thoughts are so different from theirs.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:A pile of Good Things and a Pile of Bad Things (Palm/Passion)
Why is it Palm Sunday happened? Why did Jesus Christ go through the splendor of the Palm Sunday greeting, only to be crucified mere days later? Dr. Who has a great episode about this featuring Vincent Van Gogh. Vincent Van Gogh is visited by Dr. Who and his best friend Amy, where he wrestles with depression. In the end they celebrate him and show him that he will be featured and admired as one of the greatest painters in museums. Upon their return from their visit, Amy is convinced that Van Gogh had changed — had not committed suicide and painted many more paintings. But it’s not to be, and she is upset. Dr. Who says the way he looks at life, it’s a pile of good things and a pile of bad things. The good things cannot change or negate the bad things. But so too, the bad things cannot destroy the good things. And, Dr. Who adds, they definitely added to Vincent Van Gogh’s pile of good things.
Palm Sunday is a good thing. It is a vision of the triumph of God, it is a moment where the Hebrews felt free. It is a time where people get to display and celebrate their love for Jesus Christ. Good Friday is coming, but it doesn’t destroy what happened Palm Sunday, even as Palm Sunday cannot solve what is coming on Good Friday. Life is a pile of good things and a pile of bad things, and the good news is, we are invited, encouraged and called to add to the world’s pile of good things.
* * *
Celebrating the small stuff (Palm)
The evidence points to the officials beings surprised about how big a reaction the crowd had to the entry of Jesus. They did not expect a single person’s entry into a city to cause a triumphal parade — the likes of which usually happened as a result of military victory. It was a little thing in the grand scheme of the empire. During this time of the pandemic I have been reminded to rejoice in the small things: a card from a friend, a day where I get the chance to sit in the sun, the chance to do something on zoom, for free, that I never would have had time or money for before. There was a remarkable conversation among my colleagues on twitter that all of the things that I thought I did “for fun” were actually pivotal for surviving and thriving, we just did not realize it until they were taken away.
Celebration is necessary for human existence. We must celebrate. Why did the people celebrate Jesus’ arrival? Because they couldn’t help it. I know every single time I hear that someone is vaccinated, I want to throw a party. Celebration is not something we do “for fun” it’s something we do because it is ingrained in us. We want to “sing a new song to the Lord,” we long to dance and shout and celebrate one another — indeed celebrating together is one of the things we miss the most during our time of quarantine.
Did you know that one of the key indicators of a good relationship is how often they celebrate one another? Luckily it’s not the bumps or the pitfalls, it’s not how successful they are, or how often they fight. This is true of friendships, mentorships, parenthoods, childhoods, and siblinghoods too! The real investment in a relationship is how much we celebrate one another. I have a theory that Jesus was so celebratory of every single person he met, that Palm Sunday was inevitable. Others wanted to invest in their relationship with Christ, too. They wanted to celebrate him. And yes, they were all counting on some kind of military victory that was not going to happen. Yet, they also just needed a reason to celebrate in the midst of a hard life under the occupation of a militaristic nation that did not even count them as people or citizens. Thus they celebrated the little (big) event of Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem and made it a big deal. What can we celebrate in/for one another today?
* * *
Scapegoating (Passion)
They had a tough week. It is true that when Good Friday comes, Jesus is ready. He knows that these people are ready to turn and scapegoat him. Rev. Lenny Duncan recently did a strong presentation where he says that he finds it unacceptable that people have to die to open one’s eyes to the problems that are going on. Why did Emmett Till have to die for white people to understand just how stacked the courts are? Why did George Floyd have to be filmed dying for people to understand that violence and abuse that Black people have been suffering under state violence for years? Duncan says that for him it is not worth it for Black people to die in order to make it understandable that Black Lives Matter. So too, the horrific deaths of 8 people, of varied Asian people, should not have to happen, for the United States to wake up to the fact that we need to Stop Asian Hate.
Rev. Lenny Duncan says that Jesus should not have had to die to make God’s love for us clear. Jesus should not have had to die for us to realize that his ministry to the poor and marginal is important. The Prince of Peace should not have had to die for us to give peace a chance.
In today’s world the question is how many people have to die of racism, coronavirus, hunger, or for being trans, for us to believe the truth about that existence. Why do people have to die? When we talk about who we are on Good Friday, it’s not just that we are the angry crowd or the scared disciples. We are also the ones who have to see death to believe how important things are. God loved us into being from the beginning of time, but we humans put the limit on it that we could not believe it until someone died. (And even then, God tricks us, because death is not the end we thought it was, but the beginning).
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Save us, we beseech you! (Palm)
The Psalm’s declaration of God’s salvation take on fresh significance in light of this week’s shootings in Boulder, Colorado, as well as last week’s massacre in Atlanta, and rising rates of violence against Asian Americans. In Colorado, bystanders live-streamed video of a shooting at a Boulder grocery store. The shooting reportedly began when a gun man entered a King Sooper’s grocery store after lunch. There were rallies in Atlanta and other cities over the week to protest the shooting deaths of eight people at two Asian spas and massage parlors last week as well as recent increases in violence aimed at Asian Americans. Hate acts and violence toward Asian’s have increased during the pandemic, including apparently random acts of violence directed to elderly Asians in several major cities recently.
In a speech following the Atlanta shootings, Vice-President Kamala Harris noted that there had been more than 3,800 assaults on Asians in the past year. Prior to introducing President Joe Biden, Harris said, “For the last year, we've had people in positions of incredible power scapegoasing [sic] -- scapegoating Asian Americans. People with the biggest pulpits spreading this kind of hate. Ultimately, this is about who we are as a nation. This is about how we treat people with dignity and respect. Everyone has the right to go to work, to go to school, to walk down the street and be safe, and also, the right to be recognized as an American -- not as the other, not as them, but as us.”
* * *
Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-16
What sort of king? (Palm)
Jesus is hailed as the ancestor of David (Mark) and greeted as the conquering king of Israel (John), though Jesus’ self-understanding of what constitutes a king differs from the crowd’s expectations. Indeed, the reign of Jesus continues to stand in stark contrast to the kingdoms of the world. In contemporary terms, Jesus would likely be accorded celebrity status today rather than receive military or diplomatic greetings. But it raises a great question: what is it like to be a monarch today?
Worldwide, monarchies continue to decline. There are currently 44 monarchies in the world, though only 29 reigning monarchs. South America is the only continent to not include royalty (bonus points awarded for those who can name the 10 monarchies in North America!).
Meanwhile, Americans continue to be fascinated by royalty—particularly the British royal family. More than 17 million persons watched Oprah Winfrey’s recent interview with Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle. The couple’s concerns over bullying and racism within the royal family has proved especially incendiary—and are reminders of how Jesus’ kingdom of inclusion and justice is markedly different from the empires of the world. One wonders what sort of ruler the world really wants.
Anthony Andrew, writing for the Guardian, noted that the interview “rattled Buckingham Palace and raised issues about the monarchy that could yet build into a serious crisis for the royal family.” While Meghan Markle spoke of diversity and inclusion, Andrew wonders how the “firm” could actually embody such changes.
But how can an institution based and run on the hereditary principle, one that has luxuriated in great privilege and enforced social distance, accommodate the concepts, let alone the practices, of inclusivity and diversity?
Andrew concludes: “The answer, in our age of optics optimization, seems to be that no one seriously expects the monarchy to be more egalitarian. They just want it to look that way.”
* * *
Mark 11:1-11, John 12:12-16
Royal diversity (Palm)
According to Buckingham palace, the prince and duchess’ concerns regarding racism are being taken seriously. Some efforts at inclusion apparently predate the interview, but the global viewing audience has prompted additional efforts. According to the Guardian:
The move to improve diversity will include LGBTQ+ and disability representation and is said to have the full support of the royal family. It aims to seek independent views to help assess and improve representation.
A royal source said “This is an issue which has been taken very seriously across the royal households. We have the policies, the procedures and programmes in place but we haven’t seen the progress we would like and accept more needs to be done, we can always improve.
“Therefore we are not afraid to look at new ways of approaching it. The work to do this has been under way for some time now and comes with the full support of the family.”
* * *
Psalm 31:9-16
“My Times Are In Your Hand” (Passion)
In a recent column, Diana Butler Bass offered insightful reflections on how Christians have responded to previous pandemics. Bass recounts the response of Christians during the Antonine Plague that began in 166 CE and lasted 23 years.
Bass notes how Christians faced the dangers of the plague directly by serving their neighbors, often at great personal risk. In communities with particularly strong Christian communities saw death rates that were in some cases half of other cities. As a result, Christianity saw remarkable growth in the years following the pandemic. But Bass cautions against an overly optimistic prediction of what might happen following the current pandemic. She notes:
Perhaps a religious revival of some sort lies just ahead. But the Romans had an advantage over us — those ancient Christians didn’t have to worry about their brethren on Facebook or Twitter spreading falsehoods regarding the disease. Instead of facing the pandemic squarely and doing the hard work of neighborly care (even in the simple act of wearing masks), a considerable portion of America’s Christian population has been in denial of the extent and danger of COVID, revealing a self-centered moral cowardice that is exactly the opposite reaction of their ancient ancestors when they faced the first pandemic following the birth of the church.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
“Selfless” CEO’s death (Passion)
When Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry, Kent Taylor fought back by giving up his both his salary and a $1 million bonus while also making a personal donation of $5 million to a fund that helped his employees facing financial hardship. His selfless action, friends say, was typical for the hands on, high energy founder of the Texas Roadhouse chain of restaurants. Even Taylor’s own battle with Covid-19, which had left him with severe tinnitus (ringing in the ear) prompted him to pledge funds to a clinical study of the mysterious condition. It was among his last charitable gifts.
Taylor died by suicide on March 18. Family members said that his Covid symptoms became increasingly dire long after he had recovered from the virus. Studies have shown that roughly 40 percent of Americans have reported with mental health issues since the pandemic began.
A company spokesperson said that no one who knew the CEO was surprised by his generosity toward his front-line employees. “This selfless act was no surprise to anyone who knew Kent and his strong belief in servant leadership,” Greg Moore, the chain’s lead director, said in a statement referring to Taylor’s donation. “He was without a doubt, a people-first leader. His entrepreneurial spirit will live on in the company he built, the projects he supported and the lives he touched.”
Suicide can be prevented. If you or someone you know need help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
* * *
Mark 14:1--15:47
Observation (Passion)
This week, the violence of our world will intersect with the violence inflicted on Jesus. We will read the account of Jesus’ passion and crucifixion against the backdrop of our nation’s encounters with violence and death. Our joyous cries of “Hosanna” cannot drown out the cries from the victims of gun violence, the laments of African American mothers mourning the deaths of the sons, or the cries of millions who have lost loved ones to Covid-19.
In the previous year, we have witnessed the unrest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis – a death that Penn Rhodeen has called “an American crucifixion.” In addition, this week has renewed our awareness of the unique American dilemma over gun violence and mass shootings. We face the horror of victims gunned down in Atlanta and Boulder. The victims represent the entire tapestry of American life—Asian immigrants, small business owners, grocery store employees, families stopping by the store to grab lunch or something for dinner.
Their lives and deaths invite us to rethink Jesus’ steps toward Calvary. Indeed, a 2020 take on the stations of the cross might include:
- Those condemned to death at the hands of shooters in Atlanta and Boulder;
- The healthcare workers forced to carry their own crosses while treating hundreds of thousands;
- The stumbling of those who fought against racial injustice;
- Those who have born the burdens of poverty and food insecurity during the pandemic;
- The tears we have shed for more than 500,000 who have died.
- Stumbling under the weight of gun violence;
- Weeping over innocent Asian Americans falsely accused of spreading the coronavirus;
- Stumbling underneath the burden of political divisions;
- Acknowledging the stripping of dignity from Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and many others.
- Christ nailed to the cross, bearing the suffering of the world.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: O give thanks to God who is good.
All: God’s steadfast love endures forever!
One: This is the day that God has made.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
One: God is God, the One who has given us light.
All: Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the altar.
OR
One: Let us wave our palms and receive the Christ of God.
All: We rejoice that the Christ comes among us today!
One: These palms will soon die and be turned to ashes.
All: We will receive them back next year into our lives.
One: The way of the palms will lead to the way of the cross.
All: We will walk both ways with our savior until we reach Easter.
Hymns and Songs:
All Glory, Laud, and Honor
UMH: 280
H82: 154/155
PH: 88
AAHH: 226
NNBH: 102
NCH: 216/217
CH: 192
LBW: 108
ELW: 344
W&P: 265
AMEC: 129
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
UMH: 278
PH: 89
NCH: 213
W&P: 267
AMEC: 130
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
UMH: 286
H82: 168/169
PH: 98
AAHH: 250
NNBH: 108
NCH: 226
CH: 202
LBW: 116/117
ELW: 351/352
W&P: 284
AMEC: 133
STLT: 265
Renew: 235
What Wondrous Love Is This
UMH: 292
H82: 439
PH: 85
NCH: 223
CH: 200
LBW: 385
ELW: 666
W&P: 257
STLT: 18
Renew: 277
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
UMH: 295
H82: 441/442
PH: 84
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193/194
LBW: 104
ELW: 324
W&P: 264
AMEC: 153
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
UMH: 301
NNBH: 103
NCH: 197
CH: 587
ELW: 335
W&P: 479
AMEC: 321
O Come and Dwell in Me
UMH: 388
Take Up Thy Cross
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
LBW: 398
ELW: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
All Hail King Jesus
CCB: 29
Renew: 35
He Is Exalted
CCB: 30
Renew: 238
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who comes to reign in peace and love:
Grant us the grace to accept you as our sovereign
that we may know peace and love in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, because you come among us to reign in love and peace. You come in humility and compassion. Help us to accept you as our savior so that we may truly know peace and love in our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to accept you as the one who rules in gentleness and compassion.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We claim to be your children and to be followers of the Christ but we often act in ways that are self-centered and in opposition to our Lord. We look for power instead of peace; we look for what we can get instead of what we can give. We want the thrill of the palms without the cost of the cross. Forgive us and lead us back to the side of Jesus that we may learn anew what it means to be a child of God. Amen.
One: God is always looking for us and calling us back home. Return to Jesus and know that love and peace of God as you share it with others.
Prayers of the People
We praise you, O God, because you are the one who brings salvation. You never leave us or forsake us but come to bring new life in the midst of death.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We claim to be your children and to be followers of the Christ but we often act in ways that are self-centered and in opposition to our Lord. We look for power instead of peace; we look for what we can get instead of what we can give. We want the thrill of the palms without the cost of the cross. Forgive us and lead us back to the side of Jesus that we may learn anew what it means to be a child of God.
We give you thanks for your constant love and presence in our lives even during those times when we get distracted by what is going on around us and we fail to see you there. We give you thanks for all the blessings of this life which are signs that you love us and care for us. We thank you for those who have shared your love with us, sometimes at great cost to them.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another In our need. We pray for those who suffer from illness and death. We pray for those who are in need for the basics of this human life. We pray for those who suffer from the thoughtlessness and cruelty of others.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Today we hear about Jesus’ suffering and how badly people treated him. It is a sad story but when we hear it we always remember that Easter is coming. No matter what happens to us, God is always ready to bring something new and good into our lives.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMONIt's Okay to Be Angry
by Bethany Peerbolte
Mark 14:1--15:47 or Mark 15:1-39, (40-47)
Anger is a holy emotion. We see Jesus get angry from time to time. His expression is often explained to the people who matter the most. Jesus processes his anger so that it does not get misinterpreted or wrongly infect others. This Easter season we can learn this from Jesus and begin expressing healthier anger in our lives.
In your message say something like:
Who here has ever felt angry? (allow time for kids to raise their hands) Have you ever gotten so…so…so angry? (when you say this clasp your hands in front of you in one fist and squeeze your hands until you shake a little) Sometimes we get so angry we don’t know what to do with it, but when anger lives inside us it only grows bigger. We need to let it out.
This happened to Jesus too. He got angry that people were being mean inside the temple, a worship building like our church. Jesus got so angry he flipped over tables and shouted at everyone. Jesus also got angry once and cursed a tree. When anger lives inside us we need to let it out.
One way we can do this is by squeezing our hands together. Can you all do this with me? Hold your hands together in front of you and make one fist with your hands clasped together. Now squeeze. Harder. Harder. Some of you are shaking, that’s good keep going, harder. Now hold for three seconds, 1…2…3. Now let go and relax. Ahhhhhhhh
Did you notice not just the muscles in your hands were squeezing? Your arms, elbows, neck, shoulders all of them were tensing up. This is what happens with anger. It spreads without us noticing. There were some people around Jesus who were angry. Their anger spread from one person to the next until lots of people were angry at Jesus. This eventually leads to people wanting Jesus to be killed. That is a lot of anger.
So how is Jesus’ anger different than the people who let it spread? Jesus talked about his anger. When Jesus felt angry he would talk to his friends. He would admit he was feeling angry and talking helped him feel better. It also helped his friends understand why he had flipped tables.
We learn from Jesus that being angry is okay as long as we notice it and talk about it. I want you to think about something that might be making you angry. (give them time to think) Who could you talk to about it? (give them time to think/answer)
Let’s say a prayer to ask God to help us too:
Understanding God, we know anger is normal. We feel angry sometimes. Jesus showed us talking helps. Help us find people to talk to when we feel angry. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 28, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
