Palm Sunday

Philippians 2:5-11 p954
5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.9Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is the Word of the Lord…….Thanks be to God

Mark 11:1-11 p 823
11When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples2and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it.3If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’”4They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it,5some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”6They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it.7Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it.8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.9Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
This is the Word of the Lord…….Thanks be to God


Imagine a parade. A parade with someone really important—the Pope, perhaps—his appearance in Mexico, in the Popemobile, was just recently on tv. The Governor, appearing with all his “people”. Or the President—with Air Force One and a full rank of security enhanced limousines and the secret service. Imagine all the reporters, all the tv crews, all the pomp and circumstance.
Imagine-the One who will save the country, the One who will get us out of this recession, the One who will get us out from under the yoke of the oppressors, the one who will bring gas prices down to a reasonable level- is coming!! Is entering OUR town, our city—what would we do?
Why, we would join the parade of course—stand at the side and wave, bring our lawn chairs out at dawn, stand in line for hours, do whatever we needed to do to get there, to see him, to be part of it—whatever it turns out to be.
Although, in the case of Jesus, it turns out to be a lot less spectacular than we had hoped.
Because Jesus appears not on a white charger, not in the first century equivalent of a limousine, but…..on a colt. A working man’s car. A poor person’s vehicle-
And comes in, not through the front gates, not through the main thoroughfare, not down Fifth Avenue, but, apparently, through a back gate.
He does not look like a king. At least, not the kind of king we think of. Not the kind of king we are prepared to follow and worship.
The people that morning join in—the spread their cloaks down on the road, so that even the colt won’t have to dirty its feet, as a sign of respect. They take branches from trees in the fields nearby, and wave them, and put them down on the road as well. They cheer- Blessed is HE! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is he who comes to restore the kingdom of our ancestor, the great King David! Blessed is he- and blessed are we- because we have backed a winner.

There was a parade here, right here in Hector the other day. I imagine there are similar ones, in Lodi, and Ovid, and Interlaken. What? You didn’t see it on the news? You weren’t part of it?-They were there, lined up in the chilly spring morning, more than 75 people—children, some of whom were crying, old people, young people, working people, unemployed people- quite a parade- lined up in front of the church. There were no tv crews. Nobody was waving flags, or palm branches, for that matter. Nobody was yelling “Blessed is He!” but there were quite a few “thank yous” and several “God bless you’s” and one or two “You are a God-send”.
The parade was people lining up for the Mobile Food Pantry truck. They were mostly a quiet crowd, mostly a well-behaved crowd. A parade of people- who spent more time waiting than it took to get the food, more time lining up than it took to be in the parade.
And Jesus was there, with them. With us. In the embarrassment, in the joy, in the tears, in the cold spring morning.
Because that is the kind of King Jesus is.
I know most of us grew up on “king” language for Jesus. It is Scriptural, after all. The people on that morning in Jerusalem even talk about King David- when Jesus comes in, they shout “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!” But I wonder about the “king” language. We are Americans! We don’t have kings! We don’t want a king- didn’t we fight a war to get out from under the yoke of a tyrant? Wasn’t our country founded on that? Isn’t a king oppressive?
But this is the kind of King, the kind of Lord, Jesus is—one who humbles himself, to come and be one of us. One who is glorious, and gives up his glory to come and live with us. One who embraces downward mobility. One who became poor that we may be rich, loving the world, and leaving his throne, in the words of a song.
Now, as Americans, we grew up with another kind of story- not of kings, maybe, but of the rags to riches, Horatio Alger, work hard and you’ll make it, be extremely lucky and buy the winning Mega-millions lottery ticket story—
But that is not the story of Christ. Christ came to be with us—Emmanuel, God with us—and share our lives—even when—especially when—our own lives do not make an uplifting story or a glittering parade. Christ is one who lines up on a Tuesday morning to join us in feeding and being fed. Christ is the One who is here when people gather for a free lunch on a chilly Friday. Christ is the One who invites us to come and feast at this Table.
At his name every knee should bend, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Christ empties himself, pours himself out—for us and for the world—even to the point of dying on the cross. Some king. Some savior.
Hosanna. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom. For come He surely will.