A pastor should not complain about his congregation, certainly never to other people, but also not to God. A congregation has not been entrusted to him in order that he should become its accuser before God and men. When a person becomes alienated from a Christian community in which he has been placed and begins to raise complaints about it, he had better examine himself first to wee whether the trouble is not due to his wish dream that has been shattered by God...
Life Together
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Teacher, Martyr, died April 9, 1945
I found this story on Father John's blog, and then did a little investigation so that I can give credit for it to Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice.
The donkey awakened, his mind still savoring the afterglow of the most exciting day of his life. Never before had he felt such a rush of pleasure and pride. He walked into town and found a group of people by the well. "I'll show myself to them," he thought.
But they didn't notice him. They went on drawing their water and paid him no mind.
"Throw your garments down," he said crossly. "Don't you know who I am?" They just looked at him in amazement. Someone slapped him across the tail and ordered him to move. "Miserable heathens!" he muttered to himself. "I'll just go to the market where the good people are. They will remember me."
But the same thing happened. No one paid any attention to the donkey as he strutted down the main street in front of the marketplace.
"The palm branches! Where are the palm branches?" he shouted. "Yesterday, you threw palm branches!"
Hurt and confused, the donkey returned home to his mother. Foolish child," she said gently, "Don't you realize that without Jesus you are just an ordinary donkey?"
Cute story and good reminder that we don't get so caught up with all the doings of the week that we forget Who this is really about!.
I don't know this for a fact but I've heard that Palm Sunday was changed to Sunday of the Passion because so few people attended Maundy Thursday Good Friday services that they were skipping merrily from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. This does give you a rather warped sense of what Christianity is all about.
My friend John is not happy with this development. He thinks we should not enable folks this way and says "It really pisses Jesus off. He needs the week to get himself together. People who want to yank him off his pony and tack him on the cross must be stopped" He cracks me up.
I don't know. He has a point but I've come to love the Sunday of the Passion. Our service on that day is just the Passion of our Lord (beginning with the entry procession of palms" right out of whatever Gospel the Lectionary year is, broken up with hymns like "Go to Dark Gethsemane" "Oh Sacred Head" and "In the Hour of Trial" Since we always read John's passion account on Good Friday, this is a good way for people to hear the story from the other Gospel writers. It's a very moving service. I get people to read the various parts just right from the pew. (Which I'm sure annoys the guy who videotapes the services since they don't use a mike) and the congregation reads parts like "and they all deserted him" and "crucify him".
I've been told it's hurtful for abused and oppressed people to have to read "Crucify him" because oppressed and abused people aren't responsible for Jesus being crucified. I certainly don't want to be hurtful. But I believe Christ died for everybody's sins. Even those who are abused and oppressed. You don't get a pass for being abused and oppressed. Abused and oppressed people need forgiveness just like everyone else, not excuses, explanations and passes. Life and sin is messy and complicated. We are all victims of our circumstances and our sinfulness. My job is to tell guilty people that they are forgiven, period, not give them excuses and explanations as to why they sinned. Because I don't think most people believe their own excuses or the ones others give them. It's a Law/Gospel thing. I think we all know deep down that we are sinners. We don't need to be beat over the head with it. But it does need to be acknowledged. I think we need to see ourselves in that crowd that shouted for Jesus' crucifixion. Ted Peters in "Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society" defines sin as that tendency to draw a line between good and evil and pretend we are with God on the good side. The fact is, sin and evil is all mixed up with the good stuff on earth and when God became flesh and entered this world, he crossed over all those boundaries humans want to put up to separate the wheat and the chaff. Abused or abuser, we are all on the same side. And we are all in that crowd shouting "Crucify him!"
But I do need to thank Sophia from the RevGalBlog Pals for making me think about this. I totally disagree with her but I had taken the congregation shouting "Crucify him" for granted and appreciated her making me think more deeply about it to defend the practice.
Last night I went to "Awaken", a mime production. It was very moving. I even cried when Jesus died. It's not like I didn't know it was coming. Just that afternoon I had watched PBS show "Religion and Ethics" and they had a segment about the Hispanic Holy Week events and how moving their Passion play was and how the priest who had seen it for 20 years still cries. We Lutherans tend to frown on too much emotionalism but I think what we object to is emotional manipulation. When it's the story itself that makes you cry – that's a good thing I think.
I wish they had left it there. Instead this guy had to get up and give us a sermon. Just in case we didn't "get it" from the story alone. It nearly ruined it for me. Another reminder to us preachers that sometimes we just need to shut up and let the story do what it is supposed to do.
Anyway…Great start to the week. I'm ready for Holy Week. Are you?,
Entry of Christ into Jerusalem"Pietro Lorenzetti, 1320
When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and 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. If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'" They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
"Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
Then 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
Mark 11:1-11
"Entry Into Jerusalem"
Adel Nassief
Let the mountains and all the hills Break out into great rejoicing at the mercy of God, And let the trees of the forest clap their hands Give praise to Christ, all nations, Magnify him, all peoples, crying: Glory to thy power, O Lord. Seated inheaven upon they throne And on earth upon a fola, O Christ our God, Thou has accepted the praise of the angels And the songs of the children who cried out to thee: Blessed art thou that comest to call back Adam.
Orthodox Hymns for Palm Sunday
Entry into Jerusalem
12th Century Mosaic
Behold, this means that he comes to you, for your welfare, as your own; in that he is your king, you receive grace from him into your heart, so that he delivers you from sin and death, and thus becomes your king and you his subject. In coming to you he becomes your own, so that you partake of his treasures, as a bride, by the jewelry the bridegroom puts on her, becomes partner of his possessions. Oh, this is a joyful, comforting form of speech! Who would despair and be afraid of death and hell, if he believes in these words and wins Christ as his own
Martin Luther
Cappella Scrovegni 1306
We praise you, O God,
for redeeming the world through our Savior Jesus Christ.
Today he entered the holy city in triumph
and was proclaimed messiah and king
by those who spread garments and branches along his way.
Bless these branches and those who carry them.
Grant us grace to follow our Lord in the way of the cross,
so that, joined to his death and resurrection,
we enter into life with you; through the same Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen
All glory, laud, and honor to you, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring!
You are the King of Israel, and David's royal Son, Now in the Lord's name coming, the King and blessed One!
The company of angels are praising you on High Creation and all mortals in chorus make reply.
The multitude of pilgrims with palms before you went Our praise and prayer and anthems before thee we present.
To you, before your passion, they sang their hymns of praise, To you now high exalted, our melody we raise.
Their praises you accepted; accept the prayers we bring, Great Author of all goodness, O good and gracious King!
All glory, laud, and honor to you, Redeemer, King, To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring!
For me, it's not Palm Sunday (Or on our church calendar - the Sunday of the Passion) until we sing this ancient hymn. It was written by Theodolph, Bishop of Orleans while he was imprisoned around 820. He had been accused of plotting against against Louis I the Pious (who was anything but pious) who became emperor after Charlemagne. Legend has it that Louis was visiting the area and heard the bishop singing this song to himself in prison and was so moved that he released Theodolph. The composer of the tune "St. Theodolph" was Melchio Teschner, a Lutheran pastor. He wrote this tune for another text in 1611. Bach later used the tune for his St. John Passion.
