March 25 2018 Palm Sunday "Whose Calling"

Mark 11.1-11 March 25 2018 (Palm Sunday) Mark 11.1-11 “Whose Calling?” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

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In our mobile society, we cherish the precious times when we can get together with friends and loved ones. We celebrate one another with smiles, kind gestures, sharing and caring in countless ways. It is a joy to be in fellowship. Whenever two or three are gathered together for God’s good purpose, God fills our cups with blessings until they overflow. [slide # 1 cup]

That is what it was like on the first Palm Sunday. Jesus was being celebrated and the crowd was excited. All his fans were cheering enthusiastically. There were definitely others there who were not on Jesus’ team. They were there representing Jesus’ opponents. [slide # 2 Palm Sunday]

When we gather every Sunday, we make a loud and joyful noise! We are happy to be together. We celebrate our victories. We cheer each other on. We bow at this altar in adoration of Jesus, we lift our voices from the depths of our hearts, and we pray in unison declaring our faith in a loving God.

Jesus is here as he was on that first celebration of his entrance into Jerusalem, the city of Peace and Justice! Verse 9 says the crowd cheered for him, for he had been a blessing to many, just as he has taught us to be a blessing to many. [slide # 3 palm/Jesus on donkey] They were using their outside voices, wishing Jesus well, celebrating the many joyful moments they had experienced with him. They had experienced Jesus within their families. Jesus met with them during biblical studies and voluminous debates in the Temple. They ate together at many suppers, a couple with over 5,000 attending. They excitedly shared many miraculous moments of their healings and the magnificent incidents in which they were helped, which they so appreciated.

In verse 9 we see that they shouted “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!” (For they all knew that there are several layers of heaven beyond this earth. Each heaven has their own rules and laws by which they operate. There is the sky full of clouds where planes can fly. Next is the home of the moon, stars and other planets. Beyond the stars and moon is the realm where spiritual powers reside. Blasphemous principalities and evil influences rule with lies and deception. Above all is the highest heaven, where the throne of God can be found.)

We align ourselves with those cheering Jesus sending praises past the mundane to the highest heaven. They cheered as he rode into Jerusalem after 3 years of controversial ministry that led to questions and conflict.

We understand this crowd, not because Scriptures tell us whether they were either democrat or republican, liberal or conservative. We understand this crowd, though Scriptures do not say that this crowd had spent the year praying and reflecting on LGBTQ issues like we United Methodists have been doing this year as we meet to create a decisive document called the “The Way Forward” [slide # 4 Way Forward]

We do know that the crowd was very religious. Only religious people could say as they said in verse 9 “God bless this Jesus who is bringing our people into the kingdom – not the U.S. kingdom of President Trump, President Obama, President Bush, President Clinton, President W. Bush, President Reagan, President Carter, President Ford, and so on.

This Palm-celebrating crowd was not cheering for the kingdom of Israel, Egypt, the Pharaoh or the Caesar. At the top of their voices and number one in their minds was the name of the Lord and a blessing for the kingdom of King David – God’s kingdoms, a spiritual kingdom.

“Hosanna, Hosanna” [slide # 5 Hosanna] they said over and over again. We say it today, in our songs and our prayers, though culturally speaking it is not our first language.

“Hosanna” was an expression of joy, praise, adoration, like we express when we clap our hands, hoot, howl, whistle, roar with delight, or enthusiastically say things like “Thank you Jesus!” [slide # 6 Thank you…] or “Go Eagles.” “Hosanna” is a happy expression that reflects hearts full of joy with rosy thoughts, optimistic ideas, favorable outcomes, high hopes, promising possibilities, providential guidance, and heavenly advantages.

It was along with this affirming applause and standing ovation that Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Then verse 11 says “…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.” [slide # 7 he looked around…]

He went into the temple and he looked around at everything.

He went into the temple just as we go to church. Verse 11 says Jesus did something I find quite interesting. He looked around…… at everything. It is not unusual to look around. It is unusual to look around at everything. One reason you might look around at everything is when you are preparing for something big.

Jesus was preparing for something big. [slide # 8 big] Jesus is always preparing for something big in God’s house. There is so much to see when we look around the church. Big things are happening. In the global church we see more people than ever with clean water. Clean water is a good mission. There are countries where children become blind and die simply because they do not have clean water. That is unimaginable for us.  [slide # 9 without love, without water] Because of missions and good government, and nations working united together for a common good, hundreds of millions more people have access to clean water than they have ever had. When we look around, we see that missions matter.

Have you ever looked around the Bethel café around 9 30 on Sunday morning? Have you seen the two guys that meet in the café during the Christian education hour? The two guys represent two generations. There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is working in them and through them to create something big. Scripture says that iron sharpens iron. So when Ron and Tyler get together in the café, there is no doubt that they help each other to be the best preachers. They have both preached the word of God more than once at Bethel. They both let their lights shine in this world of shadows.

There is also a team of folks at Bethel who look around inside and outside of the sanctuary and make big plans to make taking care of God’s house a very high priority. They go about painting and planting, scraping and scrubbing so that God’s house is ready for each royal visit, for every human being that crosses that threshold is a guest to be honored. We maintain God’s house as well as our own homes because God is worthy of our very best!

Others at Bethel gather monthly, governing the Church in big ways. They gather weekly to reflect on the bigness of scriptures, they come together during Advent and Lent with Aubrey’s bigtime opportunities to reflect seriously on spiritual principles, our latest being Made for a Miracle [slide # 10 Made for…]

After soaking in the applause and being fanned by the Palms, [slide # 11 Jesus on a donkey] Jesus went into the sanctuary and looked around. [slide # 12 Jesus in Temple] He was preparing for something big, his biggest mission. He was preparing for at least three things: He was preparing to welcome God’s people, to remind them that they are wanted, to do whatever it takes to make it well with their soul. Verse 11 says he left the Temple and went to Bethany, which was the home of his devoted family of friends -  Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. [slide # 13 Jesus leaving the Temple]

We have learned to do what Jesus did. We gather, we look around at everything, and we prepare for something big. [slide # 14 Jesus leaving the Temple again] We too welcome all into God’s house. We want to remind them that they are wanted. We want to do all we can so it will be well with their souls. May we always be the church God intends us to be. Amen. [slide # 15 Don’t think….]