And Yet (Matthew 26: 17-30)

 Who likes roller coasters?

At Six Flags Magic Mountain, just north of Los Angeles, there is a ride called Tatsu. Tatsu is a flying coaster, which means you are suspended below the track horizontally, so that your body is in a sort of Superman pose.

That was all I knew about Tatsu when I got in line. And when the ride began, it wasn’t too bad. There I was, gently flying above the trees, nothing too extreme.

But then I saw far below me—124 feet below me, to be exact—the track. At first I was confused. I thought, “What is the track doing way down there if I’m way up here?”

Then I realized that we were about to take a nose-dive, headfirst, toward the ground, as we headed into an element called a pretzel loop…[*****] 

…because it’s shaped like a pretzel.

And this pretzel loop was—and still is—the largest one in the world.

I panicked.

Freefalling toward the ground headfirst was not something I had anticipated.

But the curve into the pretzel loop was gentle, and it carried me toward the ground, and continued curving, along the ground—at this point, I was on my back, facing the sky—and then the track curved back up again, and we resumed flying over the treetops.

The one and only time I ever rode Tatsu was the day before my mom’s funeral. 

A few days after Mom’s funeral, Dad passed away. My whole life in that period felt like a roller coaster. There were some ups, and a lot of downs; and, at times, it felt like I was freefalling headfirst toward the ground.

But then the prayers and the support of so many family and friends gently held me. I did not crash into the ground; instead, the love and support I received at that time in my life carried me along, and brought me back up to where I needed to be.

And it was such a strange, dichotomous mix of emotions. The grief was real and heavy. 

Yet at the same time I felt more blessed than I had ever felt before. I felt closer to my sisters, as we shared our grief together. And I felt closer to the many friends and relatives and church folks who offered their sincere condolences…

For me, Holy Week is like that. There is tremendous grief and sadness as we ponder the darkness of the world, the evil that exists, evil that would deny, betray, and kill even God’s own son. 

But there is also the tremendous joy and gratitude for the love and blessings that Christ’s willingness to die brings to the world.

*****

It starts on Palm Sunday. Jesus and his disciples arrive in Jerusalem at the start of the Passover Festival, the feast of the unleavened bread. Our Lenten devotional points out that this was one of several pilgrim feasts, and it brought Jews from far away to Jerusalem.

Herod also came to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. For Herod, it was an occasion to see what was going on, and an occasion to be seen. 

Herod’s arrival into Jerusalem was a magnificent spectacle, with Roman soldiers lining the streets, their spears raised in salute, while Herod himself arrived in a golden chariot pulled by one or more magnificent war horses.

Despite this display of wealth and power, Herod portrayed himself as one of the people. He wanted the people to see him as a Jew like them, faithful to the God of Abraham. 

Yet Herod ignored the teachings of the prophets and of Moses. He did not care for the poor and needy. He took away people’s rights, and persecuted any who acted or even spoke against him.

Just ask John the Baptist.

The high priests in the temple were granted much wealth and privilege by Herod; in exchange, they supported him and his corrupt ways. They aligned themselves with the things he proclaimed, and so they, too, ignored the teachings of Moses and of the prophets. 

In fact, they were likely right there, in prominent positions along the parade route, welcoming Herod into the city when he arrived at the start of the Passover festival.

***** Jesus, in contrast, entered Jerusalem on a donkey, instead of in a chariot pulled by a warhorse. His path was lined not with soldiers raising their weapons, but with peasants raising palm branches. 

Herod’s procession was over-the-top; magnificent; a great display of wealth and power.

Jesus’s procession was humble, and poor; it was everything that Herod’s procession was not.

The people who greeted Jesus and shouted his praise were neither influential nor powerful. They were peasants and artisans, beggars and outcasts.

Their shouts of “Hosanna!”, and their waving of palm branches, was both a celebration, and a protest. A political protest, against Herod and against the violence, oppression, and inequality of the Roman Empire. It was a rally for the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of peace, and in support of Jesus, the herald of God’s new kingdom come on earth.

And because they were filled with such great hope and emotion at Jesus’ arrival, and because of all the other events that were about to take place in the week to come… the highs, and the lows… It really was one roller coaster of a week.

*****

A few days later, Jesus gathers with his disciples for the Passover meal. It is, in many ways, a traditional passover meal. 

The escape from Egypt is recalled: How God sent plagues to Egypt, yet Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness would not let God’s people go free. 

Then God sent one final plague: the death of the first-born, reminiscent of Pharaoh’s earlier order to kill every Hebrew male child.

This time, death passed-over the home of the Hebrews—that’s where the name Passover comes from—but every first-born Egyptian son died. 

The Passover festival, when Jesus and Herod and everyone else came to Jerusalem, commemorates this event, when death passed-over the Hebrew households, and they escaped from Pharaoh’s hand.

The Hebrews fled with such haste that they didn’t have time to wait for their bread to rise. And that’s why Passover was also called the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.

And the meal that Jews ate on Passover, and that they eat on Passover to this day, is eaten in remembrance of when God allowed God’s people to escape from the evil, oppressive, rule of Pharaoh.

Herod’s rule was so oppressive, that people in Jesus’ day hoped that God would again intervene, to lead them to freedom and abundant life.

And this hope was present when Jesus gathered with his disciples for the passover meal, the meal that would be his last before dying on the cross.

In the old, traditional way, Jesus and his disciples recalled the Passover and the escape from Egypt. 

In the old, traditional way, Jesus lifted up the bread, and spoke the ancient prayer: baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam, ha motzi lechem min ha-aretz. “Blessed are you, eternal God, whose presence fills creation, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

Then Jesus did something unexpected. Something new. He added, after the prayer, these words: “This is my body.” 

He did the same with the cup. “This is my blood."

In referring to his body and blood, Jesus was saying that these elements—the bread and the cup—represent his life. 

He was saying that this passover meal wasn’t just a way to remember how God led God’s people to life and liberation so many generations ago; it was also a way to recognize that God is leading people to life and liberation now, in this time, through him; through Jesus. 

And then, Jesus added: “Whenever you eat this bread and drink from this cup, do it in remembrance of me.” Traditionally, this meal was eaten in honor of Caesar. A toast to Caesar was as much a part of the meal as the Star-Spangled Banner is a part of Major League Baseball games. 

But instead of a toast to Caesar, Jesus said, “whenever you do this, to it in memory of me.”

—----

What makes this even more emotional is that it is already evident that Jesus is going to be betrayed. A tragic end awaits him. 

And yet, Jesus–knowing this–still offers this prayer of thanks, of blessing, of gratitude.

And the disciples must have been wondering: Are we supposed to be sad? Is this a funeral meal? Are we supposed to be celebrating? Is this a meal of joy?

And the answer is: 

Yes.

It is all of that.

In Peter Pan, it is said that Tinker Bell, because she was a fairy and so small, only had room for one emotion at a time. 

“Tink was not all bad: or, rather, she was all bad just now, but, on the other hand, sometimes she was all good. Fairies have to be one thing or the other, because being so small they unfortunately have room for one feeling only at a time.” [J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan]

But we do sometimes feel more than one feeling at a time. 

Like when someone close to us dies; we often feel gratitude for the life we shared with them, and gratitude for the comfort and condolences of friends, yet also deep sorrow at having lost someone we loved so much. 

And maybe there is also anger, at God, or at the person who died; and sometimes guilt, if we feel we didn’t love them as well as we could have, or if we left things unsaid too long until it was too late to say them.

And all this makes grieving confusing. We could be laughing one moment, and crying the next. And all those emotions just feel like more than one body, one person, can handle.

That’s what’s happening here at the Last Supper. Herod is still in control! In fact, under Herod’s regime, Jesus would be soon put to death!

And Yet… there is also joy and gratitude for the love and the life that come to us through Jesus. And we are so, so thankful for this.

And I think that carries over to the way we celebrate communion to this day. Communion is a joyful meal of great thanksgiving. In fact, in some ancient traditions, the meal itself is called the “great thanksgiving.” And in some traditions, it is called “eucharist,” a word that comes from a Greek word that means “thanksgiving.”

But at the same time, communion is when we remember the Last Supper, and the crucifixion, and the cost of the life and freedom we have through Christ. 

As we celebrate communion, we lament the state of the world. 

We lament that there is still oppression. 

We lament that the poor and other vulnerable people still are not taken care of, but are neglected, while the wealthy and powerful continue to accumulate more wealth and more power.

We lament that our leaders continue to wage war instead of peace. 

We lament the many lives lost and many more affected by the horrors of war. 

We lament all the other death-dealing ways of those who abuse their power.

And yet… we know… that none of that has the power to stop God’s love from surrounding us, and giving us life and hope. 

God’s love will always be there, to keep us on the track, and keep us from crashing head first into the ground. 

And in the kingdom of God, which is present even now, right now, right here, in our very midst, there is more than enough love, and more than enough grace, and more than enough hope.

That, we can celebrate.

And for that, we give thanks.

Sublime Absurdity (Luke 19:28-40)

 Sermon: “Sublime Absurdity”

I hope you don’t get tired of my stories from California…

⬛ Just a few miles from the neighborhood where I grew up, there is a parade that happens every year called the Rose Parade. You’ve probably heard of it. 

Every year on January 1 (or January 2 if the first is a Sunday), a million people line a five-mile stretch of Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena for what is officially known as the Tournament of Roses.

I went to the parade once. We arrived at 7 or 8 the night before, set up our lawn chairs on the sidewalk, bundled up in blankets, and spent a cold night waiting for the parade to start at 8 a.m. the next morning.

It was miserable!

Another year, I volunteered to help decorate some of the floats. Since the floats are completely covered with flowers or other natural materials, the decorating must all be done as close to the day of the parade as possible. So in the days leading up to the parade, volunteers work around the clock to decorate the floats. 

The group I was with had an overnight shift. It was cold. Most of us had a cup of coffee or hot chocolate to keep us warm, and another cup filled with glue for attaching the flower petals to the floats. The most important thing we had to remember was to not get the two cups mixed up. 

The very first Rose Parade took place in 1890. Back then the parade was just one of several events that made up the Tournament of Roses. 

It all began when the distinguished Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena wanted to find a way to promote their city, which they called the "Mediterranean of the West." They invited their former East Coast neighbors to a winter holiday, where they could watch games such as chariot races, jousting, foot races, polo and tug-of-war under the warm California sun. 

The abundance of fresh flowers, even in the midst of winter, prompted the club to also organize a parade, where entrants would decorate their carriages with hundreds of blooms.

According to the Tournament of Roses website, the festival expanded in the coming years to include “marching bands and motorized floats. The games on the town lot included ostrich races, bronco busting demonstrations and a race between a camel and an elephant (the elephant won).”

In 1902, they added a football game to the list of activities.

In 1958, the William Wrigley family donated to the City of Pasadena the Wrigley mansion located near the start of the parade route. The Wrigley Mansion has been the headquarters of the Rose Parade ever since, serving as a sort of home base for the volunteers who run the Tournament of Roses. You can always tell the volunteers by the fancy white suits they wear.

In 1997, the B-2 stealth bomber made its first appearance at the Rose Parade. It approached by flying over my hometown of Burbank before arriving right above the parade route in Pasadena at the exact moment the parade began. The stealth bomber has appeared in nearly every Rose Parade since.

There are many other ceremonies and traditions associated with the Rose Parade. Over the years, the Tournament of Roses has maintained its image as a dignified and respected celebration of California and the new year.

—-----------------

Colorado Blvd. is host to another annual parade which takes place every November. This other parade is called the Doo Dah parade.

⬛ The Doo Dah Parade aims to be everything that the Rose Parade is not. 

The Doo Dah Parade began with a conversation that took place at Chromo’s Bar and Grill in the winter of 1978. Chromo’s was located on the parade route, but was far less glamorous than the Wrigley Mansion. A scrawled message in the men’s room said, “Chromo’s has a way with God’s unwanted.”

Peter Apanel, one of those who were a part of that conversation, later wrote that:  “Whatever we did, it would have to be just the opposite of what the Rose Parade does. They have a theme so we would have no theme. They have judging and prizes, so we would have no judging and no prizes. Since none of us would be allowed in the Rose Parade, we would allow everyone in our parade.”

The Doo Dah Parade website says that “Doo Dah means many things to many people ~ perhaps, a little something different to everyone. Wacky and weird? Sublime absurdity? Rite of reversal? Twisted sister of the Rose Parade? Probably all of the above.”

I never attended the Doo Dah Parade. Nor did I ever volunteer with them. 

But knowing about the Doo Dah Parade does help me understand just a little better Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

⬛ We sometimes use the word “triumphal” to describe Jesus’s procession into Jerusalem. But the real “triumphal” procession was the one taking place over on the other side of town. The real “triumphal” procession would have been Herod’s procession into Jerusalem.

Jesus’ procession was more like the Doo Dah Parade to Herod’s Rose Parade.

Some scholars believe that Herod’s parade and Jesus’s parade took place simultaneously, because both Jesus and Herod would have been arriving in Jerusalem in advance of the Passover holiday. But they were arriving by different routes… and that was only the beginning of their differences.

Herod’s entry into Jerusalem was grand and spectacular. Herod arrived on a mighty warhorse, surrounded by chariots. Roman soldiers lined the roads, and they raised their spears and swords in salute as Herod passed by. If Herod had had a B-2 stealth bomber, it would have undoubtedly have made an appearance. 

Jesus’s entry, meanwhile, was a little less grand. Jesus arrived on a donkey, or a colt—a humble beast, not nearly as magnificent as a mighty warhorse. 

No chariots accompanied Jesus’s procession. Instead, he was followed by a crowd of common people: peasants, outcasts, and other lowlifes and misfits. They certainly didn’t have any spears or swords to raise in his honor, so they grabbed some tree branches, and raised those.

In every way, then, Jesus’s parade was an “anti-parade,” an “un-parade,” the exact opposite of Herod’s procession.

It was the first century equivalent of the Doo Dah Parade.

It even had some of the Doo Dah Parade’s “sublime absurdity.” 

Because, it is absurd that a “king” would come riding on a donkey or a colt… It is absurd that his parade route would be lined with the poor and the outcasts, raising sticks and branches instead of spears and swords… 

And that was intentional. Jesus could have had the warhorse and the chariots and the armies and the weapons. He could have had a B-2 bomber! All the power of all the kingdoms of the world could have been his; he was offered all that when he was tempted in the wilderness. 

But that was not his calling. It was not his purpose. That wasn’t the way of God’s kingdom.

In the kingdoms of this world, all the attention is focused on those at the top: the people with power. In the kingdoms of this world, might is what matters. In the kingdoms of this world, rulers strut, they posture, they flex.

In God’s kingdom, attention is focused on those at the bottom: the poor, the outcasts, the misfits. In God’s kingdom, humility and kindness matter. In God’s kingdom, those who lead humble themselves, and serve.

It would not be appropriate, therefore, for Jesus to display wealth and power in his parade. That was Herod’s way of doing things. That was not Jesus’s way.

Likewise, it would not be appropriate for Jesus’s followers to raise spears and swords to honor him, as the soldiers who lined Herod’s parade route did. Jesus is the true bringer of peace. His way is nonviolent.

Palm branches are a much more appropriate thing to raise. They bring to mind the leafy twig the dove had in its beak when it returned to Noah. To this day, the image of a dove with a twig in its beak is a sign of peace. 

—------------------

Now here’s the thing: a lot of people don’t like this humble servant Jesus. A lot of people don’t want to be in a parade of misfits and lowlifes. 

A lot of people want the mighty warhorse. They want the swords and the spears and the B-2 bombers. They want demonstrations of power.

Politicians and preachers alike try to one-up each other in demonstrations of power. They show off their aggression and virility. They can’t stand signs of weakness, in themselves or anyone else. They have no tolerance for weakness.

Hence, the chariot, the soldiers, the weapons, and the warhorse.

But the one who comes riding a donkey is the one who says “Blessed are the meek… Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…”

And the one who comes riding a donkey is the one who shows mercy and compassion toward those who are most vulnerable. 

Those who are in love with power don’t bow down before Jesus; they make the gospel bow down before them. The gospel becomes a tool, used to further advance their own power.

That’s what Herod did. Herod used religion to increase his own power. He knew that the Jews were his people. He had Jewish roots himself. 

So he rebuilt the temple for them, a temple that was one of the most impressive structures on earth at the time. 

But did Herod really build that temple for the people? Did he build it to honor God? Or was his real reason for building that temple to honor himself, so that he could go to the people and boast: “Look what I did?” 

That is the question.

We still have politicians today who speak of faith and who carry the Bible and who sing hymns in the halls of government, yet they do not humble themselves as Jesus did; they do not show mercy to the weak and vulnerable as Jesus did; they do not care for the poor as Jesus did and as Jesus commanded his followers to do. 

When it comes to parades, they are drawn irresistibly to the parade with chariots and swords and spears.

The choice is always there before us: do we worship the one who arrives on a warhorse, with signs of power? Or do we worship the one who arrives on a donkey, humble, with signs of peace?

—---------

There are two parades taking place. There are always two parades. 

They arrive in the city at the same time but by different routes, so you cannot attend them both.

You have to choose. Which parade will you attend? Which king will you honor?

I gotta tell you, attending Jesus’ parade, and joining in that parade and following Jesus into Jerusalem, won’t be easy. You will be put to the test. The way of Jesus is the way of trial and sacrifice. The way of Jesus leads to the cross.

But at the same time, it is the more rewarding parade. It’s the only parade that ultimately leads to life. It’s the only parade that will bring you ultimate security. It’s the only parade that you can truly join, just as you are. 

Not everyone can join Herod’s parade. But everyone is welcome to join Jesus’s parade. It is the parade of love, and joy, and peace.