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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
| (Choir singing) | 0:14 | |
| (Instrumental music) | 1:26 | |
| (Choir singing) | 2:10 | |
| - | Blessed | 7:06 |
| is the King | 7:08 | |
| who comes in the name | 7:09 | |
| of the Lord. | 7:11 | |
| (congregation affirming) | 7:13 | |
| The Psalmist writes. | 7:26 | |
| The Lord looks down from heaven, | 7:30 | |
| upon the children | 7:32 | |
| of the earth, | 7:33 | |
| to see if there are any | 7:36 | |
| that act wisely, | 7:37 | |
| that seek | 7:40 | |
| after God, | 7:41 | |
| they have all | 7:43 | |
| gone astray. | 7:44 | |
| They are all alike, | 7:46 | |
| corrupt. | 7:48 | |
| There is none that does good. | 7:50 | |
| No, | 7:53 | |
| not | 7:53 | |
| one. | 7:54 | |
| Therefore, | 7:56 | |
| let us | 7:58 | |
| confess our sins | 7:59 | |
| to Almighty God, | 8:01 | |
| let us pray. | 8:03 | |
| Oh God, | 8:06 | |
| we who proclaim with loud Hosannas, | 8:07 | |
| that Jesus is our Lord. | 8:10 | |
| Our people | 8:13 | |
| who like Peter | 8:14 | |
| will deny you three times | 8:16 | |
| and more. | 8:18 | |
| We sing your glory and praise, | 8:20 | |
| but have difficulty being obedient to your love | 8:23 | |
| and goodwill . | 8:26 | |
| We comfort | 8:28 | |
| ourselves | 8:29 | |
| with a thousand easy slogans | 8:30 | |
| and heroic fantasies. | 8:32 | |
| We forget those who suffer because of us. | 8:35 | |
| We do not see our involvement in social crime. | 8:39 | |
| We substitute benign indifference | 8:43 | |
| for active love. | 8:45 | |
| Teach us the joy of gratitude | 8:48 | |
| expressed in waving of the Palm branches. | 8:50 | |
| May this joy replace | 8:54 | |
| the bitterness of resentment | 8:56 | |
| in all our lives. | 8:58 | |
| Amen. | 9:01 | |
| - | Psalmist gives us these words of assurance. | 9:32 |
| If it had not been the Lord, | 9:37 | |
| who was on our side, | 9:39 | |
| then the flood would have swept us away. | 9:42 | |
| The torrent, | 9:46 | |
| would have gone over us. | 9:47 | |
| Blessed | 9:50 | |
| be the Lord, | 9:51 | |
| our help | 9:53 | |
| is in the name of the Lord | 9:55 | |
| who made heaven | 9:58 | |
| and earth. | 10:00 | |
| Amen. | 10:02 | |
| (Choral instrumental music) | 11:00 | |
| (Choir singing) | 11:11 | |
| - | Let the congregation stand, | 15:04 |
| for the reading of the gospel. | 15:06 | |
| (Congregation standing) | 15:09 | |
| And when they drew near | 15:14 | |
| to Jerusalem | 15:16 | |
| and came to | 15:18 | |
| Beth-phage | 15:19 | |
| to the Mount of olives, | 15:21 | |
| then Jesus sent two disciples, | 15:24 | |
| saying to them, | 15:28 | |
| go into the village, | 15:30 | |
| opposite you. | 15:32 | |
| And immediately | 15:34 | |
| you will find an ass | 15:36 | |
| tied | 15:37 | |
| and a colt with her. | 15:39 | |
| Untie them | 15:42 | |
| and bring them to me. | 15:44 | |
| If anyone says | 15:47 | |
| anything to you, | 15:48 | |
| you shall say | 15:50 | |
| the Lord has need of them, | 15:52 | |
| and he will send them immediately. | 15:54 | |
| This took place | 15:59 | |
| to fulfill | 16:00 | |
| what was spoken by the prophet | 16:02 | |
| saying, | 16:04 | |
| tell the Daughter of Zion. | 16:06 | |
| Behold, | 16:08 | |
| your King is coming to you, | 16:10 | |
| humble | 16:12 | |
| and mounted on an ass | 16:13 | |
| and on a colt, | 16:15 | |
| the foal of an ass. | 16:17 | |
| The disciples went | 16:20 | |
| and did as Jesus had directed them, | 16:22 | |
| they brought the ass | 16:26 | |
| and the colt | 16:28 | |
| and put their garments on them, | 16:29 | |
| and He sat thereon. | 16:32 | |
| Most of the crowd, | 16:35 | |
| spread their garments | 16:37 | |
| on the road | 16:39 | |
| and others | 16:41 | |
| cut branches | 16:42 | |
| from the trees | 16:44 | |
| and spread them | 16:46 | |
| on the road. | 16:47 | |
| And the crowds | 16:49 | |
| that went before him | 16:50 | |
| and that followed him, | 16:52 | |
| shouted | 16:54 | |
| Hosanna | 16:56 | |
| to the son | 16:57 | |
| of David! | 16:58 | |
| Blessed be he, | 17:00 | |
| who comes in the name of the Lord! | 17:02 | |
| Hosanna | 17:05 | |
| is in the highest! | 17:06 | |
| And when he entered Jerusalem, | 17:09 | |
| all of the city was stirred saying, | 17:11 | |
| "Who is this?" | 17:15 | |
| And the crowd said, | 17:17 | |
| "This is the prophet | 17:18 | |
| Jesus | 17:20 | |
| from Nazareth of Galilee." | 17:21 | |
| (Choir singing) | 17:26 | |
| - | We are not alone. | 18:10 |
| We live | 18:12 | |
| in God's world. | 18:13 | |
| We believe in God, | 18:15 | |
| who has created | 18:17 | |
| and is creating, | 18:18 | |
| who has come into truly human Jesus, | 18:20 | |
| reconciled and made new. | 18:24 | |
| Who works in us | 18:27 | |
| and others by the Spirit, | 18:28 | |
| we trust God, | 18:30 | |
| who calls us to be the Church, | 18:33 | |
| to celebrate life and it's fullness, | 18:35 | |
| to love and serve others, | 18:39 | |
| to seek justice and resist evil. | 18:41 | |
| Proclaim Jesus, | 18:45 | |
| crucified and risen, | 18:46 | |
| our judge | 18:48 | |
| and our hope, | 18:50 | |
| in life, | 18:51 | |
| in death, | 18:52 | |
| in life beyond death, | 18:54 | |
| God is with us. | 18:56 | |
| We are not alone. | 18:58 | |
| Thanks be to God. | 19:00 | |
| - | The Lord be with you. | 19:04 |
| (congregation responding) | 19:06 | |
| Let us pray. | 19:07 | |
| Hear our prayer, | 19:19 | |
| Oh Lord. | 19:20 | |
| Give ear | 19:25 | |
| to our cries. | 19:26 | |
| Oh Lord, our God. | 19:30 | |
| In the beauty of this day | 19:34 | |
| and the glory of this | 19:38 | |
| holy | 19:39 | |
| season | 19:40 | |
| and the majesty of this | 19:42 | |
| moment, | 19:44 | |
| we come to pray, | 19:46 | |
| with gratitude | 19:51 | |
| for life | 19:52 | |
| it self, | 19:53 | |
| for purpose | 19:56 | |
| to live | 19:57 | |
| for course | 19:59 | |
| to serve | 20:00 | |
| for a Lord | 20:03 | |
| to follow, | 20:04 | |
| for others, | 20:06 | |
| to love | 20:07 | |
| we give you thanks, | 20:10 | |
| Oh God. | 20:12 | |
| With the cry for those | 20:17 | |
| in need. | 20:18 | |
| For those who are confused | 20:22 | |
| and bewildered, | 20:24 | |
| sick | 20:27 | |
| and suffering, | 20:28 | |
| weary | 20:31 | |
| and tired, | 20:32 | |
| lost | 20:35 | |
| and lonely, | 20:36 | |
| we ask | 20:39 | |
| your mercy, | 20:40 | |
| oh God, | 20:42 | |
| with the plea for your presence, | 20:47 | |
| to become | 20:52 | |
| more near, | 20:53 | |
| your way | 20:57 | |
| to become | 20:58 | |
| more clear, | 20:59 | |
| your will | 21:02 | |
| to become | 21:04 | |
| more dear, | 21:05 | |
| for all of us, | 21:08 | |
| we ask | 21:11 | |
| your love, | 21:13 | |
| oh God. | 21:14 | |
| With Palm branches in our hands, | 21:19 | |
| with | 21:23 | |
| steady purposes in our minds, | 21:24 | |
| with | 21:28 | |
| passionate desires to love | 21:28 | |
| and to give | 21:31 | |
| in our various souls, | 21:33 | |
| remake us, | 21:36 | |
| now oh God, | 21:37 | |
| into faithful | 21:39 | |
| obedient, | 21:40 | |
| whole | 21:42 | |
| children | 21:43 | |
| of your love | 21:45 | |
| and peace. | 21:46 | |
| Oh God, | 21:50 | |
| speak, | 21:52 | |
| now, | 21:53 | |
| as we listen. | 21:54 | |
| Come | 21:57 | |
| now, | 21:58 | |
| as we yearn. | 21:59 | |
| Lead | 22:02 | |
| now, | 22:04 | |
| as we follow, | 22:06 | |
| in the name of Christ, | 22:11 | |
| who teaches us to pray, | 22:13 | |
| Our Father | 22:16 | |
| who art in heaven, | 22:18 | |
| Hallowed be thy name. | 22:20 | |
| Thy kingdom come. | 22:23 | |
| Thy will be done | 22:25 | |
| on earth, | 22:27 | |
| as it is in heaven. | 22:28 | |
| Give us this day our daily bread. | 22:30 | |
| Forgive us, our trespasses, | 22:34 | |
| as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 22:36 | |
| Lead us, not into temptation, | 22:40 | |
| but deliver us from evil. | 22:43 | |
| For thine is the kingdom, | 22:46 | |
| power and the glory. | 22:48 | |
| Amen. | 22:51 | |
| - | We began | 22:57 |
| on this day, | 22:59 | |
| the most | 23:05 | |
| significant week | 23:06 | |
| in the Christian year. | 23:10 | |
| This | 23:13 | |
| Palm Sunday, | 23:15 | |
| I invite your attention | 23:20 | |
| to the announcements | 23:22 | |
| in the bulletin | 23:24 | |
| and invite you to worship with us, | 23:27 | |
| at every opportunity you have this week, | 23:31 | |
| on Wednesday | 23:36 | |
| at 8:00 a.m. | 23:38 | |
| and 6:00 p.m. | 23:40 | |
| Thursday evening, on Monday, Thursday at 7:30, | 23:43 | |
| on Good Friday from 12 to noon, | 23:49 | |
| with a special service | 23:51 | |
| and from one to three, | 23:53 | |
| with music | 23:54 | |
| or quiet | 23:58 | |
| and meditation, | 23:59 | |
| one week from today | 24:02 | |
| on Easter day | 24:03 | |
| at seven o'clock | 24:06 | |
| with the sunrise service. | 24:07 | |
| And then again, either at nine o'clock or at 11 o'clock. | 24:10 | |
| And then next Sunday evening, | 24:16 | |
| the very moving and majestic Mahler's resurrection symphony, | 24:19 | |
| being | 24:25 | |
| presented to us | 24:26 | |
| by the North Carolina symphony | 24:28 | |
| and the chapel choir. | 24:30 | |
| I invite you to worship God | 24:34 | |
| and to celebrate | 24:37 | |
| this | 24:39 | |
| holy week | 24:40 | |
| in your own way. | 24:42 | |
| And then in the company of others, | 24:44 | |
| it is our privilege on this | 24:47 | |
| Palm Sunday | 24:49 | |
| and my privilege to welcome | 24:52 | |
| to the pulpit, | 24:54 | |
| the Reverend Dr. | 24:57 | |
| Robert | 24:58 | |
| E. | 24:59 | |
| Kuchman | 25:00 | |
| research professor of | 25:01 | |
| systematic theology | 25:03 | |
| and the divinity school | 25:06 | |
| here at Duke. | 25:08 | |
| - | All the city was stirred. | 25:25 |
| Of the first | 25:32 | |
| Palm Sunday, | 25:33 | |
| the Gospel of St. Matthew, | 25:35 | |
| reports. | 25:37 | |
| And when he had entered into Jerusalem, | 25:41 | |
| all the city was stirred, | 25:44 | |
| saying, | 25:48 | |
| "Who is this?" | 25:49 | |
| The crowd said, | 25:52 | |
| "This is the prophet Jesus | 25:54 | |
| of Nazareth, | 25:57 | |
| of Galilee." | 25:58 | |
| The action of that day, | 26:02 | |
| the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, | 26:06 | |
| had the appearance it would seem | 26:09 | |
| of a triumphal | 26:12 | |
| procession, | 26:14 | |
| the site of procession, | 26:17 | |
| it was not unfamiliar to the people of the ancient world. | 26:19 | |
| So all the city was stirred | 26:25 | |
| and the question was on the lips, | 26:29 | |
| as in the minds of many. | 26:31 | |
| The question of the identity of Jesus. | 26:36 | |
| Who is this? | 26:40 | |
| It was not unlike the question | 26:44 | |
| of John the Baptist | 26:46 | |
| through his disciples | 26:48 | |
| to Jesus in the earlier days of Jesus's ministry. | 26:49 | |
| Are you He who is to come, | 26:54 | |
| or shall we look for another? | 26:58 | |
| The question persists | 27:01 | |
| to this very day, | 27:03 | |
| but Christians have been those | 27:07 | |
| and are those who answered the question | 27:08 | |
| of John the Baptist, | 27:11 | |
| in the affirmative. | 27:13 | |
| This is He | 27:15 | |
| who was to come, | 27:17 | |
| more over on Palm Sunday | 27:20 | |
| and for centuries now, | 27:23 | |
| Christians incorporate | 27:26 | |
| that moment of exultant public acclaim | 27:28 | |
| of Jesus, | 27:31 | |
| into their act of worship. | 27:33 | |
| They live it over again. | 27:36 | |
| They mean to re-enact | 27:38 | |
| the moment of celebration | 27:40 | |
| of recognition. | 27:42 | |
| They do so, | 27:45 | |
| because they are persuaded | 27:47 | |
| that the acclaim of the crowd on that day | 27:48 | |
| long ago, | 27:51 | |
| was truly | 27:53 | |
| appropriate to the occasion. | 27:54 | |
| They believe the city of Jerusalem | 27:58 | |
| was | 28:00 | |
| that day suitably stirred | 28:01 | |
| and | 28:03 | |
| remains so | 28:04 | |
| even to this, | 28:05 | |
| but not because of the excited throng | 28:07 | |
| or the shouts of acclaim, | 28:10 | |
| but because of the real presence | 28:13 | |
| of Him that cometh. | 28:17 | |
| Now today, then our celebration and worship, | 28:21 | |
| presupposes and looks back | 28:25 | |
| upon this gladsome | 28:27 | |
| but | 28:28 | |
| puzzling event | 28:29 | |
| of our Christian path. | 28:30 | |
| By the measure of the days that followed however | 28:33 | |
| and led Jesus to Calvary | 28:38 | |
| and the triumph, | 28:41 | |
| the triumph of Palm Sunday, | 28:42 | |
| seems aborted, | 28:44 | |
| devastated | 28:47 | |
| on good Friday. | 28:48 | |
| Even the name good Friday | 28:51 | |
| is paradoxic. | 28:53 | |
| The cross is the dastardly deed of man. | 28:55 | |
| What is good about evil, | 28:59 | |
| is not the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, | 29:03 | |
| also paradox | 29:08 | |
| for whom | 29:11 | |
| is the triumph? | 29:13 | |
| And so today we ask ourselves | 29:16 | |
| three questions. | 29:18 | |
| First, | 29:22 | |
| what are the facts? | 29:23 | |
| What are the facts of the matter? | 29:25 | |
| Secondly, | 29:29 | |
| was Palm Sunday, truly triumphant and for whom, | 29:31 | |
| was it an accidental event | 29:36 | |
| or the outcome of a prearranged drama | 29:38 | |
| or both? | 29:41 | |
| And three, | 29:44 | |
| if we have the slightest discontent | 29:46 | |
| with our world or better with ourselves, | 29:49 | |
| what may this event of long ago | 29:53 | |
| say to us? | 29:55 | |
| these are portentous questions, | 29:59 | |
| questions of portent. | 30:02 | |
| If we understand that Christian faith | 30:05 | |
| is in part | 30:08 | |
| interpretation of a history | 30:10 | |
| in which the story of a whole people is climaxed, | 30:12 | |
| in which indeed the divine destiny of a people | 30:16 | |
| is fulfilled in a living person | 30:20 | |
| in a real presence. | 30:23 | |
| First then, | 30:27 | |
| What are the facts of the matter? | 30:30 | |
| And the facts of history are often will of the wisps | 30:33 | |
| and fugitive | 30:37 | |
| hard to lay hold off. | 30:39 | |
| This is because | 30:42 | |
| the so-called facts of history, | 30:44 | |
| have as it were, | 30:46 | |
| an outside | 30:47 | |
| and an inside, | 30:48 | |
| the outside is what happens | 30:50 | |
| or what occurs we say, | 30:53 | |
| it is datable, | 30:55 | |
| partly describable, | 30:57 | |
| but every description is all with simplistic. | 30:58 | |
| The inside is what is meant | 31:02 | |
| or what is intended. | 31:04 | |
| And the two | 31:06 | |
| do not always, | 31:07 | |
| may often agree. | 31:08 | |
| Moreover, the intentions may be mixed | 31:11 | |
| even at odds, | 31:14 | |
| as when there are many participants | 31:15 | |
| with different and even conflicting motivations. | 31:18 | |
| So every historical event involving persons is therefore, | 31:23 | |
| a resultant, | 31:27 | |
| not really simple, | 31:29 | |
| but defiantly complex. | 31:31 | |
| And that is why historical knowledge | 31:34 | |
| is an art, | 31:37 | |
| commanding imagination, | 31:40 | |
| never data processing. | 31:43 | |
| Great historians | 31:47 | |
| are those possessed of genius to read, | 31:49 | |
| as Jesus said, the signs of the times, | 31:51 | |
| They are not statisticians primarily, | 31:57 | |
| they are more nearly dramatic critics | 32:01 | |
| for history is more like drama. | 32:04 | |
| The acclamation of the throng, that accompany Jesus. | 32:08 | |
| Then down the Western slope of the Mount of Olives, | 32:11 | |
| across | 32:15 | |
| the Brook Kidron | 32:16 | |
| and up | 32:19 | |
| the rough slope, | 32:20 | |
| to the Lion gate | 32:22 | |
| of the Eastern wall of the city | 32:23 | |
| into the temple precincts | 32:25 | |
| is dealt within, | 32:28 | |
| something like a fact, | 32:30 | |
| probably | 32:33 | |
| the route | 32:34 | |
| is the route | 32:35 | |
| actually taken. | 32:37 | |
| Almost certainly also is the outward fact that Jesus, | 32:39 | |
| rode astride a donkey. | 32:43 | |
| That still | 32:46 | |
| omnipresent beast of burden | 32:47 | |
| of the Eastern Mediterranean world. | 32:49 | |
| Further, | 32:52 | |
| the synoptic gospels are unanimous | 32:54 | |
| that Jesus borrowed a colt, | 32:57 | |
| the foal of an ass, | 32:59 | |
| for the short journey | 33:02 | |
| from Bethany | 33:03 | |
| and that he, | 33:05 | |
| as he approached the city, | 33:06 | |
| his band was swelled | 33:08 | |
| by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. | 33:09 | |
| And that from the throng there | 33:12 | |
| emerged, | 33:14 | |
| there arose | 33:15 | |
| a cry of recognition | 33:16 | |
| and then of acclamation. | 33:18 | |
| Following | 33:21 | |
| St. Mark's account, | 33:22 | |
| Matthew's witness reads | 33:24 | |
| and the multitude that went before Him | 33:27 | |
| and that followed cried saying, | 33:29 | |
| Hosanna to the son of David | 33:31 | |
| blessed is he that com meth in the name of the Lord. | 33:34 | |
| Hosanna | 33:38 | |
| in the highest! | 33:39 | |
| Now whether or not | 33:43 | |
| the crowd was fully apprised | 33:44 | |
| of the figure on donkey back, | 33:46 | |
| it is rather clear | 33:50 | |
| both | 33:51 | |
| to whom they referred | 33:52 | |
| and | 33:54 | |
| what they intended | 33:55 | |
| by these words. | 33:56 | |
| Hosanna | 33:59 | |
| is an outcry | 34:01 | |
| of praise. | 34:02 | |
| It is acclamation. | 34:04 | |
| It also enjoins our illicit | 34:07 | |
| acclaim | 34:10 | |
| and to the son of David, | 34:12 | |
| quite plainly | 34:15 | |
| it points | 34:16 | |
| to the one in the midst, | 34:17 | |
| Jesus, | 34:19 | |
| the prophet, of Nazareth of Galilee | 34:20 | |
| in a day, | 34:24 | |
| that day | 34:26 | |
| when the voice of prophecy | 34:27 | |
| was counted as silent. | 34:30 | |
| To identify Jesus | 34:32 | |
| as | 34:34 | |
| a prophet | 34:35 | |
| was tantamount to a claiming | 34:35 | |
| the presence | 34:37 | |
| or the onset of messianic times. | 34:38 | |
| This is then | 34:43 | |
| soundly affirmed, | 34:45 | |
| in the exultant | 34:47 | |
| words, | 34:48 | |
| Blessed is he that | 34:49 | |
| cometh in the name of the Lord. | 34:51 | |
| Now, | 34:54 | |
| John the Baptist has his answer | 34:56 | |
| in public | 34:58 | |
| declaration | 35:00 | |
| in this acclimation of the throng, | 35:03 | |
| the son of David | 35:06 | |
| and he that cometh in the name of the Lord, | 35:07 | |
| are so conjoined | 35:10 | |
| as to give | 35:11 | |
| unmistakable, | 35:12 | |
| messianic denotation | 35:13 | |
| to the exhortation of the throng. | 35:16 | |
| This is confirmed | 35:21 | |
| by the concluding | 35:23 | |
| cry of exultation, | 35:24 | |
| Hosanna in the highest | 35:26 | |
| or to the highest. | 35:28 | |
| It is little wonder, | 35:32 | |
| that is Matthew testifies. | 35:34 | |
| All the city | 35:36 | |
| was stirred | 35:37 | |
| or that such a claim should evoke | 35:39 | |
| the question on every side. | 35:42 | |
| Who is this? | 35:44 | |
| The question of the identity of Jesus, | 35:47 | |
| nor is it at all strange, | 35:52 | |
| according to Luke's account | 35:54 | |
| that as He says, | 35:57 | |
| some of the Pharisees | 35:59 | |
| in the multitude said to Him, | 36:01 | |
| Teacher, | 36:04 | |
| Rabbi, | 36:05 | |
| rebuke your disciples. | 36:06 | |
| To them, | 36:10 | |
| the import of the words of acclimation were unmistakable | 36:12 | |
| and equally | 36:15 | |
| preposterous | 36:16 | |
| on the face of it. | 36:17 | |
| The followers of Jesus were playing the exuberant | 36:19 | |
| with a delusion, | 36:22 | |
| not only a delusion, | 36:25 | |
| but evidently a grave impiety. | 36:28 | |
| Why | 36:32 | |
| the latter | 36:33 | |
| was so | 36:34 | |
| a grave impiety? | 36:36 | |
| It has never become clear. | 36:39 | |
| But in the contemporary context, | 36:42 | |
| the explanation | 36:44 | |
| must lie | 36:46 | |
| in a constellation | 36:47 | |
| of intricate partisan dynamics, | 36:49 | |
| partly religious, | 36:52 | |
| partly political, | 36:54 | |
| partly ideological | 36:56 | |
| and partly just human, | 36:58 | |
| of the last. | 37:01 | |
| Here is a maze of contractibility, | 37:03 | |
| ranging | 37:06 | |
| from and through fascination, | 37:07 | |
| revulsion | 37:10 | |
| and ambivalence. | 37:12 | |
| After all, | 37:15 | |
| how do you know the Messiah has come, | 37:17 | |
| when you do not agree on who he would resemble if he came? | 37:19 | |
| Now secondly, | 37:26 | |
| was Jesus entry into Jerusalem truly triumphant, | 37:29 | |
| and for whom? | 37:33 | |
| We can answer quickly for all his opponents, | 37:37 | |
| Pharisees, | 37:41 | |
| Sadducees | 37:42 | |
| and | 37:43 | |
| the Roman officialdom, | 37:44 | |
| it was a disaster. | 37:46 | |
| It pushed the panic button, | 37:50 | |
| it instilled fears | 37:53 | |
| and crystallized | 37:54 | |
| their opposition. | 37:56 | |
| And they went on the defensive | 37:58 | |
| and took steps that led them in the end, | 38:00 | |
| to the desperate reaction of Golgotha, | 38:02 | |
| and it appears to | 38:05 | |
| an un | 38:06 | |
| repentant | 38:08 | |
| guilt. | 38:10 | |
| What of the followers of Jesus, | 38:13 | |
| who cut branches from the trees | 38:14 | |
| and spread their garments in the way | 38:16 | |
| and cried Hosannah? | 38:18 | |
| Christians believed they were right, | 38:21 | |
| but discerning Christians also know that | 38:25 | |
| they were right for the wrong reasons. | 38:27 | |
| They did not see it so | 38:31 | |
| and seemingly could not know it | 38:34 | |
| until they stood proven deserters and recreants. | 38:36 | |
| On the other side of Calvary, | 38:40 | |
| in the un, | 38:43 | |
| in the | 38:44 | |
| unanticipated | 38:45 | |
| light | 38:46 | |
| of the resurrection. | 38:48 | |
| Till then they confounded the person of Jesus | 38:51 | |
| with that of a Messianic King, | 38:54 | |
| and earthly Monarch. | 38:56 | |
| They had to learn | 39:00 | |
| the other paradox, | 39:01 | |
| that his kingdom was not of this world. | 39:03 | |
| The world which Saint Augustine | 39:06 | |
| was to characterize | 39:09 | |
| by the love | 39:11 | |
| of rule, | 39:11 | |
| rather than | 39:13 | |
| the rule of love. | 39:14 | |
| They would have to learn what their master had meant | 39:17 | |
| when he rebuked them all on the way to Jerusalem saying, | 39:20 | |
| you know, | 39:24 | |
| that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles, | 39:26 | |
| lorded over them | 39:30 | |
| and their great men, | 39:32 | |
| exercise authority over them, | 39:33 | |
| but it shall not be so | 39:35 | |
| among you. | 39:36 | |
| But whoever would be great among you, must be your servant | 39:39 | |
| and whoever would be first among you | 39:44 | |
| must be slave | 39:48 | |
| doers | 39:49 | |
| of all. | 39:51 | |
| John Wesley 200 years ago | 39:54 | |
| was holy right, | 39:56 | |
| in seeing | 39:58 | |
| and saying | 39:59 | |
| that before Calvary and Easter, | 40:01 | |
| the faith of the disciples | 40:04 | |
| was undiscerning, | 40:06 | |
| imperfect | 40:07 | |
| and confused. | 40:08 | |
| Accordingly, their claim was short lived | 40:11 | |
| even the best of them. | 40:14 | |
| In the extremity they all forsook him and fled, | 40:16 | |
| and or worse | 40:19 | |
| as with Peter, | 40:21 | |
| they denied Him thrice. | 40:22 | |
| So their claim on Jesus | 40:25 | |
| entry into Jerusalem was hollow. | 40:27 | |
| It was right, | 40:30 | |
| but plainly | 40:32 | |
| for the wrong reasons. | 40:33 | |
| But now | 40:37 | |
| one of the profits of Nazareth of Galilee? | 40:38 | |
| It is impossible, | 40:44 | |
| not just problematic | 40:45 | |
| to try to read the mind of | 40:48 | |
| the Son of God, | 40:49 | |
| as it has required centuries | 40:53 | |
| to probe the mind of | 40:55 | |
| absolute genius | 40:57 | |
| such as a play on a Shakespeare, | 41:00 | |
| so that of Jesus | 41:04 | |
| is finely | 41:05 | |
| unfathomable. | 41:06 | |
| One thing, however, seems to me quite clear, | 41:09 | |
| after the manner of Jeremiah the prophet, | 41:13 | |
| Jesus donkey ride into Jerusalem | 41:16 | |
| was intentional | 41:18 | |
| and parabolic. | 41:20 | |
| This was so, | 41:23 | |
| although the throng | 41:24 | |
| failed to grasp the | 41:26 | |
| symbolism | 41:27 | |
| and however much the authorities were miscued | 41:28 | |
| by the crowds | 41:32 | |
| acclamation, | 41:33 | |
| Matthew is on beam, | 41:36 | |
| I think in finding | 41:38 | |
| the scripture antecedent and sufficient | 41:39 | |
| warrant in the words of the prophet Zachariah, | 41:42 | |
| tell the daughter of Zion. | 41:46 | |
| Behold your King is coming to you, | 41:49 | |
| humble | 41:52 | |
| and mounted on an ass | 41:55 | |
| and a colt, | 41:58 | |
| the foal of an act. | 42:00 | |
| There are two things to say here | 42:03 | |
| and the implicate one another, | 42:07 | |
| A King | 42:11 | |
| coming into his kingdom, | 42:13 | |
| as heir presumptive | 42:14 | |
| does not ride | 42:16 | |
| the humblest beast of burden | 42:17 | |
| ordinarily, | 42:20 | |
| which every shepherd rides | 42:22 | |
| in Palestine, | 42:25 | |
| even today, | 42:26 | |
| Jesus selection of such a mount | 42:29 | |
| is plainly parabolic | 42:31 | |
| and even gentle satire. | 42:33 | |
| It was satire upon | 42:37 | |
| the popular and prevailing notion | 42:38 | |
| of the expected son of David | 42:40 | |
| and earthly monitor. | 42:43 | |
| The second thing, | 42:45 | |
| and the other side | 42:47 | |
| is found in Jesus concluding words to the disciple, | 42:50 | |
| back then on the way to Jerusalem. | 42:52 | |
| For the son of man | 42:58 | |
| also | 43:00 | |
| came not | 43:01 | |
| to be served, | 43:02 | |
| but to serve | 43:04 | |
| and to give his life | 43:07 | |
| ransom for many. | 43:08 | |
| Now, if these two things stand | 43:12 | |
| thus in conjunction | 43:15 | |
| and ourself, | 43:17 | |
| then Jesus entry into Jerusalem, | 43:19 | |
| and the manner of it was wholly consistent | 43:21 | |
| with even exemplary of his purpose. | 43:24 | |
| It was there for the triumph | 43:29 | |
| of his purpose, | 43:31 | |
| or be it misconceived | 43:33 | |
| delight by friend and foe, | 43:35 | |
| and each | 43:36 | |
| for the wrong reasons. | 43:38 | |
| That in teaching by parable enact, | 43:41 | |
| he failed to be understood, | 43:45 | |
| takes nothing | 43:47 | |
| from his continuing victory | 43:48 | |
| over the satanic temptations, | 43:51 | |
| which afflict us. | 43:54 | |
| And that | 43:59 | |
| would be | 43:59 | |
| for him | 44:02 | |
| to take his preeminence | 44:03 | |
| and have it | 44:06 | |
| the right and the claim to rule | 44:07 | |
| rather than to be ruled | 44:10 | |
| by the love of God | 44:12 | |
| and concern for the neighbor. | 44:13 | |
| More and more. | 44:18 | |
| I am convinced, | 44:20 | |
| that victory over temptation, | 44:23 | |
| the satanic temptation, | 44:25 | |
| the lust of rule | 44:28 | |
| as Saint Augustine called it, | 44:29 | |
| is the key | 44:31 | |
| to understanding the career of our Lord. | 44:33 | |
| Ministry is the word | 44:38 | |
| for it. | 44:39 | |
| And ministry | 44:41 | |
| Diakonia | 44:44 | |
| fulfills, God's calling | 44:46 | |
| and election of the people of God, | 44:49 | |
| But between what we call Palm Sunday | 44:54 | |
| and Easter, | 44:57 | |
| lie the climactic events of Holy week, | 45:00 | |
| the cleansing of the temple, | 45:04 | |
| the controversy with lawyers, | 45:07 | |
| the last supper, | 45:10 | |
| the betrayal of Judas, | 45:11 | |
| the consummate temptation of the garden of Gethsemane, | 45:15 | |
| the flight of the disciples, | 45:19 | |
| the trial before the Sanhedrin, | 45:22 | |
| the scourging of the Praetorian Guard, | 45:25 | |
| and the last extremity of the cross. | 45:29 | |
| All this in faithfulness to the father's will | 45:33 | |
| and there | 45:38 | |
| on the cross | 45:39 | |
| itself, | 45:40 | |
| Jesus meets the final temptation, | 45:41 | |
| Father, forgive them | 45:45 | |
| for they know not | 45:47 | |
| what they do. | 45:50 | |
| Divine graciousness | 45:52 | |
| at its Zenith, | 45:54 | |
| overcomes | 45:56 | |
| takes into itself | 45:57 | |
| and redeems | 45:59 | |
| man's evil. | 46:00 | |
| The cross was the dreadful deed of man, | 46:03 | |
| that Jesus Christ turned into the everlasting deed of God. | 46:05 | |
| Here was the final victory | 46:11 | |
| and here the ultimate triumph | 46:14 | |
| of the great commandment. | 46:16 | |
| Thou shalt love | 46:20 | |
| the Lord thy God | 46:21 | |
| with all thy heart | 46:22 | |
| and with all thy soul | 46:24 | |
| and with all thy mind | 46:25 | |
| and thy neighbor | 46:28 | |
| as | 46:30 | |
| even more | 46:31 | |
| than thy self. | 46:33 | |
| Is it any wonder that | 46:36 | |
| for those who have | 46:37 | |
| had eyes to see, | 46:38 | |
| Isaac Watch | 46:42 | |
| should write. | 46:43 | |
| When I | 46:45 | |
| survey | 46:46 | |
| the wondrous cross, | 46:48 | |
| on which the prince of glory died, | 46:51 | |
| my richest gain, | 46:54 | |
| I count | 46:57 | |
| but loss | 46:58 | |
| and poor | 46:58 | |
| contempt | 47:00 | |
| and all my pride. | 47:03 | |
| The third. | 47:06 | |
| This brings us | 47:09 | |
| to the final question. | 47:10 | |
| What does this triumph | 47:14 | |
| and this victory of long ago, | 47:16 | |
| say to us | 47:18 | |
| today? | 47:19 | |
| Be sure it may say | 47:22 | |
| many things | 47:23 | |
| and | 47:24 | |
| too many to take account of | 47:26 | |
| here this morning. | 47:30 | |
| What it may say | 47:33 | |
| depends upon the measure of our understanding, | 47:34 | |
| both of ourselves | 47:39 | |
| and of the strident | 47:40 | |
| world | 47:42 | |
| in which we live. | 47:43 | |
| And whether or not Christ | 47:46 | |
| may make a triumphal entry | 47:48 | |
| into my heart and life and yours, | 47:50 | |
| will in great part, | 47:54 | |
| I think | 47:55 | |
| depend upon, | 47:56 | |
| whether we can endure, | 47:57 | |
| the awful contrast, | 48:01 | |
| between our world | 48:03 | |
| and ourselves | 48:05 | |
| and what is being portrayed in | 48:08 | |
| word and worship | 48:10 | |
| today, | 48:11 | |
| And | 48:12 | |
| in this coming Holy week. | 48:13 | |
| If I'm not mistaken | 48:19 | |
| behind the civility we posture, | 48:21 | |
| the masks we wear, | 48:24 | |
| the anxieties we | 48:27 | |
| try to hide, | 48:29 | |
| the games we play, | 48:31 | |
| the goals which we aspire to, | 48:33 | |
| behind these, | 48:36 | |
| is an advancing | 48:38 | |
| spirit of alienation, | 48:39 | |
| predatory, | 48:43 | |
| fearful | 48:44 | |
| and distrustful. | 48:45 | |
| We are in a world of claims | 48:48 | |
| and counterclaims | 48:50 | |
| of partisan contest, | 48:51 | |
| violence | 48:53 | |
| and recurrent explosion. | 48:54 | |
| Our secular creed is | 48:58 | |
| social mobility | 48:59 | |
| by way of money, power, and status. | 49:01 | |
| That's what we live by, | 49:05 | |
| and good politics seems to be that which | 49:07 | |
| can | 49:10 | |
| promise most | 49:11 | |
| the quickest | 49:13 | |
| to the greatest number. | 49:14 | |
| Profound therefore, | 49:19 | |
| is the contrast between our world | 49:22 | |
| and the inner meaning. | 49:25 | |
| The inside | 49:27 | |
| of that triumphal entry into Jerusalem. | 49:29 | |
| The real event, | 49:33 | |
| was the one | 49:35 | |
| who would yield to no vocation, | 49:37 | |
| say to that | 49:41 | |
| which God the father had laid upon Him. | 49:42 | |
| I pray that for my salvation and yours | 49:48 | |
| and for the World's, | 49:52 | |
| we may unite to acclaim, | 49:55 | |
| but with larger understanding | 49:58 | |
| than they have all the time. | 50:00 | |
| Blessed | 50:03 | |
| is He | 50:04 | |
| that cometh in the name of the Lord. | 50:06 | |
| That the city of this world, | 50:09 | |
| may be stirred. | 50:12 | |
| To renewed life | 50:14 | |
| and enduring | 50:18 | |
| promise. | 50:19 | |
| May the God of hope, | 50:22 | |
| fill you with all joy and peace and believing. | 50:23 | |
| So that by the power of the Holy Spirit, | 50:27 | |
| you may abound in hope, | 50:30 | |
| both now and evermore. | 50:32 | |
| Amen. | 50:36 | |
| (Choir singing) | 50:40 | |
| (Instrumentals playing) | 53:20 | |
| (Choir singing) | 56:46 | |
| Praise Lord | 1:04:39 | |
| from whom | 1:04:41 | |
| all blessings | 1:04:42 | |
| flow. | 1:04:45 | |
| Praise Him all creatures | 1:04:46 | |
| here below. | 1:04:50 | |
| Praise Him | 1:04:54 | |
| above the heavenly hosts. | 1:04:56 | |
| Praise Father, | 1:05:02 | |
| Son | 1:05:05 | |
| and Holy Ghost. | 1:05:06 | |
| Amen. | 1:05:12 | |
| - | Oh Lord, our God. | 1:05:25 |
| You have given | 1:05:28 | |
| to us, | 1:05:29 | |
| now | 1:05:31 | |
| we give to you. | 1:05:32 | |
| You have called | 1:05:35 | |
| to us, | 1:05:36 | |
| now we come | 1:05:38 | |
| to you. | 1:05:40 | |
| You have loved | 1:05:42 | |
| even us, | 1:05:44 | |
| now we go | 1:05:47 | |
| to love | 1:05:48 | |
| even You | 1:05:50 | |
| and our neighbors, | 1:05:52 | |
| through Jesus | 1:05:55 | |
| Christ, | 1:05:56 | |
| our Lord. | 1:05:58 | |
| Amen. | 1:06:00 | |
| (Instrumentals playing) | 1:06:03 | |
| (Choir singing) | 1:06:45 | |
| - | I'm sure that | 1:11:57 |
| many of you will want to speak | 1:11:58 | |
| with those | 1:11:59 | |
| who have made this service today, | 1:12:01 | |
| rich | 1:12:05 | |
| and memorable, | 1:12:06 | |
| through the spoken word | 1:12:09 | |
| and the song word | 1:12:11 | |
| and the interpreted word. | 1:12:13 | |
| I am asking | 1:12:16 | |
| those who | 1:12:17 | |
| did the interpretive dance, | 1:12:18 | |
| to greet you | 1:12:21 | |
| or for you to greet them, | 1:12:21 | |
| in the front | 1:12:24 | |
| of the chapel | 1:12:25 | |
| in front of the chancel | 1:12:27 | |
| Dr. Kuchman and Dr. Anderson will be at the entrance. | 1:12:29 | |
| And you, if you would like a Palm branch as your | 1:12:33 | |
| momento | 1:12:37 | |
| of this time of worship, | 1:12:39 | |
| one of the ministers on the religious life staff | 1:12:41 | |
| will be available | 1:12:44 | |
| to hand one to you. | 1:12:46 | |
| Now, will you receive | 1:12:50 | |
| this blessing. | 1:12:51 | |
| The grace | 1:12:54 | |
| of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, | 1:12:56 | |
| the love of God, | 1:13:00 | |
| the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, | 1:13:03 | |
| be with you | 1:13:07 | |
| this day | 1:13:09 | |
| and forever | 1:13:11 | |
| (Choir singing) | 1:13:14 | |
| Amen!! | 1:13:16 | |
| Amen!! | 1:13:30 | |
| (Instrumental music) | 1:14:16 |
File Info
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