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“Declarations!”
Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 21:1-11; Psalm 118,
Psalm 31; Matthew 26:14-27; 27:11-54
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
Palm/Passion Sunday - Holy Week
Begins - Children and Palms!
Ordination/Installation of Church Officers
March 16, 2008
Please pray with me;
Lord, as we have heard your word and now try to understand, bring your Holy
Spirit upon us, that we might realize both joy and sorrow as part of life
together, that through you our confidence and strength are formed in God’s
own faithfulness, a celebration, in joy and even in sorrow, for all of God’s
people. AMEN.
On this day of spreading palm
branches in front of Jesus, as the children just did, our Gospels tell us of
Jesus’ final and triumphal entry into Jerusalem; it marks the celebration of the
beginning of Holy Week, in both Eastern and Western traditions. The palm tree is
mentioned only in the Gospel of John in this event, symbolic for steadfastness
and a kind of splendor (grandeur); it’s hardy, tall, and shady, and as we know
mostly, sways in the breeze declaring its prominence. Their hardiness is in
every bit of the tree being utilized, whether it be the baskets, oils, or dates
(from the fruit of the tree) and so they are, at least in Eastern culture
actively cultivated. When Rick and I travel south to warmer areas, with joy I
like to declare,” We’re here in the sun and fun, I can see the palms!” I didn’t
know this ‘til recently; there is a male and a female palm. They are known to be
used for many festival celebrations, such as ours today.
Yet in declaring this Palm Sunday
as joyful and with much celebration, and we want everyone to take a palm branch
with them today, we know of it being Passion Sunday too, the suffering and death
to come this next Holy Week, for our Lord and Savior. One thing separating us in
our lives today from those in the ancient texts is that we know what’s coming
this week. I don’t believe I’m alone in thinking there is a kind of tension for
us all today and in the week ahead, which so clearly defines our Christian
faith, and truly defined in both our texts as well. How can we have such joy in
walking with palms alongside Jesus into Jerusalem today, knowing that such
passion of hardship and strife is to come, so soon? All the glory is gone!! This
along with death, for Jesus long ago, and for ourselves in our joy and suffering
as part of our life. How do we begin to live into a faith that is and holds joy
and suffering so closely together?
Both texts for us today are
triumphant, they tell of a steadfast and affirming God that makes us feel, well,
joyful. Isaiah’s “third” Servant Song is scripture truly in the voice of God’s
Servant in song; possibly the servant nation being Israel, or a prophet, in
declaration of “The Lord God.” Yahweh has ‘given tongues’ of a teacher, ‘opened
ears’ in not turning back, and ‘helps me’ in not being disgraced. Yet, there are
words of confidence and fear and trouble here, we know. Then, and today, Israel
has lived in turmoil and trepidation (anxiety and uncertainty). What are the
consequences of boldness and confidence in these times? Is it pain and
suffering? The prophet brings declarations and intentions of speaking (tongues)
and hearing (ears), for Israel and us, along with consequences of triumph of not
being put to shame, and ‘let us stand up together!’
We have trouble sometimes, I
think, in bringing together the truth of God and our illusions of reality. I
think this last portion of Isaiah sounds like a courtroom drama; you know, those
innocent or guilty! I was in court this last week, and listened intently of
truth versus reality (and consequences); details of what truth in happenings
were some time ago, (what really happened) and perhaps what has been detailed
since as what ‘really’ happened because of conjecture, ‘hearsay’ and
coincidences, or ‘speculation.’ Yet Isaiah’s language includes reminders in a
declaration in song of truth-speaking, “It is the Lord God (four times here) who
helps me; who will declare me guilty?” In our innocence or guilt, it is God who
governs us and no one else.
Confidently and perhaps
consequently, one of the best and affirming ways we declare our faith is in
worship each Sunday; we state what we believe in our creeds, confessions, and
our doctrines. Along with Christian Protestant faith, it is also Presbyterian
declaration! Fondly, I thought of our church polity, our government and all it
offers a few weeks ago when I went to a series of wonderful lectures by Canadian
theologian Douglas John Hall and he reminded us that, “The faith that we profess
and confess as Christians is a thinking faith–a faith that grasps our
minds, not only our spirits (p. 2).” Fortunately for us, our Apostle’s Creed,
stated long ago by our forefathers and memorized by many, describes who God,
Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are for us. These declarations are the
foundation of our belief and faith. They’re truth; they’re not hearsay or
speculation. In speaking of the oral tradition of the passion of Christ, don’t
the words of Paul speak to us similarly in his hymn of glory to God the good
news of God’s sovereignty and power? In prison as he writes, Paul the apostle
talks of joy and abundance in his letter to his favorite church, Philippi. In
all of his churches that failed, he writes a thank-you letter to them for being
partners in/with Christ.
One of my Lutheran colleagues at
lectionary a few weeks ago in Fort (Atkinson) commented that these are the
“best” words in Philippians of Paul for our ears to hear on Passion Sunday. They
seem to declare the Lord as ‘power-figure’ all over–everywhere. Think of this,
in God ‘every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.’ But the joy in
Jerusalem and the hosannas of the large crowds that greet Jesus are here and
gone rapidly aren’t they? Instead of triumph, this is a prelude to Jesus’
rejection, all because Jesus chose obedience to God the Father as his
power-figure. He humbled himself to God! Jesus’ identity is with God, in
submitting himself to human life and then consequently death.
Paul encourages us to be of the
“mind” of Christ, not that we will be as Christ was glorified, but the good news
that we are of the mind and body of God, in God’s image, but not God! In
our joys, struggles, pain, and suffering, all together, we are doing the real
work of life. That’s a hard distinction for us in today’s self-centered world in
which we live. Yet it’s realistic, isn’t it, that in declaring our belief in
God’s word, in living our faith in action, and promoting others to Christian
faith we will never be of the status of Jesus, never be raised or heightened to
the honor and glory of Christ Jesus?
Truly, our own power of wishing to
raise Jesus Christ to power on Palm Sunday with tall and strong, sturdy palms
and circumstance is the same as our power in condemning and crucifying the Lord
Jesus this coming Good Friday. Yet in the joy and sorrow of Christ’ life, in our
life, the last word, the last declaration of God’s final triumph is that of
God’s steadfast and high exaltation of Christ; giving Christ the name and status
above every name. It is our final triumph, in the image of God and in the name
of Jesus, that we bend our knees, in heaven and on earth, and our tongue declare
and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Thanks be to
God. AMEN.
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