Breaking Bread -- A Message for April 23, 2023

 

We are working our way through the Season of Easter. We had Easter a few weeks ago, when the tomb was empty and Mary learned of Jesus’ resurrection. Last week, we focused on the story of Doubting Thomas—Thomas was not present when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the Disciples. He wanted to see Jesus resurrected for himself. Today, we read about another even that happened on Easter Sunday: Jesus surprised two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. Listen now to the story as it is found in Luke 24, verses thirteen through thirty-five:

Proclamation of the Scripture            Luke 24: 13-35

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 

They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 

As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 

but they were kept from recognizing him.

He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. 

One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

“What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 

The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 

but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 

In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 

but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 

Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 

Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”  

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 

But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 

and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 

Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. Amen.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray -- Open our ears to hear your Word proclaimed in this place.
Open our hearts to know your Love offered in this congregation.
Open our eyes to see your Presence blessing us in this moment. Amen

Message                                          Breaking Bread

            Even though thousands of years have passed since the events of the first Easter, we still have questions? How did the resurrection occur? Where was Jesus when he was dead – the Apostle’s Creed says he was in hell, what does that mean?  After the resurrection, why did Jesus reveal himself the ways he did? How could the disciples tell Jesus wasn’t just a ghost? Why did Jesus’ friends struggle to recognize him after he was resurrected?

            In our reading of the events on the Road to Emmaus, it says the disciples were “kept from recognizing him.” I suspect Jesus wanted to hear what they would tell him before he made himself known to them. Would they express their sadness at his death? What did they think about Mary’s revelation that Jesus was resurrected? If Jesus revealed who he was immediately, the disciples on the road would have probably kept their mouths shut and let Jesus do all the talking. And, they also probably would have immediately turned around to rush back to Jerusalem and not walked all the way to Emmaus.

            In a few weeks, forty days after Easter, we will arrive at Ascension Day. Before Jesus Ascended to heaven, he told his followers he was going to send the Holy Spirit to be among them. On Pentecost, we will recall the moment when the Holy Spirit broke into the room where the disciples were holed up and filled each of them with the Spirit of God and gave each of them additional gifts that they used to evangelize and spread the word about Christianity far and wide. But, even before Pentecost, we read in the stories of Jesus’ resurrection about the work of the Holy Spirit among Jesus’ disciples. The Holy Spirit was present when Mary recognized Jesus in the Garden. The Holy Spirit was present when Thomas saw Jesus and accepted the truth of the resurrection.  The Holy Spirit was present with the disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Although the disciples did not recognize Jesus, they showed hospitality to who they thought was a stranger. In response to their generosity and hospitality, the Holy Spirit was particularly present when Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to the disciples – their eyes were then open and they recognized Jesus in their midst.  

            The Holy Spirit is present with us when we practice hospitality as well. When we participate in the life of Trinity, we must remember that we are temporary caretakers of our church. Our congregation was founded long before any of us were born – almost a 100 years or more before most of us were born. And, we hope it will be here hundreds of years after we transition from this lift to the next. Each pew in this room has been tended to by people who were the temporary residents of these seats. Hundreds of people have volunteered their time, talents, and treasures to keep these lights on, and keep these floors clean and keep these doors open.  The Holy Spirit is at work among us to reach out to new people who join us within these walls. And, we are also called to reach out to new people to invite them to join us here.  When we celebrate Holy Communion in a few weeks, I like to remind you, and remind me, that the table we preside over belongs to Jesus – he invites us to eat the bread and drink the juice – he invites us to join him at the holy meal. Likewise, Jesus invites us to join him here at Trinity – this is God’s church, and we are temporarily the caretakers of this place. Our job is to support the work of God’s church, to devote our time and resources to this place, and to hospitably welcome people to come and join us here.

            In the days that followed Good Friday, Jesus’ disciples weren’t sure what was going to happen. They didn’t know if they were just supposed to go back to their former lives, and be regular fishermen or tax collectors or carpenters. They weren’t sure what was going to happen. But, in the story of the Road to Emmaus, we read of disciples continuing to practice their faith through their hospital invitation to a stranger to join them for conversation and dinner, to be their overnight guest in the place they were able to provide accommodations. Let us remember we are also called to practice hospitality, even in the moments of our lives that we aren’t sure what we are doing next. Our calling is to live out Jesus’ teachings to be loving and supportive of other people, even when we are also in need of love and support.

            Let us remember the Holy Spirit is among us to support us, to love us, to guide us and to inspire us to extend God’s grace, love and hospitality to others.

            Amen. 

Holy Language -- A Message for April 16, 2023

 

This morning, our reading picks up in the middle of the Easter Story. Last week, we focused on Mary Magdalene’s visit to the tomb. She was surprised to find it empty and assumed Jesus’ body was stolen. But, eventually, Jesus appeared and soothed Mary in her distress. He told her he had been resurrected from the dead. Mary went and told the other disciples about her conversation with Jesus. We pick up after she informed them of the Easter miracle as we read from the Gospel of John chapter 20 verses nineteen through thirty-one:

Proclamation of the Scripture                        John 20:19-31                     

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 

After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  

If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 

But these are written that you may believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray -- Open our ears to hear your Word proclaimed in this place.
Open our hearts to know your Love offered in this congregation.
Open our eyes to see your Presence blessing us in this moment. Amen

Message                                                      Holy Language      

            Thomas is usually held up as the great doubter of the Disciples. He wanted to see evidence of the resurrection, and did not want to rely on the words of the others when they told him they saw Jesus.  But, he wasn’t the only one of the Disciples, disciples then and disciples now, who sometimes struggled to believe in Jesus and his teachings.

            Earlier on in the story of Jesus’ life, Thomas was very faithful. When Jesus told his friends they needed to travel to Bethany when Lazarus was sick, Thomas first warned Jesus that he would get killed going there. When Jesus said he would go anyway, Thomas remarked to the others they should go and die alongside Jesus. Thomas was enthusiastic and was up for an adventure, even one with a potentially negative outcome. But, after he experienced that negative outcome, and Jesus was arrested, tortured, and killed, Thomas’ enthusiasm was chilled.

            We get this. Thomas experienced something horrible, and he was heart-broken. He was disillusioned. He had put his trust in Jesus, and he didn’t expect things to totally go off the rails.

            In our lives, we also struggle to regroup after tragic situations in our lives. We can look back over our past and recall experiences that shocked and dismayed us, that threw us off-kilter – a bad grade in a class we expected to do well in, a break-up with a person we weren’t ready to lose, a job loss, a death of a close relative, anything terrible that happened to our children – sometimes these events have completely wrecked us.  And, it took us a long time to recovery, and even after a possible recovery, things never were quite the same.

            Thomas was not ready to accept the good news of Jesus’ resurrection after all of the bad things that happened to Jesus. He especially wasn’t ready to turn on a dime and become hopeful once again when he didn’t see Jesus for himself. Thomas needed to see Jesus. He needed to touch Jesus. But, when Jesus appeared a week after Easter and Thomas saw him for himself, Thomas was hope-filled and positive once again.

            Thomas had the advantage of seeing Jesus for himself. We probably will not experience an in-person visit with Jesus in this life-time. Like Thomas, sometimes we also struggle to believe. Sometimes, it is difficult for us to accept what we cannot see.  It is particularly difficult for us to believe when we are experiencing hard times. Sometimes, we can just bear to crawl out of bed in the morning, and struggle to have faith in anything – in other drivers, in our co-workers, in the weather, in God. As we have been having conversations with the Confirmation students, I have wanted them to know that even adults have doubts, even adults have questions, even adults don’t feel like we have it all figured out. Somedays it is easy for us to accept and believe; other days, we struggle.

            Thomas may have been one of those people who said out-loud the things that the rest of us are thinking to ourselves.  Like all of us, he struggled to accept our faith 100% of the time. Like all of us, it was difficult for him to keep his faith in-tact after he underwent a really horrible week, he witnessed the heart-breaking death of Jesus. 

            But, Thomas rebounded. He got his faith back. He embraced the Good News once again. When we are having a hard time accepting and believing, we must also work to regroup. We must pray, even when we feel like we are talking to ourselves. We must read the Bible and seek in it words of comfort and hope. We need to talk to our fellow Christians and listen to how they endured their times of trial and hardship. Sometimes, when we sing hymns in worship, or sing hymns in the shower, we feel supported and bolstered by the words and the melody and the music helps us reembrace our faith.

            Even when we struggle to believe in God, God doesn’t struggle to believe in us. God sends us messages in the words others say to us, the beauty in the natural world around us, the good deeds and actions others take in front of us, and through these messages from God our faith is restored.

            Friends, take heart, we are not alone when we doubt, but we can be assured of God’s love and grace directed to us all the days of our lives.

            Thanks be to God. Amen. 

Blessed Are Those Who Hope Still -- An Easter Message for 2023

 

Proclamation of the Scripture                        John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 

So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 

Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 

He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 

Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 

as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 

(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 

and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray -- Open our ears to hear your Word proclaimed in this place.
Open our hearts to know your Love offered in this congregation.
Open our eyes to see your Presence blessing us in this moment. Amen

            After Jesus died, his friends had to quickly place his body in the tomb. Faithful Jewish people are not allowed to touch deceased bodies on the Sabbath. And, the week Jesus was crucified was a holier-than-normal Sabbath because it was during Passover. So, Jesus was removed from the cross and then his body was taken to Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Jesus was not from Jerusalem, so even if his family had a tomb, it would have been in Nazareth, not Jerusalem. Time was of the essence, so Joseph wrapped Jesus’ body in a linen cloths but didn’t do all of the other rituals traditionally done to prepare a body for burial.

            Mary Magdalene and the other Mary followed Joseph of Arimathea and the body to the tomb.  They were reluctant to leave Jesus. And, although they couldn’t prepare the body during the Sabbath, they planned to return on Sunday morning and do the traditional washing and anointing to fortify the body for burial.

            In our Easter reading, we read that Mary went early in the morning on Sunday before the sun had risen. She wanted to be near Jesus, even though he was not alive in his body. She wanted to get to work, to make sure all of the rituals were precisely conducted to prepare Jesus for burial. To her dismay, when Mary arrived, the tomb was open and the body was gone.  Mary did not remember Jesus’ prophesies.  He had told them he would suffer and die and then rise again in 3 days. Mary was so upset, so devastated, that she didn’t expect a risen Savior. She expected a dead body.

            But, she refused to give up until she found Jesus. Mary went and told Peter and the beloved disciple that the body was gone. The two men returned with Mary to see for themselves that the body was missing. Peter went into the tomb and saw the strips of cloth that had wrapped the body, lying without a body in sight. The Beloved disciple saw the missing body and believed in the resurrection. We don’t know what Peter thought – did he believe? Or did he think the body was stolen?

            Mary wanted the men to witness the reality of the empty tomb. Perhaps they could figure out what to do. Perhaps they would have known where to go to have the body returned to Jesus’ friends. Mary wanted to do everything for Jesus she could possibly do. Wash his body. Anoint in with oils. Re-wrap it for burial. Mary wouldn’t give up until she found Jesus.

            Mary peered into the tomb, hoping to see clues that would help her know who had taken Jesus away. She saw two angels sitting where the body had been. And, they asked her why she was upset. Somehow, in her grief, even seeing two angels didn’t convince Mary she didn’t need to worry. She just told them she was looking for Jesus’ body. But, they were no help….Mary’s grief had her in a haze – after two sleepless nights, even angels appearing couldn’t interrupt her grief.

            Then a man approached Mary. She assumed him to be the gardener. He asked her why she was crying. Mary either didn’t look at the man, or her eyes were clouded by grief. Again, she repeated that she was looking for Jesus’ body. She refused to give up until she found Jesus.

            The man said her name: “Mary!” And Mary finally woke up. She realized he was Jesus. The woman who wouldn’t give up finally had her heart’s desire…she found Jesus. And, surprise of surprise, he wasn’t just a body. He was alive!

            After their conversation, Mary rushed to tell the others that Jesus was resurrected.  Again, they had trouble understanding her. They had trouble understanding that Jesus had told him he would be back, he would be resurrected.

            The story of Easter is a story of life over death. Because of what Jesus did in his life, death, and resurrection, we know the fullness of God’s justice and love and redemption will be accomplished. Jesus loves the people of our world so much, Jesus died for us. He allowed his life to be extinguished. He allowed himself to die a horrible death. But, nothing could keep Jesus from his followers. Jesus wanted us to understand that nothing is impossible for God. Jesus’ resurrection is a sign that no matter how we fail, no matter how disobedient to God’s desires for us, no matter how many mistakes we make in our lives, that nothing we do is so terrible that God won’t love us. Jesus was killed by the people who were supposed to “get” him. Jesus was killed by the people he came to save. And, yet, God got the last word. Jesus rose from the grave.

            So, my friends, take heart. No matter what kinds of problems we face, not matter how terribly we disappoint others, no matter how badly we mess us, God loves us and forgives us. God loves the people of the world so much that God gave God’s one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send God’s son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Jesus.

            We are loved by God, forgiven by God, and saved by God. This is the Good News. Thanks be to God.

            Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Amen.       

In A Garden of New Life -- Easter Sunrise Worship 2023

 

JOHN 20:1-18 

1-2 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, gasping for breath. “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.”

3-10 Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.

11-13 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”

13-14 “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.

15 Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”

She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Sir, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”

16 Jesus said, “Mary.”

Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”

17 Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

MEDITATION: IN A GARDEN OF NEW LIFE

 

            For Jesus’ disciples, the Easter events were a total surprise. They were unprepared for Jesus’ resurrection. And, yet, they shouldn’t have been surprised at all. Over the months leading up to Jesus’ arrest, Jesus tried to warn his friends about what was going to happen.  In Mark, Jesus was recording saying he would be persecuted by the priests and teachers and killed, and after three days rise again. In Matthew, Jesus was recorded as showing his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed. In Mark, after Jesus told the disciples he was going to be betrayed, killed, and rise after three days, it says the disciples ...”did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.” So, the disciples were too bewildered or fearful to ask Jesus to clarify the meaning of his words.

            And, because they were not clear about what Jesus was telling them, the disciples were caught off-guard on the first Easter Sunday.

            The Saturday of the Passover week was a nightmare for the disciples. They were in Jerusalem while Jesus was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. On Good Friday, the disciples had trouble being honest about their relationship with Jesus – some pretended to not know him, some hid out, and some stood silently by and observed Jesus’ final hours, weeping and watching.

            Mary Magadalene was one of those who wept and watched.  She cried all the way through the Saturday Sabbath day. After tossing and turning on Saturday night, she got up early in the morning on Sunday and went to Jesus’ tomb. She figured that since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she would sit in vigil at Jesus’ grave.

            But, when Mary arrived at the garden outside of the tombs cut into the stone, things were amiss. She assumed the bad guys had taken Jesus’ body away. Insult upon injury. Mary knew the Romans wanted to quell all the gossip around the possibility Jesus was the Messiah. She assumed they removed Jesus’ body from the tomb to keep it locked up and guarded by Roman soldiers. Mary ran and told the others Jesus’ body was missing. And, then she returned to the tomb and wept.

            Mary’s weeping and anguish was tremendous. So tremendous that Jesus eventually took pity on Mary. He approached Mary and asked her why she was upset. And, then Jesus learned of Mary’s confusion. She thought the body was stolen. She had not remembered Jesus’ words when he told them he would rise after three days. And, she was so exhausted and sad she didn’t recognize Jesus even though he was standing right next to her.

            Finally, Mary’s eyes were opened. She saw Jesus. She talked to him. She understood his prophetic words – yes, he would suffer – but, after three days he rose again.

            The resurrection of Jesus reminds us that we are never separated from God. In life, in death, in life beyond death, we belong to God and God never takes God’s love away from us. Jesus loved his friends so much that it hurt him to see them suffer. Jesus loved Mary so much he broke cover in order to show her he had resurrected. Jesus died so that we can live knowing our sins will be forgiven. Jesus loved his friends to the n’th degree, and taught us to love each other. The Easter story is a story for us to remember that God loves us more than we will ever understand. God loves us when we mess up. God loves us when we don’t understand. God loves us when we can’t see what is right in front of us. This is the story of our faith, of God and God’s love, of Jesus and his love.

            Thanks be to God. Christ the lord is risen today. Alleluia! Amen. 

Blessed Are the Rejected -- A Message for April 2, 2023

 

   

Each year, our Palm Sunday tradition 

is to read the story of the first Palm Sunday, when Jesus triumphally entered Jerusalem. This year, we read the story as it is written in Matthew, chapter 21, verses one through eleven. Please read along with me.

Proclamation of the Scripture                        Matthew 21:1-11    

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 

saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 

If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 

They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

            In 1841, Scottish journalist Charles Mackay published the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. His book was the first deep dive into the dangers of crowd psychology – people caught up in crowd-mentality often become carried away. Mackay talked about the Dutch Tulip Economic bubble of the 1630s when people became so obsessed with their tulip bulb expenditures until the entire market collapsed and ruined the finances of many people who got caught up in the buying trend. Mackay also wrote about witch hunts in Europe and philosophical delusions that led to people supporting alchemists and fortune tellers.

            Some of us may have invested in Beanie Babies or Precious Moment figurines thinking we would eventually have a huge payout. But, the trend faded and people stopped lining up to buy the products, and our investments turned to dust.

            On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem and a crowd surrounded him. The crowd grew and grew as it heard other people shouting and pandemonium breaking out on the streets of Jerusalem.  They saw Jesus entering the city on the back of the donkey and believed him to be the messiah, which he was. But, Jesus didn’t do the things they expected the messiah to do – he wasn’t a warlord, he wasn’t a fighter, he wasn’t a zealot prepared to overthrow the Roman oppressors.

            So, the crowd became carried away with their shouting and rejoicing, but they weren’t prepared for the reality of who Jesus was – Jesus came to earth to teach us about God’s love. Jesus came to earth to remind us to love each other, even the people who don’t fit in or are different than the norm. Jesus came to earth to tell non-Jews, and sinners, and outcasts, and sad people that we are loved by God too.  Jesus came to teach us, love us, and die for us. And, this is not what the crowds expected.

            Like Jesus, sometimes in our lives we have been rejected for who we are. We aren’t what people expect. WE aren’t who people thought we were. We are too weird, or too athletic, or too friendly, or too liberal, or too conservative, or too in-in-the-middle. We are rejected for things that we have no control over. We are rejected for who we are.

            Jesus came to earth and was rejected. He wasn’t the kind of messiah people expected. The people of Nazareth, his hometown, chased him out of town.  He was nearly stoned when he said things people didn’t want to hear. The religious leaders who should have embraced him turned against Jesus. After he was arrested, even Jesus closest friends, his disciples, pretended to not know him. Jesus was rejected by the people he came to save. Jesus was rejected for who he was….for who he is.

            Friends, we must take heart that Jesus understands what it is like to be rejected. Jesus understands how we feel when we are rejected. And, Jesus asks us to do better. Jesus asks us to be better than the people who have hurt us and turned against us. We are called to love each other. We are called to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. We are called to love the people who others reject. We are called to love the outcasts, and the oddballs, and the people without homes, and the people who are food insecure, and the people who are different than we are. We are called to do better and to live out the teachings of Jesus as we warmly embrace those who are hurting and lonely and sad and rejected.

            Over the next few days, we will walk with Jesus to the cross. We will remember the tragic and sad things that happened to Jesus in his final hours on earth…the meal he shared with this friends….his time of prayer in the garden…his arrest, his trial, his beatings, his pain….We will spend hours waiting with Jesus as he suffered on the cross, as he died….we will spend hours mourning him and remembering the anguish felt by his friends when they believed death was the final word. And, then, next Sunday, we will celebrate the greatest miracle the world has ever experienced…..but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We must be rejected alongside of Jesus, and feel his pain and agony, before we get to next Sunday.

            Let us live out the good news of Jesus Christ. Let us treat others with love and compassion, welcoming people with open arms who are not welcomed everywhere they go, today and all days.

            Amen.