“Finding Our Voices” (Luke 19:28-40)

One of the goals of life, at least I think it is, is to find one’s voice.  One online dictionary explained it like this: “If someone finds their voice, they start to speak in spite of fear or surprise or difficult circumstances.”  It went on to say that it was something that was personal and original.  Finding one’s voice is a part of growing and becoming who God created you to be . . . it is being honest about who you are and what you believe.  Finding our voices as individuals . . . and, as a collective whole, is important and vital to God’s will in our lives.  Because of that, I believe that finding one’s voice is an important goal in our lives.

Our scripture reading this morning is witness to the day that the followers of Jesus grew up, found their voices, summoned their courage, and assumed their role as witnesses to God’s will.  This is the day that Jesus’ followers stepped onto the world stage, stepped out as willing players and protagonists in the realm of God.  This reading allows us to experience a people finding their voices . . . accepting who they are . . . and, proudly accepting it.  This is the day that the people found their voice.

So, welcome to Palm Sunday . . . Jesus’ grand entry!

This is a fairly important event and day in the story of our faith as the followers of Jesus.  This story is a pretty big biblical deal.  It is in all four gospels . . . Christmas doesn’t make all four gospels . . . neither does the Lord’s Prayer, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Beatitudes . . . but, Palm Sunday does.  Because of that, I would imagine that we need to take this story and its message seriously.

As you know, this story is set at the start of Passover festival.  Jews from all over the world are flocking back to Jerusalem for the celebration.  The city is swelling with people . . . it is alive, buzzing, and hopping with energy.  Energy and expectation are swelling to their limits.  Expectation is in the air.  Anything and everything could happen. 

And, making his entrance into this scene is Jesus.

In our reading this morning we hear the preparations made for Jesus’ entrance . . . quite simple, but symbolic.  The plan is for Jesus to enter riding a young colt.  And, that is just what he does . . . he enters Jerusalem through a back gate riding a colt.  As the story goes, Jesus’ entrance into the city is no big deal as it begins, but as he goes along it picks up steam.  Soon crowds begin to gather and shouts of joyful praise to God are offered as he passes by.  The people are shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  It was quite a spectacle.

Meanwhile, over in the other end of the city, something is taking place that none of the writers of the gospels mention . . . there is another parade taking place.  This parade is full of pomp and circumstance . . . it is a display of might and power.  It is not a parade to celebrate, but a message . . . a message to the people as to who is in control.  Pilate parades his Roman forces as a message to the people to watch their steps.  This parade too is marked with celebration . . . subdued celebration, not because there is something to celebrate, but because to do anything less might bring consequences—dire consequences at the hands of the Roman militia. 

It is in contrast that these two parades stand.  One . . . simple, yet eloquent . . . filled with joy and real celebration; the other, full of pomp and circumstance . . . a show of power and oppression . . . filled with subdued emotion and compliance.  Two parades on the opposite end of the spectrum, but two parades with messages and significance.

With Pilate’s parade the people are warned . . . be careful what you do or face the wrath of those in power.  With Jesus’ parade there is a party breaking out . . . a coming out party!  The followers of Jesus are stepping up, finding their voices, and assuming a new role in the relationship with their teacher.  What occurs is that the followers of Jesus make an announcement . . . they are following their hearts and their allegiance of who they are and who they belong to . . . they belong to God.  They are the children of God.  That is who they belong to and no one or nothing else.  They belong to Jesus . . . not Rome.  They have found their voice.

This is significant because they are no longer sitting quietly, listening, and learning . . . no, they are stepping into the game.  No longer are they the audience, they have become players in the game.  As Jesus parades into Jerusalem, the followers proclaim in new found voices that they, too, are a part of the action.  They proclaim their faith with shouts of proclamation: “Blessed is the king . . . peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

From the start of the season of Lent, I have emphasized that the purpose of the journey is for the faithful . . . the followers of Jesus . . . to examine the relationships in their lives to discover what barriers or pitfalls there are that keep them from having deeper, fuller, fulfilling, and intimate relationships with themselves, God, and others.  That is important work.  It is work we do for a lifetime as relationships are constantly changing.  A big chunk of that work is learning to accept what we discover about ourselves as individuals and groups . . . about what we learn about God and God’s purpose . . . and, what we learn about others and how we are called to relate to them through love and grace.  It is about accepting ourselves as God created us to be, and as God desires us to be.  In the end, it comes to us finding as voice as a child of God.

Finding one’s voice . . . remember what I stated earlier . . . that finding one’s voice is an original and personal expression of being able to be . . . who God created you to be, who God desires to know, and calls to share with others . . . despite fear, surprise, or difficult circumstances. In our story, the followers of Jesus discover their voice in light of the threat symbolized in the parade on the other end of town.  They speak up for the relationships that they have discovered through Jesus . . . they voice their support for God as seen through Jesus . . . they join in the parade.

As fellow sojourners . . . fellow followers of Jesus . . . we are called upon to find our voice.  Not only to find it, but to express it.  We are called upon to join the parade.  Finding our voice as a follower of Jesus means that we are in step with God and God’s will.  It means that we stand with Jesus, his teachings, and more importantly his example.  It means that we embrace our faith . . . our identity . . . and, our willingness to be who God created us to be as a child of God.

On this Palm Sunday, let us find our voices . . . let us join in Jesus’ parade . . . and let us claim our place in the family of God.  And, most importantly, let us live it in our lives on daily basis so that others, too, can discover their voices as the children of God.  Amen.

“Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore” (Philippians 3:4b-14)

The apostle, Paul, was a big man on campus.  Listen to his spiel: “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”

The Apostle Paul sounds pretty important . . . he’s got the pedigree, the right connections, the education, and the experience.  The man has status in the community, society, and culture of his time.  He has all the necessary markings to be held in esteem and position.  As far as he is concerned, he is someone . . . someone important.  He has got his place and that place is pretty high up the ladder.

We have all known people like the Paul that is speaking . . . people who let us know just how important they are . . . let us know where they stand within a group, family, community, workplace, or just about anywhere people gather.  Though we may not be as boastful about it as these people or the Apostle Paul, we too, know where we stand.  It is a part of human nature to establish our place within family, work, and social groups . . . it is a part of us to want to be included; thus we end up playing the same game as we witness with the Apostle Paul this morning.  As humans, we find status by our pedigree, accomplishments, and breeding . . . we find our place.  Unfortunately, it is a life-long struggle.

It is a struggle that I do not think any of us enjoy.  A struggle that we seem to spend a lifetime engaging in whether we realize it or not.  Think about it.  Within our families we spend a lot of time working on our place in the family.  When we went to school—no matter what level of education we were dealing with, we worked on where we were in the pecking order.  In the employment that we did or do . . . in the groups that we associate and socialize with . . . in sports . . . even, in the church.  We seem to be constantly trying to figure out where we stand.  We seem to be constantly trying to determine whether or not we belong.

It is gut-wrenching work to always be judged not by who we are, but by what our accomplishments and pedigree are.

To this, the Apostle Paul says: “I consider them garbage . . .”

This is a pretty major shift for a guy we just heard tooting his own horn about his importance and status.  But, that is what the apostle says, “I consider them garbage . . .” 

So, what changed?

One of my favorite singer/songwriters is John Prine.  Years ago, back during the Viet Nam War, he fell into the anti-war group as most artists did.  He wrote several songs against the consequences of war.  In particular, he wrote a song about putting patriotism and faith together called Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore.  It is about the dangers of assuming that there is some sort of hierarchy or specialness that assure a person a place in heaven . . . in the case of the song, it is patriotism. 

In the song, written during the war, a guy keeps being given flag decals to put on his car—which is something he does.  He does it to the point that he can no longer see out the windows of his car . . . has an accident . . . and ends up at the Pearly Gates of Heaven.  At the Pearly Gates the man is denied entrance as he is told, “But your flag decal won’t get you into Heaven anymore . . .”

And, guess what?  We know he is right.  The only thing that gets you into heaven is grace.  It is not what you have done.  It is not your status in the community.  It is not your wealth or power or education.  It is nothing but pure grace.  Plain and simple.  And, we know it.

Thus, the Apostle Paul declares: “I consider them garbage . . .”

Instead, the apostle states that what is important is who he as God created him to be . . . who he is in his relationship with Jesus.  What is important is his relationship with God.  That is what is important.  Or, as he says it: “ . . . but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”  In other words, what is going to get you into heaven is that intimate relationship with God . . . shown to us in Jesus. 

There is that word again—relationship.  As Paul sees it, we discover our “true self” as God created us to be, learn what it means to be as God created us to be, and learn to love ourselves for who we truly are.  It is not all of that stuff that the apostle calls “garbage”.   Then it is discovering how that relationship translates into intimacy with the Holy . . . that relationship between us and God.  Which then spills into how we relate to others.  It is not about accomplishments, status, or any of the other markers that are placed upon us by our families, employers, communities, and even cultures.

No, in the end, it is just us as God created us to be.  In the end, it comes down to that relationship between ourselves as individuals—do we love ourselves for who God created us to be.  It comes down to a willingness to step into a relationship with the Holy that God desires—do we truly love God and God’s will for us in our lives.  And, it comes down to our intentions of stepping into relationships that embrace all that love into the lives of others. 

Anything less than this, is garbage.  Not only is it garbage, it won’t get us into heaven anymore.

The Apostle Paul tells us that this human-made game that we get ourselves wrapped up in . . . this game of constantly attempting to see where we stack up in relation with others . . . this game of accumulating enough points . . . to make ourselves worthy in the eyes of God and others in order to get into heaven . . . is nothing more than garbage.  It is not worth the time and effort because it is through the pure grace of God that any of us find our worth and place in heaven.

It all comes down to relationships . . . the relationship that we have with ourselves, God, and others.  Are they loving, caring relationships?  During the season of Lent we are called upon to work on relationships . . . self, God, and others.  It sounds so simple, put it is hard work.  It is hard work to love ourselves for who God created us to be—not what others expect us to be.  It is difficult work to love God and do God’s will—not what the world tells us to do.  And, it is hard, difficult work to learn to love others as we are loved by God.  The tasks of Lent are work, but we have the witness of Jesus . . . his words and life to show us the way.  And, as the apostle tells us . . . it is the work of a lifetime.  The apostle warns us of this.

Paul writes: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”

Because of this he tells us all that this is the work of the faithful . . . the work of those who follow Jesus.  To discover, accept, enrich, and grow those relationships which God has called us all to.  All that other stuff is garbage; thus, he encourages those who are listening to focus on that which matters: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

That goal is to do as Jesus told us all . . . to love ourselves, love God, and to love others.  Nothing else matters . . . nothing else will get us into heaven.  Amen.