Sermon by Pastor David Layman

April 9, 2006

John 12:12-19

Today is Palm Sunday, when Jesus was hailed by many who waved palm
branches and proclaimed Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the
name of the Lord--the King of Israel! Palm Sunday seems a bit out of
place in Holy Week. Jesus was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds on Sunday,
but betrayed by one of his own on Thursday, run through a sham trial,
and crucified on Friday. Many of the religious leaders, powerful town
fathers and the Roman political authorities found that they did have one
thing in common: they could all cooperate and send Jesus to the cross.
As the gospel of John begins, The world did not know [Jesus]. He came
to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. (John
1:10-11). But Palm Sunday reminds us that some did welcome Jesus, and
receive him with joy. Jesus reception on Palm Sunday was so rousing
that it led the Pharisees to say in dismay Look, the world has gone
after him! (John 12:19)

While Jesus was received with much un-grace, Jesus took the worst the
world had to offer, and proclaimed forgiveness from the cross. More than
that, he took a towel and washed his own disciples feet; he told women
who empathized with him on the way to the cross Do not weep for
me--weep for yourselves! (Luke 23:28) Jesus not only taught us to turn
the other cheek, he practiced it. He endured the worst that evil could
offer him, and emerged triumphant from the tomb. There was power in the
earthly voice of Jesus, calling his friend Lazarus from the grave. And
there is even more power in the risen Christs commission, sending us
into the world. Fret though we may about how the world seems to be
going to hell in a hand basket, God continues to raise up believers
and faithful followers. Those who tried to silence the praise of the
multitude on Palm Sunday were told by Jesus If these be silent, the
very stones would cry out! (Luke 19:40) God will have himself witnesses!

Jesus set Gods grace loose in the world. The Pharisees couldnt stop
it, the town fathers couldnt squelch it, the Romans couldnt crucify
it. Even Satan couldnt stop Jesus from accomplishing his mission. Death
itself couldnt hold the powerful grace of God, for on Easter morning,
the risen Christ burst out of the tomb!

Ultimately, the reason we can be grace-dispensers in the world about us,
is that we know that at long last, Christs kingdom will triumph. Jesus
will return to judge the living and the dead. Its not up to us to
overpower those who work evil. God will judge; we may be sure of that!

This time of year, Ive watched a lot of basketball games. At the end of
the game, the cameras have shown many a star on losing teams return to
their sidelines in tears. Some collapse on the court, dejected. Its not
uncommon to see players on the winning team come over and seek to
console the losers, to share a hand up, to share grace with the losers.
The reason Christians can afford to share grace is that, regardless of
present appearances, we belong to the winning team! Christ has conquered
the ultimate power of evil through His death and resurrection. Its just
a matter of time before the power of good over evil is complete. Dont
live lives of bitterness and discouragement. Live lives of victory and
grace! Jesus Christ is risen today, we proclaim on Easter Sunday. But
because of the resurrection, every Sundays an Easter Sunday, from now on!

Too often as Christians today, we live with anxiety, we press, we may
want to try to pressure others into accepting what we have come to know
as true. Our faith in God means so much to us, we wind up sharing the
Good News of Jesus in the worst possible way! This strategy rarely
works! Instead, Christians develop a reputation of being dogmatic, hard
nosed, intolerant. Jesus wasnt this way, but we, his followers, come to
be seen in this light. The world may see Christians as angry and
frustrated. But lets remember that on Palm Sunday, it was the opponents
of Jesus that were frustrated, saying in dismay, You can do nothing.
Look, the world has gone after [Jesus]! Thursday night and Friday,
Jesus opponents thought they had taken care of the Jesus problem. With
Christs resurrection on Easter Sunday, they became more frustrated than
ever!

Our faith in Christ, knowing that God will ultimately triumph, enables
us to live lives of grace. Before I became pastor of First Presbyterian
Church, an interim by the name of Don served here. Before I met Don, I
heard reports that his ministry here received a mixed reaction. Some
liked him, some really didnt. But what struck me is that in spite of
the fact that many had objections to Dons ministry, when he left, the
church honored Don with a dinner and gifts. I found myself thinking If
they treat an interim pastor, that a number of people had significant
differences with, with grace and warmth, this may be a wonderful place
to serve. And I was right! Anyone can treat others with grace when they
really appreciate them. But to treat someone that youve had significant
differences with, with grace, is a sign of Christian maturity!

In John McCains book, Destiny is Character, he wrote of a powerful
experience in the midst of his 5 1/2 years as a Vietnam POW:

There was one other occasion during my imprisonment that moved me
greatly as evidence of Gods transcending love. During the time I was
held in solitary, I was caught, not for the first time, communicating
with my dear friend in the cell next to mine. For my transgression, I
was kept overnight in a punishment cell tied very tightly in ropes.

On this particular night as I sat on the stool cursing my bad luck, and
straining against the painfully tightened ropes, the door suddenly
opened and a young guard I had occasionally seen wandering around the
camp entered the room. He motioned to me to remain silent by placing his
finger to his lips, and then, without smiling or even looking me in the
eyes, proceeded to loosen the ropes that bound me. His kind action
completed, he left without uttering a word to me. As dawn approached, he
returned to tighten the ropes before he finished his watch and another
guard might have discovered what he had done.

In the months that followed, I occasionally saw my Good Samaritan when I
was moved from one part of the prison to another. He never allowed
himself a glance in my direction, much less spoke to me, until one
Christmas morning, when I was briefly allowed out of my cell to stand
alone in the outdoors and look up at the clear, blue sky. As I was
looking at the heavens, I became aware of him as he walked near me and
then, for a moment, stood very close to me. He did not speak or smile or
look at me. He just stared at the ground in front of us, and then, very
casually, he used his foot to draw a cross in the dirt. We both stood
looking at his work for a minute until he rubbed it out and walked away.

For just that moment I forgot all my hatred for my enemies, and all the
hatred most of them felt for me. I forgot about the Jerk, and the
interrogators who persecuted my friends and me. I forgot about the war,
and the terrible things that war does to you. I was just one Christian
venerating the cross with a fellow Christian on Christmas morning.

I saw him again occasionally. But he never looked at me or attempted to
speak to me. We never worshiped together again. But I have never
forgotten him or the kindness he showed me as a testament to the faith
we shared. That experience helped to form my lasting appreciation for my
own religious faith, and it took the faith of an enemy to reveal it to
me, the faith that unites and never divides, the faith that bridges
unbridgeable divisions in humanity....I became a better man, a stronger
man, a more faithful man, who, for at least a moment, could love his
enemies. (e-mail forwarded from Rody, March 16, 2006).

We can live lives of grace, because the grace Jesus extended from the
cross and an empty tomb is good news for you, for me, for all who
receive it! We can live lives of grace, because we are on the winning side!