Palm Sunday Madness!

By Rev. William Dohle

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14

Our first Palm Sunday service did not go as I expected.

First of all, I woke up an hour too late. The time I thought I’d have preparing everything was suddenly not there. I left the house without a shower, hoping beyond hope that I had prepared everything well enough in advance. That alone caused some anxiety.

Then...the music recorded on our player piano died on me. Usually I can make it play somehow by putting it in and taking it out, but this time that didn’t work. The disk was completely ruined! I spent some time in the morning just coming to grips with the fact that the music would either be sung acapella or not at all.

Then...during the service itself...I got all mixed up on the song verses. The song which has 7 verses scattered throughout the service wasn’t familiar in the first place. And on top of it I think we sang one verse twice or another verse three times. It was a mess. We never did get all the way through that song. We stopped it two verses to the end.

All of this happened before 9am.

I know it isn’t as bad as I thought it was...but in the end it all made me feel very frazzled. The peace of remembering Jesus entry into Jerusalem and his Passion was lost to my own nerves. I felt very disconnected and lost. This wasn’t how I wanted my first Holy Week service to go.

But ironically those feelings were right in tune with Holy Week!

We who gather for worship some two thousand years later forget what the disciples experienced at Holy Week. We attend church and expect a peaceful, calming service. We forget that Holy Week is itself far from peaceful. The disciples experienced the violent collapse of everything they knew and love. They were there when Jesus was arrested...and they ran! They heard of Jesus before the councils...and they denied! They felt the sting of broken expectations...and they betrayed!

This week their expectations were shattered! They witnessed the messyness of Grace, the pain of separation, and the sin of denial. This week they watched, or heard of Jesus’ crucifixion in the garbage pits outside of town. They saw what horrors were brought upon him. And their whole world shattered!

But looking back after that Jesus had risen from the dead they recognized something else. They recognized God Almighty! Following the death and resurrection of Jesus, the disciples began to understand the lengths to which God would go to redeem His creation! The pain that God endured and how God’s heart was breaking! They understood that it was in the stress itself, in the crazyness of all that took place that Holy Week, that God’s love was made known to them. And that, there on the cross, was God made flesh in Jesus Christ.

This week, as you go about your normal every day activities, look around you and ponder the busyness. Think on the stress is laid upon your shoulders. The day to day struggles we face. Think on the craziness that surrounds you. And know that God has entered into that crazyness. Christ has taken your burden, and the weight of the world, with Him on the cross. And you are free! Peace be with you! Amen.

Should the cross be offensive?

"Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished."
Galatians 5:11

Look at this photograph and ask yourself: “Are you offended?”

This picture, taken by the 10 year old Jackson Potts, depicts what is known as the Seventh Station of the Cross, the place where Jesus falls for a second time. The artistic boy, organized the volunteers who played each part, arranged them in the photograph, and choreographed the entire thing. No one was actually hurt. His own brother played Jesus on the ground and his father watched him the entire time.

And yet, for the offensive nature of the photograph, it was banned by the Ecclesia Church in Houston, Texas where it was to be shown as part of an art exhibit. The church officials stated "Artwork being provocative in nature can be beneficial to the church if it's provocative in the right way. We felt it was provocative in the wrong way. The image, being as graphic as it is, did not draw people closer to the risen Christ."

You can read the entire article here.

The whole event gave me chills. On the one hand, the photograph is highly offensive. Who wouldn't be offended! An innocent child lies on the ground, bloody, and crying out as he's being beaten by a police officer, while others just watch! It is an offensive photograph. It makes your stomach turn because it's just not right!

But that's what happened to Christ! That's exactly what happened! Christ was beaten by the police of his day while others just stood around and watched. Christ was innocent of sin. He was a child in a sense. He was sinless and blameless and innocent, the Holy Lamb of God, and he was led the slaughter! And he wasn't just killed. He was beaten and tortured. He was forced to crawl his way through Jerusalem, while the crowds sneered at him and his own disciples abandoned him. He was the lamb of God, beaten, tortured, and killed by the Roman police. It was offensive! That's just what this picture shows!

But this offensie is a good thing. A holy thing. Paul says that the cross is offensive. It's not what we want for Christ. It's not the end we hoped for. We wanted him to rise to victory and ascend the thrones of our world. We want to jump to Easter, to the risen Christ, and forget all the blood and pain and suffering that brought him there.

But we can't. We can't get there without suffering through the offense. We can't get to the Risen Christ without going through the crucified Christ. And that crucified Christ leads us through the uglyness of suffering and death. Through the pain of being beaten by those who should protect and ignored by those who should act. Christ takes us through pain without leading us to victory.

And it is in that valley of pain, on the way to the cross and on calvary's hill, that we see God made flesh. It is there that we see God suffering for the sake of the world. It is there that we are saved, redeemed by the innocent one who took upon himself our suffering and death. It is on the cross that the Christ of God is cursed...so that we might become the righteousness of God.

That is offensive! And it should be! I applaud Jackson Motts for "getting it!" Way to go! Thank you for offending me with another image of Christ. Thank you for understanding and seeing the offense of the cross and for seeing how Christ's crucifixion isn't just some event out of the past, but is something real and alive for us today. Thank you for knowing how deeply offensive that death truly is. For their do not fall upon Christ for nothing. They fall upon him...for US! Amen!

The Curse of the Eldest

"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' " Luke 15:28-32

Being the oldest child is hard!

Not only are you responsible for your siblings, (especially when they’re 6, 8, and 10 years younger than you), but you’re also responsible for setting a good example and taking the blame. Especially taking the blame! Oldest siblings are assigned the most work to do and receive the least reward. They’re the first ones the parents call on to clean the living room or mow the grass or fix whatever problem they need fixing. They are promised things that never come true for them. They are assigned and given “responsibilities” and treated as adults before their time.

No wonder so many of us are Type A people!

I grew up as an oldest child and swore I would never put my son in that position. Never would I promise him things I didn’t fulfill right away. Never would I give them “special jobs” and their siblings “special privileges.” Never would I tell him one thing and their siblings something else. Never would I spend more time coddling over his siblings than I did over him. Never!

Of course I broke my word and the curse continues. Even today, when we want something done right away in the house, we call for William. When we want the living room straightened, we tell William it’s his job. When his sister needs the water turned on in the bathroom, William is the one we ask to assist.

And though he has special privileges that the others do not, he still ends up saying time and again: “It’s no fair! Why isn’t Matthew or Lynne helping??”

The “Eldest Son Curse” is the same curse that affects the eldest son in the parable of the Prodical Son. In the parable, the youngest son has just gone off, squandered his father’s property and returned broke. And his father has thrown a party to celebrate!

No wonder the eldest son is so upset! No wonder he’s outside the party moping! I would be too! We’ve all known people who take advantage of their parent’s love and generosity. But its hardest when those people are your own family!

But the father still loves the oldest and doesn’t give up on him. As the party rages on inside, the father is outside the house pleading with his son and saying something like: “Everything I have is yours! Why didn’t you do what you wanted to before? What were you so afraid of, losing my love? Abandonment? I don’t abandon anyone for anything! Even when they do what your youngest brother did! Come on! Let’s go in and celebrate with your youngest brother. Then we’ll talk about the party we’ll throw for you!”

We eldest aren’t as bold as our younger siblings. We won’t ask for certain things because we know the answer is probably no. We try to do our best and try to get away with things, all the while knowing our younger siblings have an easier time of it. We work hard for our families. We are determined. We’re not the first to ask for help. We’re kinda stubborn.

Put these descriptors on the eldest and you can understand him better. The fact is, though, that despite all this the father was throwing a party. The reason was pointless. The father was throwing a party, killing the fatted calf to celebrate, and there was singing and dancing going on. What more do you want? Why does the reason for the party matter? It’s time to celebrate!

God is throwing a party right now and you are invited! It’s a party for all the losers who’ve returned home. All the spent, empty people that have come crawling back. And for all the ones who’ve stuck around and held down the farm while the rest have gone off to play. It’s a party with Christ the fatted calf being the host. And it’s for us all! So quit your belly0aching! Quit your bean counting! Throw away your rule book! It’s time to celebrate! Are you gonna be left standing outside pouting? Or are you gonna jump in and dance? Amen!

God Bless the Best Boy

“Now to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7
Last night my wife and I watched the annual Hollywood event featuring the highest rollers in entertainment known, to most, as the Academy Awards! It was a stunning event last night with 10 Best Picture Nominations and a program that was classy in an old Oscar sort of way. The dresses were long and elegant and the stars looked, well, like stars! And the program was appropriately light and meaningful.

The awards were taken by a variety of people too. A variety of people took the awards too. Everyone from Sandra Bullock to the Special Effects team of Avatar to the makeup designing team of Star Trek. It was quite a mix!

One thing I noticed, though, was in all of this there were countless people that were never mentioned on whom a typical movie rests. Not one of the actors or actresses thanked “the crew”, the best boy, the grips, the sound guy, or their personal assitants. There was no award for the best casting director, the best coffee fetcher, or the best grips. All those “in charge” of things were awarded, but no one who actually did the work.

It shouldn’t surprise me. After all, most people take for granted that the average 2 hour movie has over 200 or more people working on it! More if you consider special effect movies. The less you see people on the screen, the more people are working behind the scenes. And yet there is nothing for them. No “congratulations”. No big award. Just the calm assurance of a job well done.

We might think the same at church too. After all, there is the pastor and, at times, a few others up in front of people. There are council members who give their time and take a more public leadership role, but for the most part, most people stay behind the scenes.

And yet, it may surprise you, but church isn’t church without them! Paul speaks of this in his letter to the Corinthians. “On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.”
In other words, the church rests in the hands of the background people. Those people who make coffee at church and greet people at the door. The ushers and the acolytes and the worship assistants. The crew who maintains the church and the crew that chooses songs. The women who make sure the kitchen is stocked and the kids who come in just to worship and color pictures.
We are not a church where Stars parade down our red carpets in their fancy dresses, posing for pictures at certain opportune moments, and saying things that they really don’t mean. We’re a church for the nobodies. A church for the weak, the lost, the lonely, the sick, the sinful, the imprisoned, the abandoned, the lame, the blind, the handicapped, and the wanderer. We’re a church for the least, the little, the lost, and the dead. At the front of our church is our Star, Christ Jesus, who, though we claim is God, lived a peasant’s life, was a transient without a home, and died a criminal of the State! We are not a church of the Stars, we’re a church of the Crew. A church of and for those in the background who never get even a thank you in life.

And that’s okay. For Christ died and rose to save us. And though we may never get recognized in this life, though we may always live in the background of life, someday we will sit together as the whole people of God at a ceremony that dwarfs the Academy Awards to celebrate the marriage of Christ the Lamb of God! May that day come quickly, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Woohoo! We're going...to church?!

I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD." Psalm 122:1

My oldest son said the strangest thing the other day. Three weeks ago, when our Lenten services really got going, my oldest son looks at me and says: “What are we doing tonight?”

“We’re going to church. It’s lent,” I said.

“Lent? What are we doing there?”

“We’re going for soup and bread and...”

“Oh yeah!” he said, pumping his arm. “I love soup nights!”

Of if we could all get that much joy and excitement when faced with the prospect of going to church!

This verse from the psalm of David can touch people in different ways.

For some I think they might agree. “Yes!” they would say. “Sunday is the best day of the year and I love going to church!”

Other people would laugh hysterically at these words because they’re just NOT true. Church for them isn’t about joy but about obligation. They are obligated to go, either by their own inner sense of guilt or by their parents or by a commitment they made. Either way, rejoicing is NOT in their vocabulary in describing church. It’s something you HAVE to do...unless there’s something else going on in which case you’re free to do what you like! God will understand.

But David’s onto something here. Rejoicing in the presence of God and at the prospect of worship. Obligations don’t help us rejoice. If I’m obligated to do something, chances are I’m not going to enjoy doing it. If I’m obligated to do the dishes or do the laundry or change the cat litter, I’m not going to enjoy it. I might do it...or I might put it off for another day or week. “I’ll get to it when I can,” I’ll say.

But if I enjoy something than I’m looking forward to it. I’m planning around it. I’m making sure that all my obligations are taken care of so that I can enjoy it! I’m rearranging my schedule so I can do it. I’m spending my money to make it possible. I’m doing everything in my power so that, when the time comes, I’ll be ready to enjoy myself.

What if we looked forward to church the same way? What if we planned our week around worshiping God, instead of what happens more often, worshiping ourselves. What if we organized our lives around going to church on Sunday, making sure that all our obligations were taken care of. Making sure even those outside of church knew how important it was to us and that there was NO WAY we were missing it! What if we truly stepped into King David’s shoes here and rejoiced when we went into the house of the Lord.

I’ll tell you what would happen. A revolution! A reformation of the church from the inside out. Instead of dreary Christians, you would see Christians with smiles on their faces. Instead of the infighting that so often happens, you would see a real love of the neighbor take hold and a joy for life. You would find you’d have MORE time to do what you wanted, rather than less. You’d find friends to help you in times of need and you’d find the heart of God residing right here in the church itself.

We have that power. We have the power to make church fun or not. We have the power to change our own attitude and perception of things and start looking forward to spending time with God and with others, instead of dreading it. We have the power to rejoice before God. Because...as hard as it is to hear...that’s what God is doing already! Rejoicing over us! Let’s join the dance, jump in our cars this weekend, and join the fellowship of believers as we dance, and sing and pray and dance around the altar of God whose grace and love call us to rejoice! Amen!