Today, at the beginning of Holy Week, we have waved our palm
branches and remembered Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. But Jesus was
soon in trouble! And perhaps he knew exactly what he was doing.
Crowds can be dangerous places to be caught up in. I don’t
know if you have ever been in such a crowd. I remember the old MAYC London
Weekends where we would descend on London dressed from head to toe in green and
yellow. One year MAYC weekend clashed with England versus Scotland, and we were
on the underground and we quickly needed to get out of the crowd approaching us
because it was dangerous. They clearly thought we were football supporters –
Norwich City I guess. Compare that to rugby crowds – I was on Princes Street in
Edinburgh a week yesterday following Scotland versus Ireland at Murrayfield.
Pubs and restaurants were full of the two sets of supporters watching to see
how England would do. It was good natured and fun to be amongst. There are over
crowds that exhilarate us – worship in a big number at things like MAYC and
Easter People or even as a Circuit family. I am challenging in a letter this
week every church in the Circuit to make it a priority to be here next Sunday
evening so we can share in lively Easter worship together. Of course, I am used
to being ignored!
Sometimes we can be part of a crowd we really didn’t want to
be in. I travelled home from holiday yesterday – due to engineering work 8
hours on a train from Berwick upon Tweed to Kings Cross. Until Newcastle, I had
Coach G all to myself. That didn’t last long. A large group got on together
with provisions. Coach G now party coach - all those who are around me are
together about 30 of them and the gin, lager, Pinot Grigio and shouting loudly
started before we left the station!!!! Four on the table opposite me had
between them two bottles of white, one bottle of red, four cans of lager, and
four cans of gin!
The vodka and the Daily Mirror crossword were opened as as we
left York. The lady who clearly was in charge on her fourth glass of wine
complains it wasn’t difficult enough. At
Doncaster the mini eggs were passed round. At Peterborough how I wished Brian
Blessed were not one of the crossword answers. It was not fun listening to
impressions of him. Then they started having a pop quiz involving blasting out
tracks on the iPod for the carriage. Robbie Williams Angels with actions!
At Kings Cross they congratulated me for putting up with
them! 15 London civil servants who were returning from Newcastle after an
overnight sail there from Tilbury Docks (as you do)! I really must get a
life...
Palm Sunday is all about crowds, as is most of this week
really, responding to Jesus. Jerusalem
was a hotbed of tension. The Passover heightened expectation for the Jews that
God would come and do what they wanted to make them great again.
Perhaps we need to note that Sunday there were two
processions, and two crowds reacting to them. On the other side of the city,
Pontius Pilate was entering, coming in from the coast with 600 foot soldiers,
horses, armour, banners and flags and standards bearing great carved golden eagles
(the symbol of Roman authority), beating drums… Rome at Passover wanted Israel
to be in no doubt about who was in charge. One writer has suggested that the
cheers would have been eerily similar to the ones we think of when we remember
this day. Caesar was Rome’s “Prince of Peace”; he was Rome’s “Son of God” and
Pontius Pilate was his representative. Remember little posts were erected all
over the city, the vertical pole of the cross, to remind people what would
happen if there were insurrection.
Have we ever been in a crowd longing to speak out against
what is happening but too frightened to do so? Have we ever been in a crowd
whipped up by a few determined to convince us something wonderful is about to
happen, even if it feels a bit dodgy? I have been to a few huge evangelical
rallies like that, part of me was not comfortable being there, because I didn’t
agree with the speaker. But it was easier not to go next year then to challenge
him.
Then let’s go across the city to the Mount of Olives. Jesus
came down the Mount of Olives on a donkey. Perhaps Jesus procession into
Jerusalem was some sort of staged demonstration, to say to Pilate and Rome and
the Jewish puppets, there is another way and it isn’t yours. Some sort of holy
protests, some sort of evangelism to crowds awaiting the Messiah to come.
Remember at Passover they believed that the Messiah of God would come to boot
the Romans out and herald a new age. If you were in that part of the city, what
would you have shouted at Jesus?
This morning at St Helens in All Age Worship we talked about
what we do when we are in a crowd and what we get isn’t to our liking.
My football team, the proper Manchester team, I fear will
sack Mr Lovely Pellegrini because he hasn’t won the Champions League for them.
My post in the porch last night contained several election leaflets including a
letter to me from David Cameron himself. If you don’t like this government we
have had for the last five years, you can boot them out if you like, and we can
all see what comes next. There are teenage girls bereft that Zayn has left One
Direction. Some are forsaking the band. One supermarket, and this is serious, has
reduced One Direction Easter eggs by 20p! “He has let us down” by having his
arm round another girl’s waist when he is engaged to Perrie from Little Mix,
apparently, and because he cannot hack fame anymore. Then what about Jeremy
Clarkson? We shout sack him, rubbish policies, you’ve let me down, you deserve
what you get. A crowd can quickly turn.
I think it is very significant there were two processions in
Jerusalem that Sunday. I want to say to us tonight there are always two of them
at least, and we have to decide which one we will join.
When we choose to forgive or not – we decide which crowd we
will be in.
When we choose what to do with our time, our energy, our love
as individuals – we decide which crowd we will be in.
When we choose what sort of church we will be – for ourselves
or open to others like we were to Claire this morning at her children’s
baptisms – which led me to book three more at the end from her friend asking
questions – we decide what sort of community we will be. A new lady who has
starting coming with her little boy to Pett thanked me for letting him run up
to communion this morning. Her last church tutted loudly when he made any noise
whatsoever.
When we protest, which I think is what Jesus was doing,
showing the way of God, standing up for justice, peace, and love, we decide
which crowd we are in. We will sing on Good Friday “he left his Father’s throne
above, so free, so infinite his grace, emptied himself of all but love, and
bled for Adam’s helpless race. Tis mercy all, immense and free, for o my God,
it found out me.” Will we sing it as his body, his crowd, and mean it? Mean it
by showing it?
I like what Kathy Galloway writes about Palm Sunday:
“Palm Sunday is always happening, and we are always being
confronted by the challenge of that different way of being; the way of peace
that does not shrink from conflict but refuses violence, the way that does not
theorise but engages with the real needs of suffering people, the way that sees
the people who are overlooked and not counted, the way of self-offering.
As we walk with Jesus through Holy Week, let us pray for the
courage to face these challenges, following faithfully in his way of compassion
and solidarity.”
Which crowd am I in? What leader do I want to follow?
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