“Arriving”
was preached at Princeton Theological Seminary on March 15, 2016 as part of my
“When Sundays Come Quicker Than Sermons” course. Inspirations for this
meditation included Scripture, Lukan literary themes, liturgical seasons, and a
biblical reflection by Kathryn Matthews.
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Luke 19:28-40
28After he had said this, he went on
ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29When he had come near Bethphage and
Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,
30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you
will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it
here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this,
‘The Lord needs it.’” 32So those who were sent departed and found it
as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners
asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34They said, “The Lord
needs it.” 35Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their
cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36As he rode along, people
kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37As he was now approaching
the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples
began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that
they had seen, 38saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name
of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” 39Some
of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to
stop.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones
would shout out.”
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Chapter 19, verses 39 and 40 are the
last we hear from the Pharisees found in the Gospel of Luke. During Jesus’
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Pharisees command a final phrase of fear:
“Teacher, order your disciples to stop” to which Jesus replies, “I tell you, if
these were silent, the stones would shout out.” And then the Pharisees are
gone. For the rest of the Gospel according to Luke, they are gone! No more
commands. No more lectures. No more of their fears and no more of their
worries. They’re not even mentioned again or even alluded to… they are gone.
Now I am sure they were around there somewhere, but there is not another
literal reference to them in the Gospel of Luke after this. The Pharisees are
gone as if they just disappeared forever. From here on out, they are absent in
Jesus’ story. I must admit it is almost a trivial way for them to go out. They
command something, and then they are denied. They are denied, and then they are
gone. Jesus’ triumphal arrival into Jerusalem also includes the departure of
the Pharisees.
This is something we often do not consider. The arrival of something usually includes the departure of something
else. For example, the arrival of spring means the departure of winter. Look at
this past week. The weather was in the seventies! It was bright and sunny and
warm, and I am sure many of us did whatever we could to spend as much of each day
outside. On my way to work one day, I even saw two young boys hosting a
lemonade stand between the university and seminary campuses! If that’s not a
sure sign of spring, then I’m not sure what is! Sure, we might have more days
of winters. We might have other days of the weather being cold or gloomy or
dark. We might even have another day of snow, but this past week was a sign
that spring is arriving. Spring is arriving and winter is departing. Even if
some of us like winter, we must think about it like this. Winter must leave so
that spring may come.
Palm Sunday is another sign of
something arriving and something else departing. Like Jesus’ triumphal entry
into Jerusalem, we are entering into Holy Week. This week is a sure sign of
transition from Lent into Easter especially as we experience an entire spectrum
of emotion while we worship during Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter
Sunday. In one week, we do what we can to lament, remember, and celebrate the
life, death, and resurrection of Christ. One week! We know it is a lot to
handle, but we do it anyway. We do it every year. We enter into Holy Week, and
we willingly experience the spectrum of emotion because we see this as the sign
we need. Lent will soon be departing and Easter will soon be arriving. We must
be willing to leave Lent in order to enter into Easter.
With the departure of Lent and the
arrival of Easter, we also move into a time of transition between the struggle
and the celebration. Lent is our season of mourning. During Lenten worship, we
come and we openly lament and we give weight to our struggles. It’s a time to
bring our fears and our worries and our anger and our sadness, and we are encouraged
to bring them with us to the table each and every week. We bring them in hopes
that Christ will take them away, but sure enough, the next week we are afraid
and worried and angry and sad once again. We wonder how long can we keep this
up. How long can we feel like this before we don’t feel at all? But then one
day, instead of not feeling, we actually feel okay. And then one day we feel
good. And then one day we feel great. And then one day we will feel assured and
affirmed and moved and loved. There will be days when our fears and our worries
and our anger and our sadness come back, but we know in those days that we have
seen the sure sign that something else is coming. Then, our voices will join in
with the multitude of disciples and the stones on the ground! Our voices will
join in with all creation! In joyful praise, we shall declare, “Blessed is the
king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the
highest heaven!” The time of struggle will depart, and the time for celebration
will arrive. We will celebrate what God has done! We will celebrate what God
will do! We will celebrate that Christ has risen, Christ has risen indeed!
This is the sure sign that something is
arriving! What once ended with death is now promised in new life. Death has
departed, and it does not hold any power in its final day. It cannot stop what
has been promised. The Resurrection is coming. New life has arrived. It came as
a king riding a colt. It came as a lamb upon the cross. It came as a dove
rising into the heavens. We will see its glory and we will experience its
peace. This is promised. This is guaranteed. Death may be commanded, but death
will be denied. The resurrection found in Christ is arriving.
As I said, for something to arrive,
something else usually has to depart. This is okay. We are okay. Let us
experience the departure of this season so that we may expect the arrival of
the next. Sometimes we must leave something behind for something else to come.
Think about what is departing. Winter. Lent. Our struggles. Death. Now think
about what is arriving. Spring. Easter. The celebration. New life. It cannot be
stopped. It will not be silenced. The resurrection will arrive. Thanks be to
God.
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Holy God – the Lord of all Lords. We
come to you today asking for you to give us the courage to depart the emotions
and debilitating weights that bring us down. In doing so, you allow us to give
you the space for you to arrive. Be with us during these times of transition.
You have promised us the resurrection, and we give thanks, as we know this
promise will be fulfilled. Glory and praise to you, O God, for it is in your
name we pray. Amen.
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