Healing Palms

We celebrated Palm Sunday this week with cheers of 'Hosanna!' For the sermon, we engaged in some midrash, holy imagination, as we looked at the different groups of people that might have been in the crowd for the holy event of Jesus entering into Jerusalem. Feel free to listen to the sermon by following the link or reading the text.

See you this Sunday as we DISCOVER EASTER!

http://www.mediafire.com/file/jjzgrjnznni/Healing Palms.mp3

“Palms of Healing”
Brimfield Faith UMC
March 28, 2010

Luke 19:28-40

The journey of Lent and “Jesus-Care” has been quite a trip. When I began the series, I was wishful at best that God would move during it. As we look back at the past five weeks, God has done some pretty remarkable things. We heard a testimony from Ashley Leius about pregnancy complications being healed. I have also received other reports of divine healing. Last week, we had a wonderful altar call at which people received prayer and prayed for one another. I have to be honest, the series has led us in directions that I never fully anticipated. Nonetheless, I get a strong sense that God is moving and leading in powerful ways in our church. I believe that divine healing is becoming an integral part of our DNA as a church.
As a result, I didn’t want to abruptly end the healing series. I began to ponder how we might tie Palm Sunday into the theme of healing. At first it was a challenge. When we think of Palm Sunday we picture Jesus on the donkey, cloaks on the ground and people shouting praises to God. This is right to picture. The event after all is about Jesus proclaiming that he is the messiah and bringing freedom to the people of Israel. Sometimes it is good to look at the story from a different perspective. This morning I want to shift the focus. Listen to the words of verses 37: “When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen…”
The text tells us that the whole crowd of disciples praised God for the miracles they had seen. These people were praising God for specific reasons. They had personally encountered Jesus and their lives had been forever changed. Each person in the crowd had a story about what Jesus had done for them. They, like us, experienced the mighty works and miracles of God and they were joyously praising God for them. Although the text does not give us details about the makeup of the crowd, we can practice some good midrash and some holy imagination to talk about who might have been there. After all, we read the stories of individuals encountering Jesus all throughout the Gospels. Therefore, this morning I want to look at the different types of people who might have been in that crowd, talk about how they were impacted, and touch on why that causes them to praise.

FOLLOWERS IN THE CROWD

#1. The Twelve Apostles - Hope
The first group touched by Jesus was the twelve apostles. We know the twelve were there because the story tells us as much. The twelve were a motley crew called out by Jesus to be his core team. They were from all walks of life: fishermen, tax collectors, laborers, and rejects. Their lives had been impacted continually since the time they were called by Jesus. They gave up everything they knew and followed him. Life became a roller coaster with Jesus that led them to the highest mountains and the lowest valleys. In the three years they walked with Jesus they had seen more miracles, heard more teachings, and traveled more roads than anyone else.
Jesus had impacted them by making them leaders. As leaders, they were able to see with a unique perspective. They had seen the movement grow from a few people in Nazareth to this culmination at the Mount of Olives. They praised Jesus because they had seen countless miracles. They praised Jesus because their lives had been given meaning. As leaders though, I think they praised Jesus because of the promise of a hopeful future. They saw things changing and they knew things could be different. They could see hope.

#2. The Women – Significance / Respect
The second group touched by Jesus was the women disciples. Women shared a prominent role in the ministry of Jesus. Luke’s Gospel, which we read out of this morning, casts women in a very positive light. This stood in stark contrast to attitudes towards women in the first century where women were considered second class citizens. They were subject to their husbands. They weren’t allowed to own property or have rights.
Jesus had impacted the women in the crowd by giving them a seat at the table. They were treated with respect and given significance. They experienced what Paul writes in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” For example, Mary, one of Jesus’ closest followers, was permitted to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from his teaching. Jesus impacts the women around him by giving them a place to belong. They cheer because they are given significance and respect. They praise God because they are no longer marginalized. They praise God because in Christ all are one.

#3. The Sick – Freedom / Wholeness
The third group touched by Jesus was the sick. As we have talked about over the past five weeks, a significant part of Jesus’ ministry was healing the sick and the broken. In the first century, to be blind, lame, and sick carried with is a certain stigma. Sickness, blindness and most infirmities were thought to be punishment for sin. Therefore, they were discarded and forgotten about. Jesus went out of his way to minister to the sick. We read countless stories of people who were healed by Jesus’ touch and ministry.
Jesus impacted the sick by giving them healing, wholeness and freedom. I think this group of people would be cheering louder than any other group in the crowd. I imagine the paralytic jumping up and down praising God for Jesus. I picture the blind man weeping with tears of joy as the site of Jesus riding on the donkey. They sick praise God because they have been healed. They praise Jesus because they have been made whole. They praise God because they are no longer in the bondage of their sickness. They praise God because they are free.

#4. The Sinners – Forgiveness / Peace
The fourth group touched by Jesus was the sinners. Jesus reached out to sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors. These groups of people were cast aside by the religious establishment. The Pharisees and priests would black list these people. They were shunned by the religious and thought to be unworthy of God’s love. Jesus shatters these perceptions by eating with them, socializing with them, and generally loving them. Matthew, one of his twelve, was a tax collector. Jesus loved to minister to the sinners of society.
Jesus impacted the sinners by extending forgiveness and love. Jesus gives them a way out of the dead end life they are stuck in. He offers them peace in a life filled with anxiety and chaos. I imagine Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, sitting in some tree shouting his praises to God. The sinners would have cheered as loud as the sick. They had been forgiven. There is nothing better than knowing you are loved and accepted. They praised God because they were experiencing a new peace, a peace that the world did not know.

#5. The Pharisees
The fifth and last group touched by Jesus was the Pharisees. The Pharisees are the religious fundamentalists. They adhere to the strictest of rules and they are disturbed by the way Jesus is changing the playing field. The Pharisees were the naysayers that always tried to shut Jesus down. At the Mount of Olives, they said to Jesus, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” They are horrified at the implications made by the people praising Jesus.
Jesus impacted the Pharisees by challenging them. Jesus disrupted the status quo. He upset their power structure and their control. Jesus didn’t allow the Pharisees to intimidate the people with religious The Pharisees don’t praise Jesus because rules and traditions are more important than experiencing God. The Pharisees don’t praise Jesus because they oppose the change Jesus is instituting. The Pharisees don’t praise God because they have lost control.

WHO ARE YOU IN THE CROWD?
As we conclude our Palm Sunday celebration, who are you in the crowd and why do you cheer? Over the past year, there have been a number of reasons to cheer for Jesus. Since last Easter, we have seen God move in tremendous ways. We have seen people surrender their lives to God. We have seen our young people grow in their faith and become more involved with worship. We have seen our music program flourish. We have seen marriages repaired and people rediscover hope.
Over the past five weeks we have begun to discover a new reason to cheer: God’s healing power. I continue to receive reports of supernatural, divine healing. As I cheer for Jesus this morning, the healing that is being poured out in this place is something that gets me excited.
I hope you are able to look back at the year and know how you have been touched by God and why you are cheering for Jesus. There have been many miracles in this place this year and there are many reasons to praise God. We need to listen to our hearts and proclaim the mighty works of God in this place and in our lives. When God has touched your life, shout it out and proclaim your love for him.
I am going to invite you to identify with one of the groups in the crowd. When I say each group stand and shout “Hosanna.” Then stay standing. And before I start, if you aren’t standing by the end, you might be a Pharisee… so make sure you stand up.
The Sinners: those who have been forgiven
The Sick: those who have been healed.
The disciples: those who are leaders and those who have been here a long time
The women: those who are no longer marginalized.
Proclaim Hosanna.

As we proclaim Hosanna we are proclaiming the mighty works of God that have happened in this place. We also praise God for the ones that will be poured out in abundance in the year and years to come!

Let’s continue in our praise through the singing of our last song.