“When the Cheering Begins”

Luke 19:28-40
April 1, 2007
St. Paul United Methodist Church

Rev. John A. Fleming

How would you like to go to a parade this morning? Doesn’t that sound fun? After all, everyone loves a parade. Well, most people do anyway.

People love lining the streets and waiting as the parade route passes by. Most folks love seeing the marching bands from local high schools march in precision while playing their music at the same time. Most people like to see convertibles pass by, usually driven by the owner of the car. Sitting on top of the back seat, is the winner of a pageant, dressed in a beautiful gown with a crown on her head. Then there are the floats, trailers really, pulled by pick-up trucks, and on the trailer is the hard work of whatever group is pinned on the side. The theme of the float usually has something to do with the occasion of the parade. Then there are fire trucks that blast their sirens and throw candy to the children along the parade route. There are scout troops who dutifully hold both flags and the banner that tells which troops is their troop.

Step all that up a notch if you’ve had a chance to attend a parade anywhere but in Little Rock. My brother and his family go to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City every other year. They hear celebrities singing their latest songs and balloons that are as tall as buildings. On any parade route, wherever it is, are food vendors selling their goods to anyone who passes their way.

A preacher I know tells of the time he attended a parade that was held in connection with New Year’s Day and a football bowl game. He and his wife found a place along the parade route. The preacher tells that five or six feet in front of them was a young family. The family was made up of a father, a mother, and their three year old daughter. The preacher says that the father wasn’t very tall. From where the preacher was standing, he could see that the man had a bald spot on the top of his head. The man’s wife, the mother of the girl, was much taller than her husband. So the preacher was sure that when the parade route reached them, the little girl would find her place on her mother’s shoulders. That’s not what happened.

When the parade reached them, the mother reached for her daughter and hoisted her on top of her father’s shoulders. The preacher soon discovered why she was there and not on her mother’s shoulders. The little girl had a hot dog. Pretty soon the juices of the hot dog dripped perfectly to the spot on top of her father’s head. Soon mustard and ketchup followed. Next the girl had a snow cone, a cherry one, I believe. The juices of the cone ended up on the same spot on her father’s head. I am not sure why she ate so much, but next came an ice-cream cone. It became quite a mixture up there on her daddy’s head.

Finally the father got cleaned up. He put his daughter back on his shoulders. That is when someone in the parade threw one of those small footballs to the crowd. She caught the football and then proceeded to pound away, right there, on her daddy’s head. The preacher said, “I now know why her father had that bald spot. Obviously they had been to a lot of parades.”

Believe it or not, that was not the most enjoyable thing to watch with that family. The preacher says that he watched the little girl’s eyes as the different characters proceeded down the parade route. He said this, “I loved seeing the smile on her face, the wonder in her eyes. I loved hearing the shrill of excitement in her voice.”

Well, the parade I would like for us to attend this morning is different than the ones I have just described. The parade we’re asked to be a part of this morning doesn’t have fire engines, floats, or boy scout troops. This morning’s parade only has one participant. His name is Jesus and this morning he enters the holy city of Jerusalem. By the way, he is not riding in a convertible or on top of a float. Jesus enters the town on the back of a borrowed donkey. His feet nearly touch the ground.

All four gospel writers tell about this parade that we have come to call the Palm Sunday parade. They all tell it in their own unique way. This year we will rely on Luke to tell his version of the story. Let’s look at what he says.

In Luke’s gospel, there is no mention of a hosanna. There is no mention of cutting down branches from a tree. If there are children there, Luke doesn’t report it. When Luke begins his story, it seems that the only ones who were there were his disciples and the ones who have been following Jesus because of his teachings and miraculous healings. The city of Jerusalem would have been full of people, in town for the Passover celebration. As Jesus rode along, Luke tells us, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. And the crowd, these disciples and followers who had seen great things, began to praise God with a loud voice. Their praise went something like this, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!”

Their praise and their worship is what got the Pharisees all up in arms. The Pharisees who were there, in the crowd, called out to Jesus and said, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop!” Jesus responds with the wonderful line, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would shout out.”

Isn’t that a great line? It says, I think, that there are some words that must be spoken. It says that there are some things that must be said. It says that there are some truths that cannot be silenced. It says that God will have a witness even if human mouths are sealed shut.

Now I want you to know this. In Palestine, in Jerusalem, stones were all over the place. Stones were used for just about everything. They were used to sharpen knives, they were used for potter’s wheels; they were used to hold vessels of water. In those days, stones were used to decorate homes, to mark property lines, and to mark the paths that became roads. In those days, stones were used to build the Temple. They were used in city walls, in palaces, in homes, and in cobblestones that were their streets. You see stones were everywhere. And when Jesus says, “These stones will cry out,” you can imagine the chorus of sound coming from every direction. But here is my question. What would these stones say? What would be their message?

Well, I guess they could say a lot of things. But this morning I would like to think that their message would be this one, “Don’t just cheer here. Don’t just follow me into Jerusalem. Stay with me all week. Follow me all the way to the cross.”

There are only about three sermons in these words, in my opinion, and this is the most powerful one. It is the sermon that says something about the crowd that is following Jesus. Some people believe that the crowd diminished as Jesus went to the cross. I don’t think that is true. Read your Bibles and you will see that the authorities were always afraid of the crowd. What happened to them was that they became afraid. Fear will stop you from voicing your love for Jesus. But look at the crowd. They passionately loved Jesus more than some of us do. They followed him longer than most of us have. They hung in there longer than most of us would. What I am asking is simple today. Follow Jesus as long as you can. Go all the way to the cross with Him.

I love the story of the little boy who lived near the turn of the century, in the country outside a town. He had never seen a circus and when he learned that one was coming to a nearby town, he was excited. He really wanted to go.

He ran home and asked his dad for permission. His family was poor. The cost of the ticket was a dollar, but to that family, it was a lot of money. But the father sensed how important this was to his son, so he made it happen.

On Saturday morning, the boy appeared in his best clothes at the kitchen table. His father handed him the worn out dollar bill. The son was so excited that he ran all the way to the neighboring town. When he reached the outskirts of it, he noticed that people were already in the streets. He worked his way to the front of the line, so he could see. And lo and behold, there, in the distance, came the spectacle of a circus parade. It was the greatest thing this child had ever seen.

There were animals in cages, bands in uniforms, and everything else a circus brings to any town. Finally, after everything else had passed by, a traditional circus clown came by. He wore floppy shoes, baggy pants, and a brightly painted face. He was the last one in the parade. This little boy saw that, walked up to him, reached in his pocket, handed him the dollar bill, and then went home. What happened? He thought that was it. He thought he had seen the circus when all along all he had seen was the parade.

Maybe I like the story, because I was just a little boy when I said yes to Jesus. I said yes to the journey. I said yes to the occasional agony that is the ministry. I said yes to its more than occasional delight. I said yes to a few nights that have felt like Calvary. I said yes to several Sunday mornings that have felt like great victories. And thus far, I have said yes to four churches, who, for the past fourteen years have felt like family to me. You see, the greatest story ever told is the only story I have ever lived.

How about you? A parade is coming. In fact, I’ve asked you to be a part of it this morning. How much a part of it will you be? Will you stand along the road and watch it pass by and then go about your life when it’s over? Do you dare to join in?

You see, Jesus becomes a king but only one heart at a time. If you join this parade, it will be thrilling and it will be exciting. But there is something deep inside of you that also lets you know that it will be costly.

If you join the parade, Jesus just might change the way you see things. Jesus may change your values. Jesus may change your habits and your priorities. Jesus may change your friends and perhaps even what you do with your life.

It is safer to stand by and cheer. But maybe today you will crown Him the king of your life. That’s what I’m hoping. Let us pray.

(Palm Sunday is a special day in the life of the church. It is the beginning of the last week of Jesus’ life. My prayer is that you will follow Jesus all the way this week, all the way to the garden. I hope you will follow Jesus all the way to see Pilate and all the way to the cross. Special thanks to Bill Ritter for the story about the boy and his visit to the circus parade).