The Stones Would Cry Out

What would the stones cry out if the people were silent? Why don't we ask? (picks up a stone from the communion table) "You better watch out, you better not cry, you better be good I'm telling you why, Jesus Christ is coming to town.." Maybe? Let's try another, (picks up another one), "A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away., there was a rebellion.." Kinda looks like the Death Star, doesn't it?

What do the people cry out? "Blessed is the King, who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!" Sounds pretty innocent. Who doesn't want peace, who doesn't want glory in the highest heaven? But it is that first line, "Blessed is the King!" For Jerusalem and all the surrounding land and most of the land around the Mediterranean Sea already has a king, and it is Caesar of the Roman Empire. For them to call Jesus a king is to say that they will no longer follow Caesar, not longer follow the Roman laws, and not longer pay taxes to Rome. An empire and occupying force will definitely have a problem with that.

So it is some of the Pharisees, not all of them, who have a problem with this. In the Gospel of Luke, it is said that it is a multitude of Jesus' disciples who lay their cloaks down and shout. It is not crowds of people or the whole of Jerusalem, though there may be hundreds of followers with them. SOME of the Pharisees are worried that this might look like rebellion, might draw the attention of the local Roman leaders and army, but at the moment, Pontius Pilate, ruler of Jerusalem, and his government are too worried about this small band of religious zealots. Other gospels state that this parade catches the attention of the whole city, Luke doesn't make that claim. As we are in the week of Passover and people from all over are coming to celebrate in Jerusalem, this small group doesn't warrant too much concern.

From the disciples perspective though, it should. Most are ready to start a rebellion, to go up against their Roman oppressors, and put Jesus Christ from Nazareth on the throne. They have every intention of stirring things up and expecting the nation and people of Israel to rise up with them and once again be a free people. You don't cry out, "Blessed is the King!" until you are willing to start something, wanting to start something, needing to start something! Other gospels have the crowds shouting out, "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!" which literally means 'Save us!"

I think, I imagine that the stones would echo the part about, "Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" I think they would echo the angels who announced the birth of Jesus who proclaimed 'Good news" and Mary herself in the Magnificat, "The poor will be filled with good things." It isn't just about heaven and where we go after we leave this planet and it isn't about putting Jesus on David's throne so that the people of Israel would be free. It is about all people, everywhere, in every age including ours today and the future generations to come. It is about living in relationship with our Creator that is based not upon fear and power, but on love. It is about shalom that creates justice and right ways of living, that is generous and compassionate. It is political in that are the citizens free and able to grow and share their talents and skills and love who they want. It is not political to insure that this group, this party, or that person is in charge or has power.

There are seeds of rebellion in this parade, pointing out injustice and oppression. There are seeds of imagination in this demonstration, that our lives here on earth should reflect the love up in heaven. There are seeds of discipleship in this protest, that where we don't find shalom and the kindom of God, we should act and do something and not be afraid.

I am blessed to be a part of this congregation that has taken these seeds, nurturing them, and helping them to grow. Whether it has been standing up on Highway 61 for Black Lives Matter, working to welcome refugees and immigrants, working on food and housing issues in our local community, working and organizing to head off the global climate crisis, and many, many more, we have not been silent but echoed the angels, the prophets, Jesus, and the earth itself calling for Shalom, a world based upon love, dependent on each other, and living in harmonious and just ways. May we continue to make some noise and get into good trouble.

Contribute to the needs of God's People

On Aug. 28, 1893, Sen. James Kyle of South Dakota introduced S. 730 to the U.S. Senate to make Labor Day a legal national holiday on the first Monday of September each year. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill on June 28, 1894. By then, a fall holiday called Labor Day was already being observed. Beginning in the late 19th century, parades, picnics and other celebrations took place to support labor issues such as shorter hours, better pay and safer working conditions, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In introducing the legislation, Kyle said that labor organizations were united in asking that the first Monday of September be set apart as a holiday in order to make the observance uniform. This would result in workers enjoying vacation privileges on the same day, according to the Dec. 1, 1965, issue of “The Wi-Iyohi,” a monthly bulletin published by the South Dakota State Historical Society. Prior to serving as a U.S. Senator, Kyle served as pastor at the Congregati...

Selling Out

Last Fall, I read a book called, "A History of Burning." It is a multi-generational story about a family that migrates from India to Uganda for hopes for a better future to help the British build a railroad, whose children through education secures a government job, but then Uganda throws off their colonial oppressors and gains independence and turns against the Indians who live there, and they have to migrate again and start all over in Toronto, Canada. It is a sad story of colonial power of the British Empire bringing in foreign cheap labor to build their infrastructure that leaves out the local population. And once Uganda gets independence, the corporations still control much of the economy and fosters division between the Ugandans and Indian to keep the country unstable. It is a triumphant story of human determination in the face of adversity, but only a few make it. One of the first paragraphs in a Wikipedia search about Africa told me that Africa is politically unstab...

For They Were Afraid

The Gospel of Mark starts with Jesus' baptism, there is no birthday story, no background, just jumps right in with his baptism, driven into the wilderness to be tempted, proclaims, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Plucks Simon and Andrew up which they mend their fishing nets, heals Simon Peter's mother-in-law and she immediately gets up and serves them. (How many times does Mark use immediately?) And the next morning gets up early and while everyone is searching for him, he is heading to the next town. It is like a big movie opening that grabs everyone's attention and it doesn't slow down. Did you ever watch Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail? There was to be this final battle of King Arthur with his forces and the God's blessing and just as the battle commences, modern police show up and arrest everyone and the movie is over and we are left scratching out head, "What just happened?" The end of Mark is just as confusing,...

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