HOSANNA -- ALL SHOOK UP
Matthew 21-11
So, what does Palm Sunday and the days before the Passover feast and a song by Elvis Presley have in common? People were all shook up -- ah-huh, ah-huh, ah-huh.
Jesus and his disciples did not quietly sneak into Jerusalem under the cover of darkness. When Jesus hit town, it was an event, a parade, a royal procession. By the time Jesus left Jericho and headed for Jerusalem, a large crowd was following him. Along the way, it had grown, and I believe it was this crowd that went before him, laying their cloaks and tree branches on the road before him.
The citizenry of Jerusalem didn't know what hit them. Matthew tells us that the city was in turmoil, stirred up and shook up, not knowing what was going on or who this man was who was entering their city like a king.
And Jesus kept stirring and shaking them up.
Sometimes, God has to stir us up, to shake us out of our comfort zones, to make us uneasy enough to actively seek the answers to our own questions, like why and what is God telling us and where is God trying to lead us. God may cause turmoil so we are shook out of our complacency where we're centered on ourselves and making us feel good so we will turn our attention back to the main thing -- loving Jesus and participating in his ministry.
I remember what it was like when Tom and I were dating. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice, and I was so excited about our relationship that all I could talk about was Tom, Tom, Tom. In our wedding pictures, we both have that same, silly grin as we gazed into each other's eyes.
With the demands and challenges of life and the comfort of falling into routines, it was easy to lose that initial excitement. Some of the best advice I received concerning this, and it's the same advice I give couples in premarital counseling, is to continue to court your spouse after you're married and to actively seek to keep that excitement of love alive in your relationship.
I know the same thing has happened in my own spiritual life, and I've seen it happen in the life of a church -- with the demands of busy lives and with getting just too comfortable and complacent with how things are, the Holy Spirit has to shake us up to get us back on track, back to seeking Christ and back to experiencing that first love and excitement of being his disciples.
When we get excited about being Christians, it seems that all we want to talk about is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. People see this excitement and start feeling the stirring of grace and ask, "What's going on with these people, and who is this Jesus they're always talking about?"
In our excitement about our relationship with Christ, well, the natural result is that we'll want other people to know Jesus, too, and we'll start sharing our faith with them and inviting them to come to church with us.
Sometimes, in order for God to fulfill God's purposes and bless his people, he needs to stir them up. Shake them up. Get them wondering, get them asking questions, get them seeking God in what is happening.
There's no place for complacency in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. But there is plenty of grace, and sometimes, grace can get messy and uncomfortable, but it is still grace -- grace that loves, grace that empowers, grace that is so awesome that we shout, "HOSANNA! God will save, God is in charge, God will bring something incredible out of the turmoil of our lives and from the changes in our churches."
Watch and wait and see!
HOSANNA!
So, what does Palm Sunday and the days before the Passover feast and a song by Elvis Presley have in common? People were all shook up -- ah-huh, ah-huh, ah-huh.
Jesus and his disciples did not quietly sneak into Jerusalem under the cover of darkness. When Jesus hit town, it was an event, a parade, a royal procession. By the time Jesus left Jericho and headed for Jerusalem, a large crowd was following him. Along the way, it had grown, and I believe it was this crowd that went before him, laying their cloaks and tree branches on the road before him.
The citizenry of Jerusalem didn't know what hit them. Matthew tells us that the city was in turmoil, stirred up and shook up, not knowing what was going on or who this man was who was entering their city like a king.
And Jesus kept stirring and shaking them up.
- In the temple, he overturned the tables of the money changers and the ones who sold doves and forcibly drove them out. That probably didn't go over well with the local merchants and priests.
- He cursed a fig tree which withered. That was disturbing.
- He puclicly denounced the Scribes and the Pharisees -- nothing he hadn't done before, but to be so bold as to do it in Jerusalem on their turf?
- And to really put people at their ease, he foretold the destruction and desecration of the temple, the persecution of his followers, and the end of the world with the judgment of the nations. That's the kind of talk that really puts the damper on holiday festivities.
Sometimes, God has to stir us up, to shake us out of our comfort zones, to make us uneasy enough to actively seek the answers to our own questions, like why and what is God telling us and where is God trying to lead us. God may cause turmoil so we are shook out of our complacency where we're centered on ourselves and making us feel good so we will turn our attention back to the main thing -- loving Jesus and participating in his ministry.
I remember what it was like when Tom and I were dating. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice, and I was so excited about our relationship that all I could talk about was Tom, Tom, Tom. In our wedding pictures, we both have that same, silly grin as we gazed into each other's eyes.
With the demands and challenges of life and the comfort of falling into routines, it was easy to lose that initial excitement. Some of the best advice I received concerning this, and it's the same advice I give couples in premarital counseling, is to continue to court your spouse after you're married and to actively seek to keep that excitement of love alive in your relationship.
I know the same thing has happened in my own spiritual life, and I've seen it happen in the life of a church -- with the demands of busy lives and with getting just too comfortable and complacent with how things are, the Holy Spirit has to shake us up to get us back on track, back to seeking Christ and back to experiencing that first love and excitement of being his disciples.
When we get excited about being Christians, it seems that all we want to talk about is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. People see this excitement and start feeling the stirring of grace and ask, "What's going on with these people, and who is this Jesus they're always talking about?"
In our excitement about our relationship with Christ, well, the natural result is that we'll want other people to know Jesus, too, and we'll start sharing our faith with them and inviting them to come to church with us.
Sometimes, in order for God to fulfill God's purposes and bless his people, he needs to stir them up. Shake them up. Get them wondering, get them asking questions, get them seeking God in what is happening.
There's no place for complacency in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. But there is plenty of grace, and sometimes, grace can get messy and uncomfortable, but it is still grace -- grace that loves, grace that empowers, grace that is so awesome that we shout, "HOSANNA! God will save, God is in charge, God will bring something incredible out of the turmoil of our lives and from the changes in our churches."
Watch and wait and see!
HOSANNA!
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