Sermon for Palm Sunday - March 16, 2008

I'll get to the scripture reading in a minute, but first I wanted to note that today is indeed (in case you haven't figured it out yet) Palm Sunday -- the first day of what's known in the liturgical calendar as "Holy Week," where we remember and celebrate the events in the last week of Jesus' life, his death, and his resurrection(aka Easter Sunday).

Holy week is an emotional roller coaster. It usually goes something like this: Triumph on Palm Sunday, when Jesus marches into Jerusalem and is greeted by enthusiastic crowds; Solemnity and nostalgia on Maundy Thursday as Jesus shares his last Supper with his closest friends; Anger and rage on Good Friday as the crowds turn against Jesus, followed by sadness and grief as he is executed on a cross; Fear and uncertainty on Holy Saturday, as the disciples hide and ponder their shattered purposes; then finally Joy and again triumph on Easter Sunday, as Jesus returns having conquered death and hell. But there's one common emotion that is missing in the way we usually tell this story. What about humor?

It's subtle, but I think you'll find it in today's scripture reading. I'll be reading from the NIV translation. Oh, and I'm not talking about the "New International Version" here, but rather the one I use with the teenagers when we talk about the bible: The NIV, or "Neal's Improvised Version." I've been told it's quite different from the original text, and has a tendency to exaggerate or stretch the limits of the story. To which I invariably reply, "It's all 100% true. If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself and see." And that, incidentally, is how you get a teenager to actually read the bible.

Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Beth-phage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent his two best stealth-ninja disciples into town, saying to them "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her." The disciples said, "Whoah dude, Jesus is using those psychic powers again." Jesus said, "Hey guys, we're in 1st century Jerusalem. If we were in 21st century Frisco, and I told you to go out to the parking lot, and immediately you will find an SUV with a pick-up truck next to it, would you still be impressed with my psychic powers? The stealth-ninja disciples, whose training did not include rigorous mental exercises, said "Oh." Then Jesus said, "untie the donkey and the colt, and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord has need of them...and then run really fast." Then Jesus winked at them. And they said, "Oh."

So the stealth-ninja disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, and threw their clothes on them, rather like you throw some clothes on in the morning before you go out. The donkeys, who preferred Abercrombie and Aero-Postale to black stealth-ninja robes, were not amused. So Jesus rode into town, and a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others (who were not so much into public nudity) modestly cut down branches from the trees, and spread them on the road.

Then the crowds cried out, saying: "Hey, here comes our savior -- the Son of King David! Save us, mighty King, Save Us! Move over, let me see! No, you get out of the way! Look, I can almost see him! Here he comes...This is so Awesome! Hey, what's that he's riding? Battle Stallion? War Horse? Ummm, let me see. Looks like...oh. What?? Ummm...he's riding a donkey. No seriously, what's he riding? Thoroughbred? No, I'm pretty sure that's a...yep--it's a donkey. Eee-awww.

And when Jesus had come into Jerusalem, all the city was greatly moved, saying..."ummm, who's that?" So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, that prophet from Oklahoma. Nothing good ever came out of there, now, did it?"

This is the word of the youth director (thanks be he's leaving!).

• Contrast the humor with the dangerous seriousness of passover Jerusalem.

• Even today, we still don't get the joke. We're still looking for a power messiah.

• Did the crowd get the joke? Well, sort of. Actually, yes, I think they did. They just didn't think it was funny. Have you ever gotten the sense that someone is subtly making fun of you? Mocking your ideas, your worldview, your philosophy? We like to laugh at others, but we do not like to be mocked.

• The crowd got the joke, but maybe we're the ones who don't get it.

• Talk about how we're still into the "power Jesus"

• Jesus, CEO ... Jesus, Coach