Rev. Betsy Aldrich Garland
Luke 19:28-40
March 28, 2010

Spellbound

People could see the dust kicked up several miles away, and as the procession grew closer, watchers could hear marching feet, the beat of drums, the creak of leather harnesses, the glint of sun on golden eagles and sabers. Riding in from the west, from his garrison on the coast, was Pontius Pilate, Roman governor of Judea, heading a column of cavalry and soldiers.

It was Passover, the most sacred week of the Jewish year. Pilate rode in like this every year at this time, as did all the governors before him, to keep the peace. These Jews, celebrating liberation from an earlier empire, the Exodus from Egypt, were likely to cause trouble. Some who watched were curious, spellbound by this show of imperial power; others were resentful, surly, fearful.

At the same time, another procession was coming into the city from the east; this was a peasant procession which was making its way down from the Mount of Olives. A lone figure sat on a donkey, and as he passed, watchers spread out their cloaks and laid down palm branches in his path, singing the words of Psalm 118, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

It’s the spring of the year 30. Jesus of Nazareth, from Galilee about 100 miles to the north, had pre-arranged this counter-procession, even down to the colt of a donkey he was to ride. He comes to fulfill the words of the prophet Zechariah, “Lo, your king comes to you, triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey,...”

This crowd is enthusiastic, wild with joy! Spellbound.... Some Pharisees in the throng call out to Jesus, “Order your disciples to stop!” Are they embarrassed by all this emotion? Do they resent that Jesus identifies himself with the Messiah? Are they afraid Rome will see all this commotion, and fearing an insurrection, retaliate? Jesus responds, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

To understand what is happening on Palm Sunday, one must understand the significance of the city and the prophets. Jerusalem had been the capitol of Israel for 1,000 years. David and his son Solomon had reigned from the city during the greatest period in Israelite history. Particularly under David, it was an era of power and glory, tempered by goodness and justice. It was a golden time, etched in people’s memory.

Now, Jerusalem has become the seat of political oppression. The religious leaders in the temple have colluded with the Roman occupiers to preserve their own position of wealth and power. Peasants have lost their ancestral land and are taxed heavily to support Rome. The elite live in luxury; the poor are hungry. The pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem to observe the Passover yearned for the Jerusalem of memory, for justice and peace, for God’s restoration. Even now, as our friends and neighbors sit down to their Seder meals this week, they will recite the hope, “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Into this city, then, the City of David, come two processions, two parades – one from the west representing the power of empire; one from the east representing the power of God. The question then and now, for all of us, is – which parade are in marching in?

Church and state have often colluded, and often over land and property, over ideology and special interests. Consider the Crusades in France; the Inquisition in Spain; the church’s acquiescence to Hitler’s persecution of the Jews and gays in Germany; even our witch hunts in Massachusetts.

Which parade are we marching in? The parade of empire or the parade of justice?

These days with our global economy, it’s difficult to tell. Friday, I telephoned our member Alice Laurenson in Florida to see how she was managing with her broken wrist. She had read the label on the box her splint came in, and she told me that her splint was designed in England, made in China, packaged in Mexico, and distributed from California. When we purchase a shirt made in Guatemala, or a computer with parts made in Malaysia, do we know whether or not workers were exploited, oppressed? Difficult to tell in this global economy….

Of course, we see countries that mirror the oppression of Jesus’ day. Zimbabwe used to be the most prosperous and best educated country in Africa; now, under Mugabe’s rule, he and his cronies live in luxury while people are destitute. And a story in the news this week tells about North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung who lived in fabulous mansions and ate only gourmet foreign food while his people starved.

And we are not innocent in this country. In our immigration book study on Thursday, we discussed the practice of farmers in this country who bribe border guards to look the other way when migrants cross the border to find work. Then, once the crops are picked, the farmers call immigration to come and arrest and deport the workers before they are paid. One of our class members, who lived in Idaho, told us that US Senator Steve Symms used to brag about the practice.

Which parade are we marching in? In one parade, the peace is kept by those who sweep in on chariots, with swords ready to maintain power and control. Today, we might understand that kind of peace as governments that promise reform, then rule with oppression; institutions that cover up abuse of children; corporations that pay exorbitant income to top executives while workers struggle to make ends meet or people are dropped from health insurance because they get sick.

In the other parade, the peace is kept by one who comes alone and vulnerable and who brings the peace of healing and hope. Today, we might understand that kind of peace as aid workers building clinics and schools in Haiti; a Cranston pediatrician collecting children’s vitamins to take to Haiti, churches digging wells in villages in Ghana; people like us collecting canned goods for food pantries or walking on Good Friday to help the hungry.

“Order your disciples to stop! Jesus protests, “The very stones will cry out....” The truth is too good to be silenced. If these disciples fall away, God will raise up others. We saw it happen in the non-violent freedom movement in India, led by Gandhi, and in our own Civil Rights movement led by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and in Mandela’s South Africa.

What parade are we marching in? It’s difficult to know for sure: we live in a complicated world. We can be spellbound by pomp and circumstance, lulled by smooth talk, blindsided by prejudice.

But for those of us who pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth,… there is nothing to do but to sing, “Hosanna! Save us! Blessed is he who comes....” and to wave our palms and to lay down our priorities, not only for the peace of power and glory, but also for the peace of goodness and justice. Hosanna! Save us!

Amen