Monthly Archives: March 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:51 am on March 29, 2015
Tags:   

Palm Sunday — Rev. David J. Schreffler

March 29, 2015
Palm Sunday

“When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.”

Mark 11:1-11

In the days of the Roman occupation of Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate was a big deal. Herod the Great ruled from 37 B.C.E. to 4 B.C.E. At his death, his kingdom was subdivided among three of his sons. One son, Herod Antipas, took the northern territories of the Galilee and those on the east side of the Jordan River. Another son, Phillip, took the areas to the east of the Sea of Galilee … the area now thought of as the Golan Heights. The third son, Archelaeus, took the major portion, and in fact the most important cities. Now this region, which we would probably call Judea, was really the most important of the three sub-divisions. But Archelaeus, in contrast to his two half-brothers, didn’t fare as well as his father. And within ten years, he was removed by the Roman overlords, and replaced with military governors — what we usually refer to as Procurators, or Prefects, posted there by the Roman administration to oversee the political activities of the state. Pontius Pilate, is one of these first round of governors posted to the province of Judea, once it was given over to Roman military governorship. When Pilate would enter the gates, there would be a royal fanfare – a procession of people shouting — treating him as a king. There was a big deal to be shown to the king. It was the Passover after all – and though the Jews would be preparing for a major festival, Pilate needed to make sure that there were no riots.

Jesus was not the first person to enter Jerusalem as a kingly figure. Simon Maccabaeus, a revolutionary Jewish leader, processed into Jerusalem “with praise and palm branches and with hymns and songs” (1 Macabbees 13:51). “Menahem, a leader of urban daggermen, political assassins known as Sicarri, led a kingly procession into Jerusalem in 66 A.D. during the years of the Jewish revolt. (leohartshorn.blogspot.com, April 5, 2009) The streets buzzed with popular expectations of a kingly ruler, a Son of David, who would come and end the reign of foreign rulers and liberate Jerusalem from injustice and oppression.

A number of royal pretenders and messianic figures did come and lead armed revolts against the Romans and their upper-class Jewish collaborators. Not only were the people’s hearts filled with these kinds of expectations, but the location of where Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem was to begin had symbolic undertones. According to the prophet Zechariah, the Mount of Olives was to be the place where the Israel would engage in a final battle against her enemies (Zechariah 14:1-4). So, you see, in that politically charged atmosphere Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem was loaded with military and nationalistic symbolism. Jesus was well aware of this symbolism. It appears that Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem on a donkey was not simply happenstance, but something that he deliberately planned and choreographed.”

Today we will stand outside our churches and gather to hear again the story of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry. We will carry palm branches, turn them into crosses, and some will stab them at their brothers and sisters as parents try to ignore them. In the sanitized version of this story we have created, remember that Jesus came not so that our lives would be soft and “happy” – but so that we might live forever. For that to happen, he had to take on a political overlord who knew how to torture and kill people to keep them in line. This is a Triumphal Entry – let’s not turn it into “cartoon theater”.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:48 am on March 28, 2015
Tags:   

Running the Race of Faith – Rev. David J. Schreffler

March 28, 2015

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

“...If you believe that G*d is about your path, and (spies) out all your ways, then take care not to do the least thing, not to speak the least word, not to indulge the least thought, which you have reason to think would offend…Suppose that a messenger of G*d, an angel, to be now standing at your right hand, and fixing his eyes upon you, would you not take care to abstain from every word or action that you knew would offend him? How much more ought you to be, when you know, that not only a holy man, not an angel for G*d, but G*d himself, the Holy One…is inspecting your heart, your tongue, your hand, every moment!” John Wesley (1703 – 1791) “For All The Saints” volume I (p. 913-914)

There’s an old Jerry Seinfeld comedy routine where he says: “When we watch the Olympics, and we see the people who win medals, you have to feel bad for the person who comes in second. The person who comes in third can think “Well at least I got something.” The person who wins can say “Hey, I won the race”. But the person who comes in second must be receiving the second place medal thinking “Great, I….. almost won.” Some people joke that coming in second is like “kissing your sister”. Paul is comparing our race with life and faith as “a race where we are competing for a prize”, but not second, or third, or fourth, or even last place. John Wesley is saying that in life and faith, we should not settle for just doing the least….like “At least I go to church on Easter”, or “At least I give a dollar in the offering plate”.

If our faith life means anything to us, we tell others how important it is by how we approach it. One of the interesting changes I have noticed in how we award medals in sports are the “participation trophy” and the “last place trophy”. In many youth sports like baseball and soccer, we give trophies to children just for participating in a sport. And, some golf tournaments I have played in give a trophy for the last place team. I believe in a G*d that will welcome even the believer who comes in last place – but I do not believe that G*d wants a relationship with us where we run the race of faith hoping to get the last place trophy – or the participation trophy. G*d is waiting for us to run the race of faith to win it – putting everything, our whole selves into it. We all will not approach the race of faith with the same skill set, or the same energy level, or even the same training. But, we all can run the race of faith with determination to do all we can with the gifts G*d has gifted us.

Pastor Dave