Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

 Warm-up Question

Warm-up Question: When you hear someone’s testimony, do you tend to believe it or question it? Why?

How Do You Know the Truth?

On Wednesday May 1, U.S. Attorney General William Barr gave testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee about his handling of the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report about his two-year investigation into President Donald Trump.

Mueller investigated whether President Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign, which would have been illegal. Collusion means working together, which a presidential candidate is not allowed to do with a foreign power like Russia.

Barr faced questions on Wednesday because of his summary of the March 22^nd report. Democrats in Congress think Barr has been too partial to Trump and has not been objective about the report.  Barr’s summary said that the report showed no collusion with Russia and was inconclusive about some possible instances of obstruction of justice. Democrats have said that the full report could show some wrongdoing by the President and his administration.

In his testimony, Barr defended his summary against aggressive questions from some Democrat senators, some of whom accused him of being “purposely misleading” and “lying to Congress.”  Barr refused to appear at a parallel hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, which is controlled by Democrats and might have involved questions from lawyers as well as lawmakers.

Trump has called the report a “complete and total exoneration.” Not all Democrats see it that way, however, Democrat party leaders have backed off on calls to impeach Trump since seeing the report.“  Still, many remain unsatisfied with Barr’s answers.  “Mr. Barr, now the American people know that you are no different from Rudy Giuliani or Kellyanne Conway or any of the other people who sacrifice their once decent reputation for the grifter and liar who sits in the Oval Office,” Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, said to Barr. Giuliani is Trump’s personal lawyer and Conway is White House counsel.

Discussion Questions

• Clearly, there is strong disagreement concerned the truth of Barr’s testimony.  What are some ways you might be able to tell whether someone is being truthful?
• Is truth always black and white?  Is it possible for there to be honest disagreement over what something means?
• What are some of the possible consequences of giving false testimony?
• How does false testimony relate to the Ninth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”?
• Why might someone not be truthful when testifying about something?

Fourth Sunday of Easter

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

As the scene opens, Jesus is walking in Solomon’s Colonnade in the Temple courts. In the Old Testament, Solomon was known for his great wisdom. The wisdom of Solomon remains legendary, but Jesus’ wisdom far surpasses that of Solomon, who eventually disobeyed many of God’s commands to him, i.e. marrying many wives, stockpiling gold, and even worshiping other gods. (See 1 Kings, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes for more of Solomon’s story).

The people around Jesus in this passage are not so different from people today. They want to know what is true; they decide to ask Jesus directly whether he is the Messiah. It seems that this isn’t the first time these people have asked Jesus whether he is the Messiah. For Jews, who have waited hundreds of years for the Messiah to come, it is hard to believe that this relatively uneducated, plain, and peace-seeking person can possibly be the promised Messiah, who will liberate his people.

Like so many people when they hear a word from God in their hearts, they want to hear it one more time before they can embrace it as truth. They just aren’t sure whether they can believe what seems so strange.

So Jesus tells them that his works testify about him. Healing miracles, his teachings, and his unique way of pointing people to God were his testimony. In its best form, testimony gives proof about something. It also reveals truth. The works of Jesus do both of these things, but like people of today, not everyone is convinced of the truth of Jesus’ testimony.

In the King James Version, Hebrews 11:1 says  that Faith is “the evidence of things unseen.” While some theologians have made strong and convincing arguments in favor of God’s existence and Jesus’ divinity (Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ, for instance), it isn’t possible to fully prove these things in a courtroom. Faith is required.

Jesus describes people of faith as his sheep. As sheep follow their shepherd, they come to know his voice. In the same way, as we follow Jesus, we come to know his voice. We don’t have to wonder who Jesus is; we know he is the Messiah because we know him through the Bible and our faith, and because his works in our lives have testified to us about him.

Discussion Questions

• If you consider yourself one of Jesus’ sheep, what has led you to believe in and follow Jesus? If you don’t, what is holding you back from believing and following him?
• Why do you think those without faith have a difficult time understanding who Jesus is?
• What events in your life have testified to you about who Jesus is?
• What helps you recognize Jesus’ voice?

Activity Suggestions

Jesus describes his faithful people as sheep. Do a little online research about what sheep are like. What qualities of sheep remind you of being a follower of Jesus? Do you feel any differently about the analogy Jesus used, which is also found in Psalm 23?

Closing Prayer

Dear Jesus, Thank you for giving us your works and your word to testify that you are the Messiah. Help me to follow you in faith and to better understand who you are through your works in my life. Amen.

Paul Baglyos, Baltimore, MD

Warm-up Question

A familiar Easter hymn calls Jesus the “risen conqu’ring Son.”  In Romans 8 Paul says we are “more than conquerors” through Christ.  In a world which has much tragedy and suffering, what does Paul mean? Are we really more than conquerors?  How?

More Than Conquerors

Two weeks ago, on Easter Sunday, terrorist explosions destroyed three churches as well as four hotels in Sri Lanka.  Less than one week earlier, a massive fire threatened to destroy the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.  News accounts and images of those events and their aftermaths are widely available on the web.  Many noted how particularly painful these events were, coming as they did, in the season when Christians celebrate the Resurrection.

Discussion Questions

• What were/are your reactions to the news about the Notre Dame fire and the Sri Lanka bombings?
• Are those stories of any concern to you?  Why or why not?
• How did other people you know react to those stories?  What did you hear or read from other people about the fire and the bombings?

Third Sunday of Easter

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

We know that the church is people rather than buildings, but many people who belong to the church identify with the buildings in which they gather for worship, prayer, and devotion.  The burning of Notre Dame brought sorrow to many people around the world because of the religious and cultural heritage the building represents.  The churches in Sri Lanka were targeted because the bombers knew those buildings would be full of people on Easter Sunday morning.  The bombers wanted to kill people and the churches they targeted provided strategic opportunities for their gruesome intentions.

These recent events offer spectacular reminders that the church is not exempt from the hardship, suffering, and evil which afflict the world.  At Easter the church rejoices in the good news of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, often singing “Thine is the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son.”  But the risen Christ remains also and always the crucified Son, the one whose hands and side eternally bear the marks of his execution on a cross (see John 20:24-27).  Jesus conquered death, not by wielding its power as a retaliatory weapon, but by enduring its torment with an unshaken trust in God’s love and promise.  For Jesus, conquering death meant not evading its grasp, but acting upon the knowledge that God’s embrace of us is certain and secure.  So the “risen, conqu’ring Son” continues to act in our world and in our lives.

Jesus tells Peter – impulsive, impetuous Peter – that a time will come when he (Peter) will be led where he does not wish to go.  Perhaps in this puzzling statement Jesus seeks to remind Peter that the community of resurrection witnesses shares the same vocation as its resurrected Lord, to witness to God’s love in the midst pain.  As it is for Christ, so it must be also for the church.

On Easter Sunday, amid the news of the church bombings in Sri Lank, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton tweeted these words from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will hardship or distress or persecution or peril or sword?  As it is written ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long’ . . .   No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Christians are more than conquerors because Christ their Lord is conqueror.  For us as for him, however, we conquer not by evading the grasp of death, hardship, suffering and evil, but by facing such torments in the trust that God’s grasp is more certain and secure than any of those things, and that nothing can separate us from the love and the promise of God who holds us eternally.

Like Peter, we too will find ourselves at times being led where we do not wish to go.  Remember how Jesus prayed in Gethsemane before his arrest, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me”? (Luke 22:42)  We go knowing that Christ himself is the one leading us, calling us to follow him into the places where the world’s sorrow, grief, terror, and pain call out for healing and renewal.  The good news of Christ’s resurrection from the dead does not put him—or us— above it all.  Rather it is our food for the journey, our strength for the mission, and our cause for rejoicing.

Discussion Questions

• What do you think Jesus means by what he tells Peter in John 21:18?
• In Luke’s Gospel, a story about a miraculous catch of fish occurs early, in chapter 5, well before the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Do you think that John’s Gospel relates a similar but different story, or that John has located the same story differently for a theological reason?
• How do you understand Jesus’ command to Peter to “feed my sheep”?  What did that mean for Peter?  What does it mean for you?

Activity Suggestions

• Read together the words of the hymn, “Thine Is the Glory.”  Discuss together whether and how you have experienced in your own life any of the affirmations in the words of that hymn.
• Share with each other any favorite Easter hymns or songs and tell how and why those are meaningful to you.

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, you inspired Simon Peter to confess Jesus as the Messiah and Son of the living God.  Keep your church firm on the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace it may proclaim one truth and follow one Lord, your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen  (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 55)

Jocelyn Breeland, Sunnyvale, CA

Warm-up Question

What is essential to sustain your faith?

Hope in the Ruins

As these words are written, the fire in Notre Dame, the historic cathedral in the heart of Paris, has finally been brought under control. Memorable scenes of the day include the silhouette of the church against the towering flames, the tall spire collapsing, and mourners praying as they watched in horror. French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to launch a national fundraising campaign so the church can be rebuilt. By the time you read this, we will likely know more about the cause of the fire, the extent of the damage, and what will be required to restore Notre Dame.

Notre Dame, one of the world’s most well-known churches, was completed in 1345 and over the centuries has played an important role in the life of the city and the history of France and Europe. The exterior of Notre Dame contains many scenes from the Bible, a sort of book to teach scripture to the parishioners who, at the time of construction, were mostly illiterate. The interior contains many priceless works of art, a magnificent organ, and the treasured relics of what is believed to be the crown of thorns Jesus wore before crucifixion and a piece of the cross. They were rescued from the flames.

This is not the first time the building was damaged. In 1548, Hugenots damaged statues that they believed to be idolatrous. In 1793, 28 statues of biblical kings were destroyed when they were mistaken for statues of French kings. A bombing attempt was foiled in 2016.

Within 24 hours, hundreds of millions of dollars had been pledged to the rebuilding effort.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think restoration of the church is so important to the French people that the president – a secular leader – would vow to restore it?
• For people of faith what, if anything, has been lost?
• If the church building where you worship were destroyed, what would be lost?
• Would the loss of the building make you concerned about the congregation? Why or why not?

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 5:27-32

Revelation 1:4-8

John 20:19-31

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

Thomas had doubts. He had seen Jesus die and, despite witnessing Jesus’ previous miracles – including raising the dead – he could not believe that his master lived. If Thomas, who knew Jesus, had doubts, how are we, so many centuries removed, to sustain our faith?

We all have doubts. Like Thomas, we experience events that cause us to question what we believe. Even Mother Teresa, admired by many for her life of faith and charity, wrote about her serious doubts, her sense that her prayers were unheard and unanswered.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and who have believed.” But how are we to sustain this belief, our faith in Jesus, the son of God, sent for our salvation? One answer is in verse 30, “these are written that you might believe.” The Bible exists to support our faith – to teach us about God’s work in the world, about the life of Jesus and his victory over sin and death.

The Gospel writers risked, and sometimes lost, their lives to spread the good news of the gospel to all people. It’s hard to imagine this level of commitment if the events they recount in the New Testament were not true.

We are grateful for the gift of the Gospel and the stories and guidance that lead us to lives of faith. We have not seen but we believe. And we are blessed.

Discussion Questions

• Have you, like Thomas, had doubts?
• Do you share your doubts, as Thomas did, or do you keep it to yourself?
• What has helped to restore your faith?

Activity Suggestions

[This activity can be done individually or in groups.]

Thinking of the warm-up question, the fire at Notre Dame and this week’s Gospel selection – and your experience as a Christian – make a list of everything you can think of that can support, nourish or restore a person’s faith.

• Identify the items on this list that you would consider essential to Christian faith.
• Now, discuss the ways you and your congregation offer or connect people to these essentials. Is there room for improvement?
• Develop a plan to increase support in one of the essential areas, assign responsibility for the various tasks.

Establish a target date to implement your plan and schedule a group discussion on the results.

• What worked well? What didn’t?
• Did you notice any changes – in specific individuals or in the community as a whole – as a result of your work?

Closing Prayer

Gracious Lord, thank you for the gift of your son Jesus, and thank you for the gift of the Bible that teaches us and shows us the way to live lives of faith. When we doubt, or stray, draw us back to your holy word. As we are blessed, let us also be a blessing. Make us examples of your love that will bring others closer to you. In the blessed name of Jesus, Amen.

David Delaney, Salem, VA

Warm-up Question

• Surprise! Some surprises are welcome and others are not. When was the last time you had something truly unexpected happen to you? Can you think of an example that thrilled you and another one that devastated you? Did you get an A on a test when you expected a C? Did your trip get canceled because of weather? Was there a fantastic plot twist in a movie you saw or a book you read? Did someone who you thought was a friend betray you behind your back? Ever have a surprise where you couldn’t figure out whether it was good or bad?
• We all know someone who has such a track record of making up or embellishing stories that we’re never sure whether to believe them or not. And now it sometimes seems like social media presents mostly suspicious or unconfirmed information. How do you decide whether to believe something you hear or not? Do you tend to quickly believe something that sounds sensational or are you more of the skeptical type?
• We have come to the end of the Lenten season. Did you take on any special extra faith-forming activities for Lent this year as people often do, such as depriving yourself of a certain food or treat? How has that Lenten discipline gone this year for you?

Back From the Dead

Recovering from opioid addition can be like dying and coming back to life.

Too many of us know someone who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose or whose life has been dominated by a friend’s substance addiction disease. As noted in a recent report from Spectrum Health Systems, “There’s a stigma against people who struggle with addiction that often exists because people believe it could never happen to them – but it can. Addiction is a disease that knows no boundaries, has no preconceived notions and leaves no clues as to who it will touch next.” Our prejudices also make us presume that someone who develops such an addiction is probably young and reckless.

The report then goes on to tell the story of a man named Jeffrey Born, aged 65, who seemed like a very unlikely person to develop an addiction, but who received heavy doses of painkillers while hospitalized for a life-threatening workplace injury. While still in the hospital, he developed an addiction to those medications, which he realized when the doctors tried to wean him off of them. The ongoing pain was so severe that it affected Mr. Born’s normal good judgment, and he began seeking other sources of pain management, eventually turning to heroin, the only thing that gave him some relief. His near-death experience came when he unknowingly injected himself with a much stronger drug – fentanyl – and immediately fell into a coma. His girlfriend, who was with him at the time, quickly called EMTs, who arrived in time to administer Narcan to save him, but the experience left him in a terrible dilemma.

In what he described as a turning point, Mr. Born realized how much his life had deteriorated. “By then, my life was in shambles,” he said. “I was about to be evicted and homeless. My family barely spoke to me. My life was a horror story because of drugs.” He decided that the pain of withdrawal and the work of recovery was the only choice he had to avoid dying from his addition as well as continuing to burden those around him, so he sought out a treatment program. “My life has changed so much in long-term recovery … I made amends with my family and friends, who I drove away with the lies I told to cover up my addiction. Making amends with them was the most important thing to me, especially restoring my relationship with my son.”

Discussion Questions

• Can we think of any stories or experiences of hopelessness in our own lives or in the lives of our friends? What is it like to feel like you have no good choices in a situation or that there is no future?  What was the outcome of those situations?
• The key turning point in Mr. Born’s life was realizing that he was completely unable to help himself.  Early death was his inevitable future unless he turned to someone else who could guide him to new life.  Doing this is harder than most people realize, because it’s so hard to envision new life while still in the grip of impending death.  What things to people often love or cling to that are destructive but so familiar that they can’t surrender them?
• Mr. Born’s choice to do the hard work of recovery happened because he saw others whose lives had been on a path toward death but had sought out the help needed to turn things around. In a way, he had to experience a kind of death of his old self in order to experience new life. If Lent is often thought of as “giving something up,” Easter is the celebration of a new life. How can we develop habits year-round of leaving old destructive things behind and allowing God to lead us to new life?

Resurrection of Our Lord

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

All four of the gospels have a scene with the women coming to the tomb and discovering that it is empty, but only Luke has two men in dazzling clothes who say, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”, suggesting that surely they should have known Jesus would not be there, especially since Jesus had told them long before that this would all happen. Some interpreters have suggested that “The Living One” was a very early title used by Christians to refer to Jesus. That may sound silly – surely anyone who is alive could be called “the living one.” But for these early believers, it’s as if they knew that Jesus was somehow more than alive and that even life itself was being redefined by the new, resurrected life of Jesus. That title gets repeated in Revelation 1:18, where Jesus appears to John with the reminder that Jesus’ new life is permanent and that he alone now holds authority over death.

Discussion Questions

• For an Easter day gospel, this passage has the odd feature that Jesus himself does not appear! Does that suggest that the story is just as much about us as it is about him?  Go back through the passage and take note of all the verbs and adjectives that refer to the women and the disciples. Nothing remarkable about them is said until after they realize that Jesus’ body is not there. Then they are perplexed, terrified, remembering, returning, telling, doubting and amazed. If we reflect on this episode about Jesus, that he truly died and truly lives again, we might have many of the same reactions.  What do we discover if we just pause quietly for a minute and pay attention to our own internal reactions to the claim that Jesus died, rose again, and still lives?
• Many skeptics over 2000 years have claimed that the report of Jesus’ resurrection was just the product of a group of people “in denial,” who were engaged in wishful thinking and talked themselves into a fantasy story as a way of coping with their grief. And yet, none of the gospels portray people acting this way. In fact, every single one of these early believers were suspicious at first, and some – like Thomas – very much so. They only believed in the end because they were told by someone who had either seen the vision at the empty tomb or encountered the risen Jesus himself, and then those first-hand reports were shared with others in an unbroken line down to the present day. Who are the people who have shared with you that they are convinced Jesus was raised on that first Easter? What stories have you heard from them about how they came to believe that Jesus was risen?
• Jesus and the disciples lived in a time when information provided by women was regarded with suspicion, if not quickly ignored or dismissed. Women were not allowed to testify in court or serve as witnesses to any business or legal activities. The disciples’ reaction, then, when they heard the report that these three women brought from the tomb, is not completely surprising. Peter, however, seems to have had a change of heart that led him to go and look for himself. In our own time, do we have prejudices or assumptions that would keep us from hearing God’s good news from someone we’ve been taught not to trust?  How do we, like Peter, have a change of heart so that, when God speaks in an unfamiliar way, we are able to listen? And how do we repent from those prejudices that made us mistrustful in the first place?

Activity Suggestions

• “Two truths and a lie” is an old familiar group game where Team 1 makes three statements to the other team about one of their members, one of which is made up, and Team 2 has to guess which one is the “lie.” A lot of times a plausible lie is harder to come up with than the true statements.  A variation on the game is for Team 1 to come up with three “lies” and Team 2 has to decide which one is the most believable. Would you have believed the women who were reporting the empty and the vision of angels?
• We often think of Easter Day as just one day, but it is a whole season of the church year lasting almost two months! In this day of mostly electronic communication, everyone loves getting something in the US Mail! Encourage your group to send weekly reminders to each other to continue celebrating the risen Lord Jesus throughout the entire season and beyond.
• Since Easter is a public holiday, we shouldn’t be surprised that its central meaning – the resurrection of Jesus from death – can get lost in the middle of all the decorations and other celebrations. Have someone in your group with a Pinterest account do a search for Easter decorations. Then, as the group looks at them, notice which ones really seem to be conveying the church’s Easter message about Jesus’ death and resurrection, the witness of the women and other disciples to each other, and the call to faith that would follow as they spread the news

Closing Prayer

Glorious God, we offer you thanks for gathering us into the power of the resurrection of Jesus.  We pray for all who celebrate the Easter festival this day, that joyful celebrations everywhere might be places of welcome for those who are in need of new life. Help us to be struck with awe once again by the story of how you shattered the earth to bring Jesus from the grave. For all those in our lives who are convinced that they are stuck in a path toward death, fill us with confident hope and bold good news for them.  In the name of the risen Lord Jesus, Amen.

Brett Davis, Washington, DC

Warm-up Question

Think about all of the places, events, and types of people who have entrance music.  What would be your entrance music?

Entrance Song

What do brides, WWE wrestlers, political candidates, and sports teams have in common?  They all have an entrance song!  Virginia Tech football fans feel their hearts beat faster as Enter Sandman begins to welcome their team.  People know to stand with the opening lines of Wagner’s Bridal Chorus (you know, “Here Comes the Bride”), to welcome the bride.  

In WWE wrestling, there has long been a tradition of entrance music for the different wrestlers.  A match between two characters can be going on, the bad guy seems to be winning, and suddenly, you hear the opening bars of . . . wait, who’s that?  A good guy comes to save the day.  Dramatic entrances are part of the excitement.

In a very different way (or is it), political candidates use music for their entrance and to set a tone at rallies.  Presidential candidates have often used theme songs for their campaigns.  However, particularly in recent years, musicians have objected to candidates using their songs either with permission or because they don’t like the candidate.  A Rolling Stone article notes that candidates on both sides of the aisle have been involved in these disputes.  Musicians object because it seems like an endorsement of the candidate and what they stand for, even subconsciously.  However, there is often little legal action that artists can take, as long as the venue has a license to play music.  The article notes that the entrance music often happens unintentionally, with a junior staffer who’s making the playlist just thinking of what songs are cool or what will pump up the crowd.

Discussion Questions

• What’s your favorite use of an entrance song?  How does entrance music affect people?  
• What do you think about the use of popular music by sports teams or political candidates?
• Should an artist be able to restrict the use of their music?

Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday

Luke 19:28-40 (Processional Gospel)

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Luke 22:14-23:56

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

At most churches on Palm Sunday, people receive palm fronds, and the worship and music includes “Hosanna,” which we associate with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  But did you notice that neither appears in Luke’s version of the story?  No palms are mentioned, but people spread their cloaks on the ground in Jesus’ path, and the crowd’s excitement and shouts of joy raise the concern of the Pharisees.  

A “multitude of the disciples” shouts, “‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’” (Luke 19:38) as Jesus enters Jerusalem.  This echoes the “multitude of the heavenly host (angels), praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’”  from Luke 2:13-14.  Some parents have a special song for their child, that they sing to them, or play for them, from birth onward.  Many families and friends have special ways of greeting each other that are specific to the person and create a bond over years.

These words of acclamation are Jesus’ entrance music.  It’s a riff on the same song that has been sung since his birth.  Crowds, both heavenly and human, have gathered to praise God, welcome Jesus as divine, and proclaim peace.  Jesus knows that this music and the praise of the crowds does not mean that his path will be easy. He knows his welcome into Jerusalem is a path to the cross.

The objection of the Pharisees is essentially, “That’s our song!  You can’t say that!”  They object to the use of these words of acclamation that they believe are reserved for the Messiah.  Like  musicians objecting to the use of their music, they object to the crowds’ calling Jesus “the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”  But there is not anything they can do to stop the crowds. Not only is the energy of a crowd a powerful force but, as Jesus says, if the people didn’t, the rocks themselves would shout.  

Palm Sunday worship and this coming Holy Week remind us that Jesus doesn’t stay at the high point of his entrance.  We know that the same crowds that laid down their cloaks for Jesus will shout “crucify!” and not risk objecting when Jesus is stripped of his clothes, humiliated, and hung on the cross.  But Jesus’ entrance song, “blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, peace to God’s people on Earth” still hangs in the air today – and is still sung in worship.  It reminds us that nothing, not even death, keeps God down, and these words tell us the end of the story.

Discussion Questions

• Do your family and friends have any long-held tradition of how you greet each other?  Does that set a tone for how you interact?
• Has anything ever been done in your name that you’re not comfortable with?
• Knowing the full story of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, and resurrection, what do you think should be Jesus’ entrance song?  Would the artist/musician object?
• If Jesus was coming to speak at a big venue today, how would you imagine his entrance?  Humble, exuberant, or somewhere in between?

Activity Suggestions

Discuss what Jesus’ entrance song would be today.  Play or sing some of your ideas to each other.  In small groups or pairs, imagine and act out Jesus’ entrance to a crowd with fitting music. 

Closing Prayer

God of grace and power, for the sake of us and all creation, you came boldly through shouts of welcome, knowing that your cross lay ahead.  Help us to greet one another with peace, welcome you into our community, and look for you in our everyday lives.  Amen.