Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator and Sustainer, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that abides in each of us.  Amen.

We have heard a lot of Scripture today, haven’t we?  We began our morning by reading Luke’s version of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  We heard from Isaiah, who announced that, although he was a servant of God, he had been persecuted by the world because God had opened his ears and tongue so that he might hear the cries of the needy and speak for them.  Isaiah wanted to know who would stand with him and who would stand against him.  As he asked the question, this prophet wanted everyone to know before they made their decision that the Lord God would stand with him:  “It is the Lord GOD who helps me.”  (Isaiah 50:9a)  Then there was the Psalmist who cried out to God, admitting his failures and disgrace, but in the end placing his faith in the Lord as he proclaimed; “Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love."  (Psalm 31:16)   And we heard Paul’s words to the Philippians as he encouraged his followers; “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself.”  (Philippians 2:5-7)   Lastly, we heard the Gospel text we call The Passion, the story of Jesus’ arrest, suffering and crucifixion.  On this Palm Sunday, in the midst of all of these readings, there is one common theme.  Palm Sunday is the day when we are invited to accept God’s call for our lives…or reject it. 

Today we recall Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, a day of celebration!  Our forty-day journey to the cross is almost over.  Until this day in his life, Jesus had been on a mission.  What was his mission?  Well, according to Luke, shortly after Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism, he went to Nazareth where, on the Sabbath, he entered a synagogue and read from the scroll of Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  (Luke 4:18-19). This was Jesus’ mission!  After hearing this, those in the synagogue drove him out of town and attempted to kill him, but he escaped.  (Luke 4:29).

From that day on, Jesus went about God’s mission.  Many followed him because the news He shared was good.  He promised freedom from oppression, He spoke of food for all who hungered, and love and peace in a world full of hate, poverty and war.  His promise of hope was incredible, and his followers multiplied to the point that when he entered Jerusalem they praised him as a king, riding home a victor over the enemy.  The crowds shouted, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”  (Luke 19:38)  This was the first Palm Sunday, and today we remember that celebration with God’s Word, song, and our own palm branches.  But that celebration did not last long, did it?  After reading about that triumphal beginning in Jerusalem, we quickly learned that the rest of the story led to Jesus’ death on the cross.  As ugly as it might seem right now, this is actually a story of love that brings hope into a world that so desperately needs both hope and love.  It is a story that we know does not end with death, but eternal life.

For the past five-and-a-half weeks, we have focused on what it means to live a life that imitates Christ.  There will be days like today where the world will celebrate our work, but more often than not our work will be seen by the world as less than Good News.  After all, when the world realizes that our mission is to free the oppressed, give hope to the poor, and sight to the blind, many in the world will turn against us.  Why?  Because, believe it or not, there are Caesars and Pilates in this world today who need the oppressed, the poor, and the blind to keep their worldly power and wealth. 

Brothers and sisters, today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, a week in which we are invited to change our lives.  Today we remember the joy and hope that Jesus brought into this world.  But that joy and hope can only remain if we change, if we turn our lives to God and God’s mission.  As we journey through this Holy Week, I pray that, as individuals and as a faith community, we come to accept God’s invitation to be with Him in His mission.

As you come to the end of your Lenten journey this week, I invite you to return here this Thursday, Maundy Thursday, to celebrate the Lord’s Great Command to love one another as He has loved us.  As we celebrate that command, we will also celebrate His gift of forgiveness, Holy Communion.  In fact, eight young members of our community will participate in Holy Communion for the first time in their lives, and I pray that you are all here to celebrate with them.  I also invite you to return here again on Friday, when we will gather to celebrate Jesus’ death.  Yes, as morbid as that sounds, remember, we call it Good Friday for a reason, for on that day Jesus willingly went to the cross for us.  He was willing to die that day an excruciating death for each of us, and while on that cross he still found it in his heart to ask God to forgive us.  Brothers and sisters, this truly is the most holy of weeks, and during this week God calls upon us to make a decision.  Will we accept His call to continue His mission or will we reject his love?  The choice is ours.  In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…” (Phil. 2:5).  May this Holy Week be a time for us to change our minds and seek to find ways to be Christ-like.  I pray that this week is a triumphant beginning for all of us as we seek to continue to be Good News to a broken world.  Amen.