Get your own blanket – Dayspring Presbyterian Church

Worship on the Palm Sunday
10:00 am 24 March 2024
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev Brad Childs
Music director: Binu Kapadia Vocalist: Linda F-B
Elder: Gina Kottke

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
P: and also with you.

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Silent preparation for worship

Call to Worship
L: On this Palm Sunday, we see Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey, showing us the way of peace.
P: With palm branches in hand, we cry out “Hosanna,” save us now, save us from our warring madness.
L: We affirm that God is at work when people are ashamed of the inhumanity of war and work for peace with justice.”
P: “We pray for peace to him who is the Prince of Peace.” (Living Faith 8.5.3)

Opening praise: Come, now is the time to worship

Prayers of approach and confession

God of the Eternal Now, through Christ’s death and resurrection, you have cancelled the debt of our sins and opened the door to new life for us. In you, dead ends can become new beginnings; the cross is transformed from a means of torture into the very means of our salvation. And so, this moment (like all moments – and despite how they might appear) is all filled with fresh possibilities through your renewed presence. We praise you for your abiding love.

Yet we confess that we have a hard time believing this good news, much less living it out. Past mistakes and failures, regrets, and grievances, often haunt us. We carry our sins, and the sins others have laid upon us, like heavy burdens which sap our energy and enthusiasm. We hear old voices repeating their condemnations: “What you have been, you will always be…” “You can’t change, so why try?…” We too often let others define us by their criteria.

Lord, help us accept the gift of new life you offer us in Jesus Christ. Forgive us for listening to voices that condemn us rather than your voice of liberating love. Refresh us with springs of living water, so that our parched lives may blossom in our renewing presence. Forgive us all our wrongs and help us never to repeat them again. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Response: We come to ask your forgiveness, O God

Assurance of God’s grace

Hear the Good News: “If anyone is in Jesus Christ there is a whole new creation. The past is finished and gone. Behold, the new has come!” Friends, believe the gospel: in Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Receive the power to begin new lives, starting this very moment. Thanks be to God! Amen.

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time

Response: Jesus, we are gathered

Story

What are these?

Palm leaves.

What are they for?

For Palm Sunday.

What do we do on Palm Sunday?

We shake a whole bunch of palms leaves all around the sanctuary.

Well, this morning is Palm Sunday. It’s kind of a weird day in a way because the people are all following Jesus, but it’s like they’re going through a bunch of mood swings.

I mean, at first they’re super happy with him, then they’re upset with him. Then they’re really, really happy with and then they start following him and then they get mad and start calling out somebody should kill this guy and get rid of him.

What’s going on with these people? Do you know? Well, we’re going to talk about that a little bit, and I think you guys are going to talk about that too.

So, I’m not going to ruin the Sunday school for you. But I’ll tell you this, the people have these weird mood swings.

And next week, It’s going to be a sad one. But today is the day of celebration where we are anticipating Jesus coming down the mountain, coming into Jerusalem and then Easter beginning.

And so we’re going to run around just like they did because when he first came into the city they took coats off and they threw them on the ground they pulled these branches off and they waved them around in the air like it was a big parade.

And so we’re going to do that. We’re going to have a song and we’re going to march around this church like this.

You guys are going to wave these things like crazy. Go around and then you’re going to them with you to Sunday School.

Okay, so first we’re going to say our prayer and then we’re going to do our song.

Prayer

We don’t want to be people who go through all kinds of mood swings. We want to be devoted to you. And yet, sometimes we are upset. Sometimes we grieve, and sometimes we’re joyful, but Lord, we want to be always focused on you. Now let’s pray the Lord’s Prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: Hosanna (216)

Today’s Message

Scripture reading: Psalm 118:1,2,19-29 & John 1:1-16

Response:

Message: Get your own blanket

Through a scheduling mix-up, a man and a woman who had never met before find themselves in the same sleeping carriage of an old train. It’s late, the train is full, and everyone else is already asleep. After the initial embarrassment, they both manage to get to their bunks, the woman on the top bunk, the man on the lower.

In the middle of the night, the woman leans over and says, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m awfully cold, and I was wondering if you could possibly pass me another blanket.”

The man leans out and, with a glint in his eye, says, “I’ve got a better idea … let’s pretend we’re married.”

“Why not,” giggles the woman.

“Good,” he replies. “Then let’s act married. Get your own blanket.”

Introduction

John’s chapter 12 is the turning point in John’s gospel. While John 1-11 deal with Jesus’ ministry, from chapter 12 on, he will deal only with Jesus’ final week of life.

Bethany

These events took place in Bethany. Bethany is in the West Bank, 2.5 km east of Jerusalem on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives. Bethany was originally a Galilean settlement (ossuaries – ancient coffins or bone boxes reveals mostly Galilean names on them) meaning Jesus and his disciples would have felt quite comfortable there.

According to the Temple Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Bethany was the site of three separate care homes for the sick.

Bethany had at least one house reserved for the care of lepers set up by the Essenes and an almsgiving station that fed the poor. This is interesting because this seems to be the sole reason for the town’s existence. Bethany was and still is extremely small. To this date, it only has around 3000 people. But it was intended to be a colony of care.

In Jesus’ day, Bethany smelled of sweet figs, dates, date wine and vineyards. Palm trees lined the roads. It was here where Jesus would begin his trip down the hill on Palm Sunday, and it was here that a close reading of scripture would suggest he returned at night for rest even after he had entered Jerusalem. On several occasions, the gospels mention Jesus going to “a solitary place” “up the Mount of Olives” “at the end the day”. And on the other side of this path, is Bethany.

Bethany is where the siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. AND Lazarus’ home in Bethany was, in all probability, the place to which most would flee to on the night of Jesus’ arrest. Because the soldiers lead Jesus westward through the garden, his friends no doubt would flee East to escape. And once again, East out of the gardens leads to – Bethany.

Bethany was also the location of Jesus’ most striking miracle and the reason a plot had been conceived to kill him. Bethany was where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

Verse nine in the previous chapter tells us that word got out that Jesus was staying in Bethany and a host of people came out to see Him. It was no longer much of a solitary place.

Jesus had kept a low profile in the eyes of the authorities in Jerusalem and so Jesus also spent the last winter of life in Bethany and Jericho. The problem with this new crowd was not that they wanted to see Jesus, but that they seemed to have been more interested in seeing Lazarus whom Jesus raised. Jesus lived among sign seekers. They were more interested in the signs and wonders than they were in the One who performed them. This crowd of sightseers wanted to see a sign.

Here the One who is the Resurrection, and the Life was in their midst, but Lazarus was the one on the minds of the gathered. The verse reads painfully, “They came to see Lazarus.”

For many it’s hard to see how the crowd cheered Jesus on one day but called for his death the next. But if we understand that these were many of the same people in this crowd who would have followed Jesus down the hill for the “Triumphal Entry”, you start to get it. A lot of them just wanted a magician.

To be blunt with you, the timeline of all of this is more than a bit messy. Although each gospel mentions this account, the day and anointing don’t always appear to line up (though the main thrust of the story is intact). John’s telling of the story relies heavily (as his whole gospel does) on the comparative organization of stories. In John one story mirrors another and sets up the structure for his Gospel.

Luke, however, seems to present a more focused chronological order of events like a historian would. In any case, John states that the day is six days before Passover. However, it is worth noting that the Romans believed the day began at midnight. The Greek day started at dawn, which was the practical start of the day. But the Hebrew reckoning of the start of the day was sunset because night came first and then the day in the story of creation. In other words, it’s hard to tell what version of “day” and “night” the authors are always using because they are attempting to write for diverse audiences.

The Dinner

Now, Jesus is having dinner with Lazarus also called “the one he loved.” This is the second time we’ve had an account of these three siblings (Marth, Mary, and Lazarus). Dinner with Lazarus and his sisters seems to have been on March 28th in 33 AD according to John’s timeline. “Palm Sunday” would then be the 29^th that year. In Matthew’s gospel this may also be the Habdalah service at the end of the Sabbath. But again, it’s rather difficult to sus out. In either case, it appears to be a rather large group from some of the hints we are given. In other words it is a party of sorts.

Just like in the previous story of Mary and Martha, while Mary is giving affection to Jesus, Martha is working hard to serve her guests. If you don’t happen to remember that story, I’ll do a quick recap. In it, Mary takes the job of washing Jesus’ feet with water as people would do for guests at the time. But Mary becomes distracted by his teaching and begins listening intently. All the while Martha is working hard. The text says Martha is “doing very many things” and picking up the slack. When Martha complains, Jesus lovingly uses her name twice “Martha, Martha” as was a custom of affection and let her know that it’s good for her sister to sit listening to him.

Now at this point, far too many preachers will tell the congregation that the point of the story is to be a Mary and not a Martha. But this is not terribly fair, to be honest. Martha is also said in the text to be (de-ok-a-neh-oh) for “serving”. This word is also the basis for the word Deacon in the church. In other words, what she is doing is the work of the Church. Martha’s service is no less important than her sisters’. It’s just different. Worship and Service go together like peas and carrots.

The Oil and the Funeral

Similarly, to the previous story, Jesus and Lazarus are described as reclining at the table while Martha is hard at work and Mary once more can be found at the feet of Jesus. But this time is very odd. And it’s very dark. John’s language recalls not a banquet party but a funeral wake.

Mary goes to Jesus’ feet and pours half a litre of rare spikenard perfume made from a flower that grows atop the high mountains in northern India. It was hard to get. It is described as being “undiluted” or pure. At the time these jars were alabaster and sealed at the top. The only way to open one was to break the neck of the bottle.

In the passage, it says that she “anointed” his feet with the perfume but of course anointing is done to the head of a person and not the feet. Anointings were done on the head before parties or on the heads of kings at coronations. But there is one time when people poured oil on a person’s feet. They did it during the burial preparations where they began with the feet and worked their way up the body to the head.

John’s telling of the story is far darker than a first reading might suggest. In his telling Mary breaks the neck of the jar and begins preparing Jesus’ body for burial.

But it gets weirder.

Next, she undoes her hair and wipes his feet dry with her hair.

Now you have to understand the culture a bit here. Jewish women Never unbound their hair in public. Women untied their hair if they were undressing for a groom, at the time of bathing and then just for one other reason. Can you guess what that is?

They would also, as a sign of grief, and only within the home, untie their hair during the period of mourning. This is a very venerable and very embarrassing event. But then again it seems as if Mary may have assumed what others had not yet deduced – that Jesus himself, would soon enough be dead.

The Objection / The Poor

In response to this extravagant act of love. Judas protested that the perfume could have been sold and used the money to help the poor. And at first glance, his objection seems not only fair but also very fitting being that Bethany is the site of its very own house of almsgiving. He’s not exactly wrong. Though we know, there is more to the story. The year’s salary this perfume was worth, wouldn’t have all made its way to the poor. Judas it seems was stealing a share of everything that came through.

Jesus’ response to Judas seems a little uncaring at first. He said, “You will always have the poor.” But in truth, this is a quote. It comes from Deuteronomy 15:11 where we’re being reminded that our duty will always include care for the poor. Jesus’ comment isn’t that it must be one or the other. He is embracing both kinds of gifts of service: Both Mary’s kind and Martha’s kind.

Then once more John overshadows the scene with his very specific recollection of the words. Jesus responds to Judas with “let her loose” often translated as “leave her alone.” This is interesting for two reasons. 1) Because it supposes she is still pouring the perfume. And 2) Because this is also a quote. Here Jesus is quoting himself. These are the exact words he used when he told the crowd to unwrap the body of Lazarus from his burial dressing (to let him loose). Here John’s dark story has a ray of light – for the reader is given a little reminder that the dead can live again and that Jesus frees people.

In these verses, Jesus did not think that Mary’s gift was wasteful, but a loving act of adoration. And what it tells us of Judas is just the opposite. What we learn of him is that if Judas cannot get his hands on the three hundred denarii, he will soon sell Jesus for just thirty.

So what?

Now it’s at this point I might normally attempt to explain to you what this story might mean for us today.

I might argue that it’s about spending quality time with Jesus and not just doing acts of service. I might say it’s about being extravagant with your love and devotion.

But in truth, I don’t want to do that. And I’m long-winded today.

Instead, I hope that you might take some time this week to read through the full easter story and ask what this story means to you rather than just hearing me talk.

In other words… Get your own blanket.

Song: Mys song is love unknown (220)

We respond to serve God: Our time of giving

Reflection on giving: Dayspring is empowered to carry out our mission of worship, service, and care by generously given volunteer time, talent, and treasure. Many thanks to all who give so generously!

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, we thank you for the gift of each new day and pray you will open our eyes to recognize what is truly new.

Thank you for all those things which make ordinary days meaningful and provide us with your new mercies in surprising ways:

For encouraging phone calls, letters and emails that arrive just when we need them,
For interruptions in our plans which open us up to your larger purposes,
For mistakes and failures that turn into new opportunities,
For the healing and renewal which happen even while we sleep.
Today we pray for those who need your help to see your hand at work among us:
We pray for those who are out of work or cannot work and find time heavy on their hands.

Help them to find meaningful activity to fill their hours: