Sermon: “What Happens When Jesus Shows Up” One of the vital missions of this congregation – for many years now – is to participate in leadership training for the whole church by working with seminary students from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary – those studying to become pastors. During my 14 years here we have worked 11 students – maybe 12 – I lose count sometimes – who have had their field education training right here at Beulah. Today most all of them are serving in churches as pastors or counselors. Two weeks ago was the Festival of Theology at the seminary, when many alumni show up for their class reunions. This year I saw Bill Morris and Bev Brock - students from some years back. Shannon Meacham was there, along with her baby Maggie. These are all pastors, serving in churches today – all of them preaching right about now. Bev Brock showed me a picture of Peter Smith and his family – Peter is serving now in his second church in Virginia – and Leslie Latham, serving in still snowy upstate New York. Most of the rest are serving in churches today – and we have high hopes for our current student, Beth Hilkerbaumer. So this vital mission of Beulah church continues on – and I am very glad that we are still doing this good work. One of the things I try to communicate to seminary students is how much of a pastors work involves simply “showing up” for work. I usually say it like this: “Half of this job is just showing up.” It is important that pastors show up - obviously on Sunday morning, and to show up at the hospital bed, even in the middle of the night – to show up in the homes of church members – to show up in the study or the office to meet with people – and show up at the various meetings and events within the life of a local congregation – all of this showing up is vital in a pastor’s work. This I think is also true for the rest of us, in our various jobs and occupations, and as students in school. Today of course a number of folks are able to work from their homes, what with computers and emails, telephone and video conferencing. Some of you are doing this very thing. But surely for everyone there are times when you yourself have to show up. There are times you have to be there, in the flesh, to do the work – there to teach the class, to learn in the class – to clean the floor, type the memo, make the sale, fix the machine, plan the event, treat the patient, meet the client – and even preach the sermon. A video-conference sermon probably wouldn’t work so well. Maybe for some it would – because then you could just turn me off. I’ll consult with the worship committee first on this. Today on this Palm / Passion Sunday it is Jesus himself who shows up. For the crowds who gathered around him that day it looked like he was showing up for work. Jesus is making this very public entry into the holy city of Jerusalem – fulfilling what Matthew tells us in the prophecy from Zechariah, in the Old Testament – arriving like the new king – but a humble one – riding on a donkey. Reading the rest of that prophecy, we learn that this new king was to bring a new reign of peace “over all nations – from the River – the River Euphrates – to the ends of the earth.” The people got so excited about Jesus showing up for work that they gave him the red carpet treatment – putting their own cloaks on the dusty road – and spreading and waving palm branches – a symbol of victory and triumph. And they shouted words from Psalm 118 – proclaiming Jesus as the son of David – “Hosanna in the Highest – here our new king is coming to rule.” When Jesus shows up – people get excited. But not everyone. When Jesus shows up, some other folks get mad, and upset, and scared. Matthew says “the whole city was in turmoil.” Then Jesus shows up in the Temple – out in the Lobby of the church. And he overturns the money changes and those selling doves for the ritual sacrifices (all with a nice profit margin, of course). Jesus shows up in church, and he causes a near riot. Others who were there, when they heard Jesus had shown up – they brought the sick and the blind. They’d heard about Jesus showing up to heal people, and Matthew tells us that Jesus healed many who were blind and lame. Jesus shows up – and the Temple authorities – the chief priests and the scribes -those in cahoots with the occupying Roman military – those who were comfortably in charge - those told by the Romans to keep the peace - they see “amazing things” Jesus was doing. They here “the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David” - and they become angry and indignant. They confront Jesus – wishing for all the world that he had not shown up today: “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus replies, “O yes – they are the mouths of infants and nursing babies crying out in praise.” And then Jesus leaves – back to Bethany – but as we all know, there is much more to come during this Holy Week – when Jesus shows up again and again – and is finally dealt with – or so some people thought. Look at what happened today – just in this one day – the Palm Sunday day – here in the first 17 verses of Matthew chapter 21 - when Jesus shows up? Excitement – parades – and turmoil. Words of praise – “Hosannas” – “Blessed be” - healing and comfort for the blind and lame - and anger. Amazing things – and a near riot in the Lobby of the church. All of this happened when Jesus showed up. This morning I want to say to you and to myself that all of this still happens, when Jesus shows up. And some of it we like – we like it a whole lot. And some of it we don’t like at all. Someone, somewhere, coined a clever turn of phrase along these lines. I’ve heard it before – maybe you have too. I’ve heart it about Jesus, God, about the church, and worship – and especially about preaching. And it works for all of these. But today I think it works for Jesus. For today, when shows up – Jesus comforts the afflicted – and he afflicts the comfortable. Did you get that? That what Jesus did – on Palm Sunday. And that’s what Jesus does today. Jesus comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comfortable. Now most of the time we are very thankful – I am most thankful – that Jesus shows up – to comfort the afflicted. When Jesus shows up – through me and through you – in the Bible, in the worship, in our prayers, through a prayer comforter – I am thankful for the comfort that Jesus offers me and all of us when we are afflicted. As you know we have had a whole lot of folks in the hospital of late – most are home now, but still struggling. These are the afflicted – and I am privileged – our Deacons are privileged – and we are all privileged to show up to offer a measure of comfort. Whether we show up personally - or in phone calls or cards and notes – or even when we show up in our prayers for these folks – this is all a huge measure of comfort to those good folks who these days are burdened and afflicted. And like the rest of us, when my life is troubled, when I feel afflicted and overwhelmed and out of sorts - I certainly benefit from the comfort that comes through all of you, and through this faith that we all share. I like the truth expressed in Psalm 30 – “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” I have known – and I trust at some level all of us have known the comfort that Jesus gives – the comfort that our faith provides, when we are afflicted. But like those in-charge chief priests and scribes in the Temple on that Palm Sunday – and like those comfortable others looking out of their windows, seeing that wild palm-waving parade – I do not like it when Jesus shows up to afflict my comfortable life. Unless you have been really been under a rock these days, you know this is a very political season – and an historic election. And matters of faith and religion are prominent – as really they always have been in American politics. Some say that religion and politics are not supposed to mix – and they best not come up in polite conversation – and certainly not from the pulpit. Then Jesus shows up, and reminds us in so many places in the gospels how our politics and our faith had darn well better mix a bit – how our faith should certainly play a role in our politics – and our participation in matters of community and state and nation and world. We’d rather Jesus not afflict our comfortable and polite balance of such things. And I’m sure you have noticed, there is likely a recession out there. Yesterday I paid $104 dollars to fill two cars with gas. Money is tight. And I am thinking I might not have enough $$ at the end of the month to make my church pledge. And then Jesus shows up – and through the scriptures reminds me to give, and it will be returned – to care for others, even as I care for myself and my family – to stand on the promise of God, which Paul articulates in 2 Corinthians – a verse I read every day, there under the plexli-glass on my desk: “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 Where in your life and in mine – where are we afflicted? It is right there that Jesus can and does bring comfort. And where in our lives are we so comfortable, so at ease, so complacent that we may be separated from what Jesus would have us to do – or be living other that Jesus would have us live? It is there that Jesus brings a measure of affliction – to make us stop and think – to maybe trip us up a bit – in order that our actions and attitudes may be more in line with the faithful discipleship Jesus calls us to live out. May Jesus comfort us – and may Jesus afflict us – as need be. And all God’s people said – Amen.
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