Raising A Righteous Ruckus

This Palm Sunday is a bit different.
 
Normally…
 
There’s loud trumpet music.
There’s a palm procession with kids waving palm branches.
Some little kid hits the other in the face with the branch.
There’s not a lot of room to sit down in church.
The church is packed full of people.
The ushers set up the extra chairs in the back.
 
And I’m amped up on 5 cups of coffee.
 
Today. It’s a bit different. (I’m still amped up on 5 cups of coffee, but…it’s a bit quieter.)
 
How do we celebrate Palm Sunday when we are so far apart?
How do you raise a righteous ruckus in a Quarantined Neighborhood?
Why would you raise a righteous ruckus in a quarantined neighborhood?
 
Today we’re going to hear from God’s Word for the answers. Before we begin, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth. Your Word is the truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see; open our ears to hear what you want us to hear; and open our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen.
 
I. The Original Ruckus
 
The story of the very first Palm Sunday starts n Matthew 21. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Immediately you will find a donkey tied there along with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” (v.1-3)
 
Take note of their plans. Jesus knew exactly what would happen. And keep in mind. Jesus couldn’t text the owner of the donkey to see if it’s ok. He couldn’t send him an email. He didn’t even set up a ZOOM account. Jesus simply knew. He knew where the donkey was and that the owners would lend it to him.
 
And he wants to ride on a Donkey. You and I might picture a king coming to his city on a white stallion or on a muscular black beauty. Even Aladdin, when he came to Agrabah as Prince Ali, he rode on the back of an elephant.
 
Jesus came on a donkey.
 
Small.
Stubborn.
Dirty.
Making obnoxious noises.
 
Why?
 
The text Scripture tells us by quoting another part of Scripture:
 
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: (v.4)
Look, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9b)
 
And Jesus was their king!
And unlike any other king in history:
 
He wasn’t riding to Jerusalem in order to make the history books.
He wasn’t riding with the express purpose of trending in Twitter.
He wasn’t riding in order to take over Caesar’s throne and become ruler of the Roman empire!
 
He was riding…to die.
He was riding…to serve.
He was riding…for you.
 
Jesus riding into Jerusalem was a part of a prophecy over 400 years in the making.
But that’s not all the prophecy said:
 
Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! (v.9a)
 
Because in Ancient Jerusalem, Jesus was something like a local celebrity.
 
He had taught with wisdom.
He had befriended the lowly.
He had silenced the Pharisees.
He had done miracle after miracle:
He had healed the sick.
He had made a man who was paralyzed to walk.
He had driven out demons.
he had walked on water.
He had stopped storms.
he had fed over 5000 people with a few loaves of bread.
He had raised the dead.
 
When people heard Jesus was coming, there were filled with excitement.
 
Scripture says that a very large crowd gathered.
 
You ever been in downtown Raleigh for one of their parades? Over on Fayetteville street? It can be tough to navigate. It’s like the opposite of social distancing. You bump into people on your right. You try to avoid people on your left. You have to watch out for that little kid that is twirling one of those light up spinny toys in front of you.
 
That’s the crowd on Palm Sunday.
It isn’t just family gathering.
It isn’t just neighborhood barbecue.
It’s a full-blown parade!
 
And the people begin spreading their clothing on road… (v.8b)
 
This is something that still happens today. Usually at the Oscars. What do the celebrities walk on? A red carpet. No one wants any dirt or bugs to get on their Armani shoes. (They take a couple thousand just to clean.)
 
The people didn’t have a red carpet.
So, they welcomed Jesus by laying on the ground whatever they had:
 
Coats.
Jackets.
Sweaters.
Shawls.
Hoodies.
Even Unicorn Onesies.
 
Whatever they were wearing, they took it off so that Jesus’ donkey could walk on it.
 
And they began cutting branches from the trees.
Locally, these were Palm trees. So, think of this – Someone ran to their garden shed, grabbed some kind of machete, and began chopping down palm branches for them to walk upon. It’s like photosynthetic version of a red carpet.
 
But there’s more.
The Palm branch? It was the ancient symbol for victory.
 
Jesus didn’t have any victory yet.
The people were simply anticipating it.
 
The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed kept shouting,
Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest! (Matthew 21:9)
 
Hosanna is a Hebrew phrase.
It simply means, “Save us.”
 
Since they were shouting it at Jesus?
They were implying that he was their Savior.
 
II. Reason for a Righteous Ruckus
 
I don’t know exactly how y’all have been feeling lately.
But maybe you’ve been searching for a Savior.
And if you’re feeling lousy, you might find your Savior in a variety of places:
 
Hosanna, Coronavirus graph! Save me! Give me some hope that the social distancing is working.
Hosanna, Netflix! Save me! Save me from my stress and help me get lost in your plot devices and episodic storytelling.
Hosanna, bottle of booze. Save me! Make all my fears go away.
 
But…
 
Do you remember that prophecy from Zechariah?
The one that says:
 
Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! (v.9a)
 
At first, this a message for genealogical Jews.
Jerusalem was the capital of Israel.
Zion was another name for Jerusalem.
 
That means this is a direct call for the people the people that saw Jesus riding into town on a donkey to shout his praises!
 
But Scripture later says this:
It is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as his descendants. (Romans 9:8)
 
Did you catch it?
God’s children used to be a phrase that referred to genealogical Jews.
But now? God’s children are those who received God’s promises…by faith.
 
That means you are Jerusalem.
You are Zion.
 
You are the one that God is calling to REJOICE!
To SHOUT Hosanna.
To say, “Jesus Save us!”
 
Why raise a righteous ruckus? Here’s some reasons:
 
(1) The King is YOUR King.
 
“Look! Your King is coming to you.” (Zech. 9:9)
 
Every time there’s an election there’s a collection of memes and tweets that come out that say, “Not my president.” It happened for our last president, it happened for our current president, and it will happen for our next president.
 
Honestly, there’s some truth to that statement. Because it isn’t as if any president ever said, “Everything I do, all the laws I make, all the meeting that I attend, I will do so with YOU in mind Phil Kiecker. My presidency is dedicated to you.”
 
Nope.
 
But that is the case with Jesus!
Jesus is YOUR king, if ever there was one.
He knows you.
He knows your fears.
He knows your anxieties.
He knows your struggles.
He knows your guilt.
And he was riding into Jerusalem on that donkey to do something for you.
 
(2) The King is Righteous!
 
We’ve seen it a lot lately. Leadership in our state and country as asking for some grace during COVID-19.
The rationale? Leader are people too. They aren’t perfect. They make mistakes.
I echo that sentiment. Thanks for your forgiveness as we navigate the crisis. We’ll probably make some mistakes on the way. We’re human.
 
But here’s the things about Jesus.
He doesn’t ask for your forgiveness.
Because he doesn’t need it.
 
Jesus is NOT some bumbling, stumbling, mistake-making, error-prone human being. He didn’t mess up at all.
 
He is righteous (Zech. 9:9)
 
His plan was perfect.
His plan is perfect.
His plan will be perfect!
 
(3) The King brings Salvation
 
In this time of isolation, it is so every exciting to get a delivery. Usually, it’s my dog Clay that bounces up and down with excitement, but now I’m feeling the same way:
 
Is it my pizza?
Is it a shipment of toilet paper?
Is it an autographed photo of Ted Danson from Cheers that I ordered on my phone last night at 3am?
 
When Jesus shows up, look at what he brings:
He…brings salvation. (Zech. 9:9)
 
Salvation means saving.
 
Saving from sin.
Saving from guilt.
Saving from shame.
Saving from fear.
Saving from sadness.
Saving from death itself.
 
Saving to a place where there isn’t social distancing, where there isn’t a need for hand sanitizer, where no one dies.
 
Saving to heaven.
Saving to eternal life.
Saving to His kingdom.
 
(4) The King is Humble.
 
You might expect a king like this to show up very brazenly.
To kick off his boots.
To throw down his sword.
To put his feet up on the table and grab a giant turkey leg:
 
“Y’all should be thankful I am here.”
“You’d be lost without me.”
“Grab me a beer and I’ll get to saving you sometime tomorrow.”
 
Not Jesus.
He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (v.9b)
 
“Don’t worry. I am here.”
“And let me get to work.”
“I need to suffer.
“I need to be arrested.”
“I need to be falsely convicted.”
“I need to be crucified.”
“I need to die.”
“Humbly.”
“Next to criminals.”
 
“It’s a tragic end.”
“But…”
 
“When this happens to me?”
 
You will be saved.
 
III. How to Make a Ruckus in a Quarantined Neighborhood
 
So…
I know we’re all separated.
But…
 
God still calls us to raise a righteous ruckus.
He has given us good reason to raise a righteous ruckus.
The only question is how to do it.
 
I think there are some tips from the OG Palm Sunday crowd.
 
(1) With Your Families
 
On that first Palm Sunday, it wasn’t just “the adults” who were making this ruckus. There were kids there too.
 
In fact, that’s why the Pharisees were so mad. They could handle adults following Jesus. That felt like there choice…even if it was stupid.
But kids!?! Kids were young. Kids were impressionable. Kids could be brainwashed!
 
In fact, it’s just a little bit later that week that they confront Jesus:
“Teacher, do you hear what they are saying?” Stop them! (v.16)
 
Yes,” Jesus told them, “Have you never read:
From the lips of little children and nursing babies
you have prepared praise?” (v.17)
 
In other words:
 
Yes. Kids do believe what you tell them.
So…Tell them the truth.
Tell them about Jesus.
 
And I feel for you parents.
You’re getting emails every day filled with resources and things you should be doing for your kids during the pandemic.
 
You better teach them math.
You better hook them up to this LIVE violin lesson.
You better.
 
I don’t even have kids in my home, yet I received an email yesterday telling me to remember to stock up on Organic Brussel Sprouts during the pandemic.
 
I’m sorry. Brussel Sprouts are the last things on my mind.
 
But it’s a real deal.
All these stores telling you what to do with your kids.
It can make you feel overwhelmed.
 
Jesus says this.
Don’t be overwhelmed.
Just tell them about me.
 
Because I’m the one thing that lasts forever.
 
Today here’s what you can do.
 
Cut out some of the Palms.
Wave them up and down.
Blast some of the worship music.
Blast some kids worship songs.
Teach them what Hosanna means.
Teach them that we say it to Jesus.
Then, challenge them to see who can shout it the longest, the loudest, and the most boisterous!
 
Throughout this coming Holy Week – you have a chance to make it like Jesus unlike any other time in your life.
Through devotions.
Through Bible readings.
Through prayer.
Through family worship.
Through whatever way you can think of to teach your kids about Jesus.
 
Raise a righteous ruckus in your family.
 
(2) In Your Neighborhood
 
Because wouldn’t have happened if people had not passed on the word to others that Jesus was here.
It wouldn’t have happened if people had not shouted loudly enough for their neighbors to hear.
 
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, asking, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (v.10-11)
 
What should you do? Go outside and bang pots and pans?
Probably not.
 
But you could take advantage of the conversations you have.
 
The truth is that you might not have a lot of interactions each day.
Take advantage of them.
 
Whether the conversation is….
 
Over the phone or over the fence.
Over the counter or over the computer.
Over a text message or over the property lines.
 
Take advantage of conversation to steer your neighbors towards Jesus.
 
In fact,
 
Here’s a way to get two sermon “What Nows” with one stone.
Get together as a family – with your children– and think about unique ways you might share Jesus in your neighborhood.
 
That’s raising a righteous ruckus in your family and in your neighborhood.
 
Unless, the way you plan on doing it is through the internet….
Because then you’re killing three WHAT NOWs at once.
 
(3) On the Internet
 
The crowds were pretty ingenious.
They grabbed their cloaks.
When they ran out of cloaks, they tossed down branches.
They used whatever was available to them to give Jesus glory.
 
Friends, we need to do the same.
We need to use whatever is available to us to Plant Jesus in North Raleigh.
 
Right now?
It’s email.
It’s Facebook messenger.
It’s Instagram.
It’s YouTube.
It’s Zoom.
It’s the internet.
 
Here’s how you can help:
 
Invite others to Come and See
 
This is our best chance to get people to hear the message of Easter. Because think about it:
 
One of the main reasons that Easter worship is so populated is because people come together to worship as a family.
Without that family invitation…they’ll probably sleep in.
 
Invite them.
Have your family join you.
 
You can do this on Facebook. You can hold a watch party for our Sunday service. Then, you can interact with others in your family as you attend online worship.
 
In fact, here’s a simple way.
 
Today is Palm Sunday. We are planning a Palm Processional Challenge. It’s as simple as this.
Use some of the links to this worship page in order to help you make your own palm branches.
Video record your family waving the branches or take a photo.
Then, post online with a message pointing people to Jesus!
 
It’s that simple.
 
Go and Tell.
 
Because now more than ever we may need to do more than simply invite others to come learn about Jesus.
But to actually bring the teaching of Jesus to them.
 
Do the same.
You know someone who is struggling.
You know someone who is fearful.
You know someone in need of the Gospel.
 
Share it.
Tell them that Jesus died.
Tell them that Jesus rose.
Tell them that in Jesus there is VICTORY.
 
In fact, look at verse 12 of Zechariah 9.
 
I will bend Judah as my bow, and I will load it with Ephraim. (v.12)
 
Remember that Judah can often be understood to be believers.
Spiritual Israel.
 
God says that you are his bow and arrow.
He loads you into weapon.
He takes aim.
He sets you to fly.
 
This Easter who are you aimed at?
Who are the people who need hope?
How will God work through you to bring them the message of Jesus?
 
Raise a righteous ruckus.