Guest Preacher Christopher Heitkamp delivers a sermon to St. Paul's for Sunday, March 11, 2007

I have good news the king is not dead. In fact after spending a week in Las Vegas I am certain the king has been cloned. This is where I say April’s fool.

I would never consider Elvis Presley a king, but I am willing to give him credit for shaking up the music scene some fifty years ago with his songs, style and gyrating hips.

There are some people who have attempted to compare Elvis with Jesus.

Consider these connections:
Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor.” Elvis said, “Don’t be cruel.”
Jesus is part of the Trinity. Elvis’ first band was a trio.
Jesus walked on water. Elvis surfed.
Jesus is the Lamb of God. Elvis had mutton-chop sideburns.
Jesus is alive. Elvis is ... alive?

But I don’t want to go there … even if it is April Fools’ Day!

Reports that Elvis is alive are as preposterous as the discovery of Jesus’ bones along with his wife’s and son’s.

Today’s passage from Luke contains the Palm Sunday procession of Jesus the King who to use the words of an Elvis song left Jerusalem “all shook up.”

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.”

The Palm Sunday story begs me to ask the question if Jesus was to ride into Milltown today would He bring salvation or slaughter; reconciliation or revenge; peace or a sword?

As Jesus approached Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday it was hard to tell what Jesus was going to do. Some hoped he would drive out the Romans, and rescue the Jews from oppression. Others longed for him to push out the corrupt King Herod, and become God’s own king — the Messiah!

Palm Sunday reminds us of the truth of God’s word,

“Your ways are not my ways.”

Jesus clearly had a different agenda. Jesus’ way was to fulfill the words of the prophet Zechariah,

“Lo, your king comes to you humble and riding on a colt,
the foal of a donkey”
(Zechariah 9:9).

Jesus’ way was to show the crowd humility, instead of arrogance. Jesus’ way was to be a bearer of peace instead of violence that is the reason for the donkey. If He had wanted to take down the Romans, he most certainly would have entered on a war horse. Jesus desired to bring reconciliation, not revenge.

Jesus also sent the message that his entrance wasn’t human but divine. When the disciples went into the village in search of the colt they found that everything was supernaturally scripted and perfectly prepared. When the owner of the donkey asked,

“Why are you untying the colt?” the disciples replied,
“The Lord needs it.” This simple answer sealed the deal
(Luke 19:31).

When Jesus rode along, people spontaneously spread their cloaks on the road, showing their awe and acclamation. At the same time, the whole multitude of the disciples grasped the divine dimension of the moment, and they began to praise God for all the deeds of power that they have seen (vv. 37-38). What began as an ordinary parade for a king ended as an extraordinary procession for the Messiah.

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
shout the disciples.
“Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
(v. 38)

Of course, not all is peaceful in the city of Jerusalem. The Pharisees are all shook up, right along with the people who are spreading cloaks and singing praises. “Teacher, order your disciples to stop,” scolded some of the Pharisees. And Jesus, knew that His kingship was beyond human control, answered them, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out” (vv. 39-40). Jesus knew that His kingship was divine, and that God would assemble a cheering crowd to welcome his king — even if he had to use the stones of the city streets.

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
shout the disciples.
“Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
(v. 38)

What is the full impact of this day Palm Sunday? What does it mean for us to live as followers of Jesus the Messiah?

I am not a lover of Elvis, but perhaps a line from his song describes what the full impact of Palm Sunday should be to us. The line I refer to is “I’m in love. I’m all shook up.”

When we follow our divine king Jesus, we are making this move out of love — not obligation. It’s entirely voluntary, like any connection of the heart. We follow Jesus because we find ourselves intensely attracted to his mission and his message, deeply drawn to his work of salvation, reconciliation, and peace. Jesus is the generous and forgiving Messiah who enters Jerusalem and sacrifices his life for us.

Following Jesus as the Messiah means that we’re going to be “all shook up.” As Disciples of Christ, we’re going to find ourselves out of sync with a world that lives by the sword, dies by the sword, and is all-too-comfortable with forces such as aggression and revenge.

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you”
(Luke 6:27-28)

This approach to life doesn’t necessarily fit the highly competitive and conflict-driven world we live in, whether we work in business, politics, education, or the military.

There is a huge benefit to following Jesus, especially if we don’t mind being “all shook up” — when we walk behind Jesus, we become more clear about where we should stand as Christians. To be a Christian is to be about Christ, listening to Jesus, judging ourselves by him, asking for grace to see him more clearly, follow him more nearly, and love him more dearly, day by day.

Jesus comes to us as a king, and gives us clarity about what it means to be a Christian. He loves us, he invites us to love him, and he challenges us to focus on salvation, reconciliation and peace. It’s a life worth living even when it makes us feel “all shook up.”

Reverend Richard Hayes Weyer