Palm Sunday Praises Likened to the Fall of the Berlin Wall
A few years ago there was a pastor visiting the U.S. He had lived in what had been East Germany - from the region of Thuringen, Germany. He spoke to us about November 9th 1989 - and important date in the history of Germany - the day that the Berlin wall fell.
You might remember that day, but when it actually happened, it came as a shock to everyone. It was not a “planned” or “scheduled” event.
In early 1989 the churches were filled. They were full because the church was the only alternative to the state. Oh, the state secret service - the Stasi - had infiltrated the church as well. Some leaders were actually Stasi agents, or reported to the Stasi.
The church was the center of peace meetings. These were somewhat supported by the state, because it was good publicity for them in the West - even though the government didn’t like all that happened at these meetings.
The date was November 9th, 1989. There was a huge meeting taking place. It was a worship service. The order for service was scripture reading then sermon then a chance for anyone who wanted to come to the microphone and speak and then of course they closed with prayer. This was the simple order of service.
Pastor Christian, and yes that is his real name, had the duty of leading the closing prayer.
There were 2,000 people in the church. That was a huge crowd. But there were another 5,000 outside, listening on speaker placed outside the building. 7,000 people in all. Overcrowding the streets for a church peace rally. But, as Pastor Christian said, few were there for the spiritual ministry of the church.
A woman came into the building. She was all excited. It was November 9th, 1989. It was the time in the service for people to come to the microphone.
She couldn’t get to the mike, because of all the people. But she did speak. She shouted from the door that she had come in. The wall had fallen. East Germany was now free.
There was dead silence - but only for a moment. The people started to stomp their feet. That is what they do for applause. There was joy and shouting.
Ten minutes later - when the sound subsided - Christian and the other pastors realized that the 5,000 people outside hadn’t heard the announcement. The woman hadn’t gotten to the mike, and wasn’t heard outside.
So the announcement was repeated. There was 10 more minutes of foot stomping and shouting outside.
In the back of some people’s minds they were wondering if it was a set-up by the Stasi - the secret police - in order to flush out the people they could put in prison. That had happened before – in Hungery in 1956. The Russians had used just such a thing to bring the dissidents to the surface so they could imprison them.
But the party went on. People were going crazy. Freedom! When they heard it on the radio, even those with doubts no longer had doubts.
This was like a Palm Sunday for them.
The faithful followers of Jesus knew in the back of their minds that the vast majority of the people were not there for the spiritual ministry of Christ, but were there for other reasons. Remember, in East Germany, the church was the only real alternative to the state for anything.
Pastor Christian said the closing prayer. It was joyous and triumphant. And then after the service he stood in the empty square. People had come. They had heard the Word of God. But had they really heard?
They came - but at what cost?
Yes, there was some fear of the state. But it was more of a discomfort than a real threat. They knew of no prison camps with torture for believing - in East Germany. Yes, each communist country was different. In East Germany it was more nebulous than that. There was little or no cost in coming.
Pastor Christian thought of how the Word of God had been spoken - but was not heard by most.
There were 7,000 celebrating…stomping their feel and shouting.
As I said, this was a Palm Sunday experience for them. They had shouts of praise, but it was weak praise. There was no depth of faith to it.
It was praise - but only for what is in it for me. It was weak, because many were there only as a response to a restrictive, vacuous state.
It wasn’t the Christian church they came for, but Jesus the revolutionary. They wanted Jesus the revolutionary, the one who would fill their wants. They wanted Jesus - the one different from the state.
Those shouting Hosanna were of weak praise, like the gospel reading today.
The churches in Thuringen are now empty. Pastor Christian then quoted the second century church fathers that said, "The seeds of the church is the blood of the martyrs." He spoke of the Soviet Union, and how the church had grown there…the underground church.
But East Germany had no martyrs in their persecution. It was a slow and stifling oppression. There was weak praise in Thuringen. Loud voices, yes, but weak hearts. The praise of waving palms.
From a sermon by Wally Seibel, The Three Praises of Holy Week, 3/23/2010