Weird Sunday Series

Title: Weird Sunday

Text: Matthew 21:1-11

Thesis: As followers of Christ we honor him by submitting to his absolute authority and bow to his sovereign rule in all things.

Introduction

Show YouTube Clip

Marionettes: No More Wires! Direct TV Commercial

I am with the guy whose response to the irony of this scenario was to think, “This is weird!” Then, in trying to find some kind of normalcy in the weirdness, stammered, “Not weird!”

When I think of something being weird I am thinking unnatural or strange or odd or interesting in a quirky kind of way.

Did you know that the Jedi Church, a Star Wars spin-off religion) is the most popular alternative religion in England and Wales? There are more Jedi Knights there than there are Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics, Heathens and Scientologists. The Jedi Church believes that there is one all powerful force that binds all things in the universe together. The Jedi religion believes there is something innate inside every one of us and that our sense of morality is innate. So quiet your mind and listen to the force within you! The Jedi Church web site states: All Welcome. The Jedi Church recognizes that there is one all powerful force that binds all things in the universe together, and accepts all races and species from all over the universe as potential members of the religion. Join the Jedi Church today!

While the Jedi Church seems off the wall to us… a closer look at Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday has its own kind of weirdness… Palm Sunday poses a weirdness or out of the ordinariness that compels us to rethink our relationship to Christ.

If Jesus Christ be King then… then what? What does that mean to us some 2,000 years removed from that event? Is this simply an historical event or is this happening fraught with implications for all those who would follow Christ even today?

The primary implication for all who follow Christ is that we submit to his authority.

I. We submit to his authority

“Tell the people, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey… riding a donkey’s colt.’” Matthew 21:5

This Gospel account cites the Old Testament prophecy from Zechariah 9:9-10, “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt.”

The whole idea of anyone riding on a donkey is weird… and even more so when it is the King.

In the old Clint Eastwood and Shirley McClain western, Two Mules for Sister Sue, Sister Sue is a cigar smoking, whiskey drinking nun who rides a donkey. While Clint Eastwood leads the way on his big sturdy, manly mans mount, Sister Sue trails along behind gently switching the rump of the donkey with a stick to keep it moving.

Here in Colorado the Cripple Creek community maintains a herd of donkeys, some who are purportedly direct descendants of the donkeys who worked the Cripple Creek Gold Mine back in the day. Today the donkeys roam freely throughout the hills, streets, neighborhoods and even downtown Cripple Creek. They are quite the amusement.

A few years ago the city fathers seized upon the idea of having an Annual Donkey Derby the last week in June as a tourist attraction. They even have a Donkey Derby Track south of town. Donkey riding races did not pan out so now they just lead the donkeys through a series of obstacles.

Donkeys are not exactly the ideal conveyance… Donkeys are cute and amusing and but mostly a novelty to us. So the idea of a King riding a donkey is somewhat like a Head of State riding in a Yugo

Time Magazine named the 1985 Yugo one the 50 worst cars built in the last 50 years. It is said that the Yugo cars back windows were heated so you could keep your hands warm while you pushed them

According to Wiki people, the motorcade for the President of the United States comprises twenty to thirty vehicles; in addition to the president, the motorcade may carry his spouse, members of the press, security, White House officials, and VIP guests. The major members travel in armored vehicles, typically specially configured limousines. The motorcade contains several armored vehicles, a USSS Electronic Countermeasures Suburban, a counter-assault team, and Secret Service agents. When called for, a hazardous materials team precedes the motorcade on alert for potential hazards. A police presence precedes the beginning of the presidential motorcade to clear traffic.

Some may get a kick out of seeing our President riding on a donkey but it is hardly presidential.

Yet in that day a King who came in peace rode a donkey… not a war horse but a donkey. And the people honored the King who rode a donkey by throwing their garments on the roadway so the hooves of the King’s donkey did not touch the dirt.