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3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³ for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

If you have travelled for work or vacation, you could have taken a ride in an airplane.  You probably have also packed a bag or bags with clothes, a toothbrush or even equipment necessary to finish your job.  But those luggage bags don’t sit with you on the airplane, they are placed into the hold underneath the airplane.  The luggage goes with you on your trip, but it is placed and kept in the hold with all the other luggage.  When you transfer to another plane, the luggage goes with you.  You cannot see the luggage, but the luggage is in the hold of the plane (most of the time).

Perhaps then we can understand the idea of being hidden in Christ.  If the plane takes off, the luggage takes off with the plane.  If the plane lands, the luggage lands with the plane.  If we are hidden in Christ, like luggage in the plane, then we have been raised with Christ and seated with him at the right hand of God.  We are the luggage hidden in Christ and Christ has been raised and seated in the highest heavens; and we are where he is: above.

But the whole point Paul is trying to make to the Colossians is that if we have been raised and seated with Christ above, then we should be seeking and setting our minds on above things and not below things.  Things like passion, lust and greed are the things below and things like compassion, kindness, humility, and patience are the things above.  Since we have been hidden in Christ above, we should pay attention to above things and let go of the things below. 

But Paul reminds them and us that the only reason we can do these things, is not because of our ability to be moral or because of our commitment to being good.  The only reason this transformation is possible is because the “sinner” in us has died and the “saint” in us has been resurrected.  Only because we are hidden in Christ can we even answer the call for the things above and avoid the things below.  This isn’t an achievement we push hard for, nor a success or accomplishment of our wills and strengths.  This is the gift from God to us, something we receive and not achieve.

But the more important element is that we are now hidden with Christ.  Christ will be revealed and us with him, but now who we are is hidden in Christ.  This quite simply means that we must wait, and we must wait a long time, suffering until we get there.  We will be revealed along with Christ, but now we are hidden in Christ.  And this is a good thing, because it means that every hour of every day, every season of trial and difficulty, every period of spiritual drought and physical infirmities, we are surrounded by Jesus Christ.  Even while we must deal and suffer with and from the things below, we are also surrounded by the grace and power of Jesus Christ.  Even when surrounded by difficult crisis and difficult people, we are hidden in Christ, we are safe and secure in Him.

But if our only comfort in this world is that God has hidden us in Jesus Christ, then as disciples we must learn that we have already died to sin and have been resurrected to God.  The challenge of the Gospel is that we can live a new life, here and now.  The life of Christ now lives in us his body.  We can live in humility, forgiveness, and justice.  This is who we are because we have been hidden in Christ; let us let it out of us and share it with those around us.  If God has hidden us in Christ, then let us live Christ-like lives, because God can do so, we can do so.  Amen. 

Matthew 21 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ ⁴ This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, ⁵ ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you,   humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷ they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ ¹⁰ When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ ¹¹ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

My first car was the family Mustard Yellow Chevette with Bright Red vinyl interior.  Please don’t misunderstand me, I was grateful at sixteen to have a car to drive to school, work, and play.  Many young people my age were not able to have a car; so, I was thankful to have a car.  But, the bright yellow color of the Chevette stood out among all the other cars in the school parking lot.  While some were driving more expensive, cooler cars, I was driving a humble one and at times ashamed to claim it as mine.

Perhaps then we can understand the story of Palm Sunday a little more when we realize the significance of Jesus riding a donkey.  When armies return to the capital city to celebrate the victories of conquest, the general rides in on a chariot or perhaps a warhorse.  Jesus is riding a donkey.  Donkeys were beasts of burden, to carry supplies from place to place.  They were neither glorious like the highly decorated chariots nor imposing like the finest horses bred for war.  Jesus enters Jerusalem in humility.

But the significance of Palm Sunday lies not just in the donkey but in the armies he leads.  Jesus does not enter with the Roman Legions, or the Greek Hoplites, or Persian Immortals, or Scythian Cavalry.  Jesus enters Jerusalem with crowds of people, perhaps too poor to throw flowers, so they cut branches from the trees and place them on the road.  They throw their cloaks, perhaps not able to afford cloth.  Jesus leads a victory parade of poor, weak, and ordinary people, shouting Hosanna or “save us.” Not an army coming in victory or conquest, but crowds of people needing freedom and power.  Jesus enters Jerusalem in humility.

But of all the details we are familiar with this story, the most important is that the crowds believe Jesus to be the Son of David.  Now David was the great king of Israel after God’s own heart.  To be a Son of David is to be a blood descendent and heir to the throne of David.  The crowds believe Jesus to be King, protector, provider and shepherd of the people; and he is.  But he arrives on a donkey, among an army of needy people, to save and deliver, to be crowned with thorns and to ascend to a tree as a throne.  Jesus enters to be coronated as king: in humility.

And here is what scandals us; we stumble over that humility.  Thankful for a savior, but why did it have to be a donkey and not a Abrams Tank?  Grateful for mercy, but why an army of needy, poor people and not an army of Marines?  Appreciative for grace and freedom, but why a Cross for a Throne?  Not a Son of Man and Son of God that we can be proud of, but one that comes in humility to destroy the power of vanity and arrogance.  This is why the world and many people cannot accept Jesus as King and Lord, because He does not dominate, conquer, or compete.  He is dominated, destroyed in total Crucified failure.  And that makes all the difference in the world.  Jesus enters in humility to serve and by this obedience creation is forgiven and all things can now be made new.

Friends, as we once again hear the story of Holy Week, may we look at the story through a new perspective.  Not a piece of our history to be ashamed of as a Mustard Yellow Chevette with Bright Red interior.  Not a scandal to hide and be ashamed of, but as the one perfect act of the one perfect person to procure our freedom and our life.  Let us not be ashamed of the Crucified Jesus, but let us come to bear witness in public of His Cross and His Victory: in humility.  Amen. 

Psalm 121
Assurance of God’s Protection
A Song of Ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
    from where will my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ He who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time on and for evermore.

When you live in the country, you must drive to get anywhere.  On one particular trip to the grocery store, about a 30 minute drive away, the battery light came on my Ford Explorer.  The light meant that the alternator had stopped working and our battery was going to slowly die.  But I did not know this at the time.  After calling my mechanic, who informed me of my dead alternator and soon to be dead battery, I drove my Explorer to his garage with just enough power in the battery to coast into the parking lot.  He was able to replace the alternator and battery and get us back on the road.

Just as I needed help with my car while making the journey to town for groceries, so too did the pilgrims of Israel need help to make the journey to Jerusalem for the great festivals.  Psalm 121 is a Song of Ascents, what the pilgrims sing while climbing the hills and mountains to God’s sanctuary. For many the first verse is quite familiar and begins, I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?  Driving a car for any distance brings risks associated with making that journey, make the journey to Jerusalem also brings risks associated with such a pilgrimage: bandits, injury, exhaustion.  Our Psalm begins with pilgrims making such a journey and lifting their eyes to the Sanctuary of God enshrined in the hills of Judea for the help necessary to complete such a journey.

We too are pilgrims, but our pilgrimage is far different then the pilgrims of Israel three thousand years ago.  They had to make the journey through the environments surrounding Jerusalem, but our journey is not through space but instead through time.  Our journey is not about miles or meters, but instead about days and seasons.  Just as your car can break down on such a journey from city to city, so too can we break down on such a journey from today to tomorrow and from year to year.  We can find ourselves needing help from a broken alternator.

But the psalmist reminds us of where our help truly comes from; My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  God is with us not just with mercy and steadfast love, but because our God is YHWH, who made heaven and earth, God is with us with power.  Power to create out of nothing, power to bring order by subduing chaos, power to bring life out nothingness.  This is why the Psalmist looks to the hills on their journey, this is why we look to God on our daily journeys.  God is not only with us, but God is for us, with omnipotence, that cannot be rivalled or overcome by bandit or crisis.

This is why the Psalmist speaks of he will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  And the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  For the pilgrim is protected by YHWH, who keeps and protects the pilgrim making such a journey.  And if God keeps us, who can bring threat or injury upon us?  If God does not sleep in protecting us, then what opportunity exists for someone to bring ruin against us?  To lead calamity or catastrophe upon the pilgrims of God, the bandit or crisis must be able to overcome God; and who can overwhelm the one who can create out of nothing?

So, friends, as we find ourselves in the season of Lent, the season of Jesus’ pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  Let us be reminded of our daily pilgrimage in time.  As the Psalmist who found their journey under the protection of God, let us remember that our journeys fall under the grace and protection of the same God.  And if we are kept by God, we can finish our journeys, faithfully.  If God does not slumber, we can keep travelling.  If we can look up to the hills, then we can understand that our help comes from God.  If we can understand that God is our help, then nothing can stop us from finishing our journeys, in faith.  And if nothing can move us, we can keep going, we can keep faith.  We can reach the destination, because the Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and for evermore.  Amen.