Old South Sermons:

Script(ure)

by Quinn G. Caldwell, Associate Minister

Mark 11: 1-11

April 5, 2009 Palm Sunday

Listen to this sermon

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Will you pray for me? Lord may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

He wanted to write her a love note.

He wanted to tell her that the tiny little scar on her chin-

the one she had gotten when she was six and tripped

and fell against the coffee table—

he wanted to tell her that that scar was the loveliest thing he had ever seen,

and he thought about it night and day.

He wanted to write her a love note.

He wanted to tell her that the way she spoke made him wise,

and the way she smelled made him dizzy,

and the way she looked at him made him ready to die.

He wanted to write her a lovely thing.

He could have printed it in block letters,

or typed it on his laptop.

But he wanted it to be beautiful,

as lovely as she was,

as lovely as he felt.

He wanted to write her a love note,

and he wanted it to be beautiful writing

and so he wrote it out in script.

[pause]

Another scene, another place:

The news was bad, the doctor said,

and the disease was far along,

but not as bad as it could have been,

not as bad as it might have been,

not so bad that they couldn’t bring him back from the edge.

In another time, the doctor said,

there would have been nothing for it but to wait.

In another place, the doctor said,

death would have been his end.

But we, we have the technology, she said,

we have the knowledge,

the power, and the medicine.

We know what’s good for what ails you,

she said, and you will not die.

“Get this filled at the pharmacy,” she said.

and she handed him a script.

[pause]

Another scene, another place:

Learn it as soon as you can, he said.

Learn it as soon as you can.

Know what to do, and when.

Know what to say, and when.

Know what you want the audience to feel, and why.

Learn it as soon as you can, he said.

Rehearsals start next week,

we open in three months.

Learn it as soon as you can, he said,

and the director handed them the script.

[pause]

Now, some will tell you that Palm Sunday was an accident,

unrehearsed, unplanned,

spontaneous and glorious.

Some will tell you that Jesus just happened to find a colt

whose owners just happened to let them take it,

That Jesus just happened to come from the East,

to just the right city at just the right time.

Some will tell you that when people saw him coming,

they just happened to start doing the same thing

and shouting the same thing

all at exactly the same time..

Some will tell you that—

I will tell you no such thing.

For there’s only one way

I can explain what happened.

How there was a donkey right there waiting

just like the old kings rode,

just as they said the new king would ride

and why its owners would let those strangers take it.

One way to explain them riding in from the East,

from the Mount of Olives,

the place where Zechariah said

God was going to show up

and start the world over.

And one way to explain the cloaks on the ground

and the branches from far away

in the hands of the people.

There’s only one way I can explain all of that,

and it’s this:

Palm Sunday was no accident.

Palm Sunday was a quotation.

Palm Sunday was a quotation

by a man who knew his Scripture.

Palm Sunday was planned,

was Jesus reading out

and living out

and acting out

the Scripture

for a world that needed to hear it.

You see, Jesus knew that for the love note he wanted to write,

block lettering wouldn’t do.

For the love note he wanted to write

to a world God loves,

only beautiful writing would do,

only script would do for his love note,

only Scripture would do for his big quotation.

You see, Jesus knew that the news about the world was not good,

that the disease that we have is far along,

and that without some help, death will be our end.

But Jesus knew where there is power and medicine,

something out there that is good for what ails us,

and so on Palm Sunday, he filled the doctor’s script,

he quoted the Scripture,

and the world began to heal.

You see, Jesus knew that all the world’s a stage,

and all the world’s an audience,

and God is watching the show.

Jesus knew that’s it’s harder to ad-lib

than to learn the blocking and the lines,

Jesus knew that most of us are not very good

at improvisation,

and so he learned the script.

And so he learned the Scripture.

When he wanted them to know about a reign of love

and a reign of peace

and a reign of mercy

instead of a reign of terror,

when he wanted them to know

that God, not Caesar

God, not the clergy,

God, not the institution

God, not the tradition

would rule the world

didn’t he plan it

to look just like his Bible said it would?

When he wanted them to know that God was on her way,

and the realm of God was about to begin,

and death was not our end,

that the world didn’t have to go down to ruin

that the future could be better than the present

that even when things are at their worst,

people can be their best

didn’t he quote the Scripture with his body

didn’t he make a parade

that was ragged and majestic

glorious, incongruous, uproarious, victorious,

and wasn’t it a vision of God

taken straight from the Scriptures?

And didn’t the people know just what to do?

Hadn’t the people read the script as well?

And when he came riding up,

didn’t they know just what to sing:

the song of the pilgrims

the song of the Passover

the song of a royal ascent

didn’t they know just which Psalm to quote?

And didn’t the powerful ones know it, too?

Didn’t they know just what he was quoting,

and just what he was saying,

and just who he was saying it for, and against?

And wasn’t that the beginning of his end?

And wasn’t that the beginning of our beginning?

[pause]

The holiest week ever

begins right here, with this parade,

with this procession, with this quotation,

the beginning of the end, the beginning of the beginning.

Before it’s over,

we too will quote the Scripture with our bodies

with our preparations,

with our plans.

Before it’s over,

we will remember the supper

and turn out the lights

and raise up the crosses

and crucify God,

and be reborn,

and our end will end,

and our beginning will begin

and we will be saved in the knowledge of the Scripture.

And you will go out into that world

into that street

into your work

into your home,

and you will find a world

in need of a script

in every sense of the word.

A world that needs to hear

about God on a donkey,

about hosannas and blessedness,

about love notes and antidotes

and stage directions,

and it will be your job

with your words and your body

and your whole self

to make the quotation.

[pause]

Sisters and brothers, here’s what Jon Geldert knows

here’s what Annamarie Ross Shu knows

here’s what Jesus knew,

here’s what all you who have read the Gospels this Lent know:

There are some truths that are too good,

some love so big

some grace so wide

some sacrifice so deep

that block printing just won’t do.

When it comes to God’s love for us

we need beautiful writing;

which is why we need the Scripture.

Here’s what we know:

There are illnesses in the world

that can bring us down to death.

There is sickness in the world

that only God can heal

and the experts wanted us to know where to find the cure,

and so they wrote the Scripture.

Here’s what we know:

There is a great drama afoot

and you have a role to play

and marks to hit and cues to give

and lines that somebody is desperate

for you to deliver,

and God is in the audience,

hoping to be moved and delighted,

which is why we have the Scripture.

Hosanna,

Amen.

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