April 2, 2023, Palm Sunday
Luke 19:29-48
Introduction
Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week which will lead to a meal in the upper room, a garden of prayer that became the site of betrayal. We will see Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. We will be invited into terrifying despair. Until early in the morning on the third day when, ultimately, we get to the grand celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and the gift of new life. There is both meaning and purpose deeply entrenched in this day and the days to come.
Palm Sunday and Holy Week also means we are nearing the end of this wilderness wandering we have been doing for the past month where we have faced many realities of our lives and spirits—confronted by them—and shown how our faith leads us, and empowers us to say…in spite of a narrow mindset, no matter how deeply we hunger, whether or not we really want to be healed, even though we limp, and even if we have forgotten, in spite of all of that wilderness struggle we are able to say, “And still we rise.”
We can say, “And still we rise” because what this wilderness wandering has been about is the transformation that comes from taking such an intentional journey into our selves, into the places we don’t want to go and face, into the part of our lives we have made uncomfortably comfortable.
The season of Lent helps us recognize we are able to rise up from all manner of struggles, challenges, and conformities that keep us down or stuck in a place we don’t want to be. But getting to a place where we are able to faithful say, “And still we rise” was never the goal of Lent. Rather getting to a place where we are able to faithful say, “And still we rise” gets us to a place of understanding more clearly—not the meaning or the goal of Lent—but more importantly the purpose of Lent. Because here’s the critical piece we need to remember… we don’t rise up because of meaning or because we accomplished a goal. We rise for a purpose.
But before we can rise for a purpose we have to answer the question, “What is my purpose?”
Move 1
When Jesus entered Jerusalem in the manner he did, the hope and expectation of the Disciples and supporters of Jesus was that he was coming not just as rabbi, teacher, healer, but as the king they had been waiting for—the conquering king who would rid their land of the oppressive Roman empire and restore Israel to its rightful place.
And so they are shouting and singing, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” which is from Psalm 118. Psalm 118 was originally used in Israel as a hymn of the royal entry into the city during the annual ritual of the re-enthronement of a king— it would have been like an annual presidential inauguration. In Israel, the king was the one who had been anointed by God. All of this had the Disciples, and the people, convinced the goal—the dream—was finally being accomplished.
And why not be excited? Reaching a goal, seeing your hard work pay off and become an accomplishment is certainly reason to be excited. But what the follower of Jesus has to learn is that accomplishing a goal and living out your purpose—though conceptually tethered in our minds— have two very different outcomes—and only one empowers us to say, faithfully, “And still we rise.”
Move 2
Upon accomplishing a lifelong goal, tennis legend Andrei Agassi soon learned doing so was not what he expected. He worked and strove for years and years to become better and better to reach the goals he sent. One of them was to win the men’s singles championship at Wimbledon. His drive to accomplish his goals led him to eventually become the world number one men’s tennis player—which you might think would lead to great joy. But it was quite the opposite for Agassi.
In his autobiography Agassi tells that when he was the world number one tennis player he was desperately unhappy, saying “Despite being good at tennis, I had a deep resentment and hatred for the game. I felt nothing. Every day is groundhog day—wondering what’s the point?”
Agassi was at the top of his game, but yet once there he was languishing and drifting, he was in the wind, he was confused, and all of it led to despair because now that he had accomplished his goal the game changed. There was no longer an intentional pursuit. Now it was just maintenance and trying to hold on. Agassi had conflated his goal with his purpose. And by doing so all meaning of accomplishing his goal became meaningless.
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Purpose is not synonymous with what the world sees in front of you. Purpose is entirely internally driven. Which means the answer to the question “What is my purpose?” is not something we can crowd source, it’s not something we can turn to someone and ask them to tell us what our purpose here is. It is an internal quest. And not until we realize this, and begin to ask ourselves “Who am I? “What direction is God calling me?” “What is my purpose?” will reveal itself to us and become actionable.
Move 3
When relationships or situations change, even when goals are accomplished, we are left wondering what is going to come next—what am I going to do now? And if we don’t know what’s coming next or what we will now do, what can come are feelings of languishing, self-doubt, even despair. This is what happened to Andre Agassi when he reached the pinnacle of his career.
Graduation, retirement, moving and starting new, loss of a loved one, becoming the number one tennis player in the world … these are transition points. And often transition points leave us languishing because the transition has changed us, it has redefined us. And consequently, we’re in the wind, and it’s confusing, and there is a lack of control because no longer is there that goal we were striving to achieve. Which can lead us to fall into despair.
Which is why in times of languishing, or uncertainty, or confusion, or lacking control— if we are going to successfully rise up we need to know, and believe in, our purpose. Knowing and believing in our purpose is the game changer when we are in despair.
*******
On that first Palm Sunday, the Disciples and all the followers of Jesus don’t know it yet, but they are about to experience a level of despair unlike any they have ever, or would ever, know. And among the reasons why is because their ministry was focused on achieving a goal. But Jesus was always focused on his purpose— the same purpose he had from the very beginning of his ministry when he was baptized in the Jordan by John.
And that purpose was to come and share and show the Good News—that through him everything was going to change. That because of him, everyone—everyone—would be able to say, no matter what… “And still we rise.”
Move 4
In our culture today, there’s so much talk about goals. Goals are thought of as intentions that can be accomplished and therefore will give meaning. Purpose, however, is about intentionality striving for a life aim—which is always ahead of you.
Andre Agassi met his goal, but he ended up languishing in hatred for the game. But that’s not the end of his story. When he felt himself languishing, he rose up and approached tennis differently. He realized people were coming to watch him play, and by playing he was giving others joy. From there Agassi started to see himself as a role model. He had found his purpose and began taking ownership of that purpose.
Agassi writes, “Ownership of this purpose meant feeling grateful for being, and having the chance to start over. Climbing out of the hole I had dug was when I started choosing to believe that each of us have a plan for our life, a purpose to fulfill, a body of work to create, a reason to be.”
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Living with purpose is not a goal to be achieved. Yes, purpose can informs goals, but if we have only goals—what happens after our goals are accomplished?
Entering Jerusalem as they did was the goal for the Disciples and for the people shouting Hosanna! They believed Jesus was riding into Jerusalem to fulfill the prophesy. But Jesus entered Jerusalem for his purpose. He knew what he was going there to do—and it had nothing to do with the goals of the Disciples or fulfilling prophecy. Jesus’ purpose was to continue shining as the light of the world while saving the world.
Conclusion
Rising up can’t just be a goal—it can’t be simply what we are trying to achieve. So often we confuse “living a life with meaning” with “living a life with purpose.” But they are two very different ways of life. Having and living a life with meaning equates to looking backward. “I have meaning in my life because I was able to achieve goals and accomplish X, Y, and Z.”
Now there is nothing wrong or unfaithful to embrace meaning in your life. Accomplishments, achieving goals is amazing. But they are still a look backward at what we have done. And once done, if there is no next, we can easily and quickly fall into that place where we are languishing with uncertainty, confusion, and lack of control. But having purpose is exceedingly different. Having purpose equates to looking forward. “I have purpose in my life, therefore I need to rise up because there is something still ahead of me, calling me to do it, be it, share it, offer it.”
Eventually the Disciples figure this out. Through the upper room, the garden, betrayal, arrest, denials, crucifixions, terrifying despair, and bewilderment of an empty tomb… they discover their purpose. It was a long, long wilderness walk, that required them to broaden their narrow mindset; satiate a deep spiritual hunger; answer “yes” to Jesus; continue to walk in his ways even though they limped and would forget what God could do.
So let us ask ourselves… What is my purpose? Because Palm Sunday doesn’t end the wilderness wandering. Rather it starts a whole new one. Palm Sunday reveals to us we walk with purpose. And because of the purpose we have find in this season, anything that knocks us down—even death—will only empower us to say, “And still we rise.” Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, April 2, 2023, Palm Sunday
Holy God, it is Holy week—the most sacred days of the Christian year. It is near the time of the Passover, and we are making our way to Jerusalem with your Son. As he has been doing all along, he teaches and converses with those who are following him—including those who are sinners like tax collectors and harlots, those who are unsure, those who doubt, those who have forgotten, and even those who in just a matter of days will be shouting “Crucify Him!”
We can look back on this day and see its meaning. In fact we can, and should do such, for the meaning of this day is important to our faith and to understanding the critical piece of why we follow you and your son…because this important day is not about achieving a goal, rather it is about discovering again purpose.
And that is what we long for, and what we have come here for, and why we will traverse along side Jesus in the days to come—even to the cross. Because we want to know again not just meaning of that which has happened, but also the purpose for what lies ahead.
Meaning and purpose are conceptually tethered in our minds, but they are undoubtedly two incredibly different ways of being. Meaning is making sense of the world as it has happened. But purpose is not about comprehending what has happened but rather is about aspiring to, and intending to accomplish what is ahead of us.
And what is always ahead of us is sharing and living the Good News of your Son Jesus. So set this purpose deep within our hearts, deep within this church, and never let us forget that with you we can, and will, rise up for your purpose.
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Hear now we ask, the prayers of our hearts, shared and lifted up in this time of Holy Silence.
All this we pray in the name of Hosanna, the king of kings, the blessed one who comes in the name of the Lord, Jesus the Messiah, who taught us to pray saying, “Our…”