The Stones Would Shout

The disciples and those who followed them in the first several centuries, the ones who formulated the statement we call the Apostles' Creed, knew that it is significant that we tell the story of Jesus' Passion to one another.

It is an outrageous and yet wonderful claim; that God cares about us so much that he is willing to go through the worst of what we can do to one another and the worst of what death attempts against us.

Luther expressed the wonder in his explanation of the Creed:

Jesus...true God...true man...is my Lord.

...he has saved and redeemed me...

...with his...precious blood...that I may be his own....

Each of us, just like each of the characters in the passion story are faced with a decision: How will you react when faced with the Son of the Living God?

Let's name some of the possibilities:

fear or awe, distrust or trust,

anger or joy, silence or acclamation.

In the pairs of responses, there is not room for ambivalence; there is no fence upon which one can try to perch, or corner in which to hide.

When Jesus says, “Come, follow me,” one either does or does not.

There is no middle, neutral ground.

Every inch of creation is claimed by God, and every inch is also counter-claimed by Satan.

It is a struggle we cannot avoid.

Each of us will have a god, Luther reminds us in his catechetical teachings.

The question is will it be the Lord God Almighty, or something less?

Do we trust the word of the Lord Jesus as it comes to us in Holy Scripture, and mediated through the long tradition of the church, or are we on the lookout for something easier, less demanding, and more fun?

At the Processional Gospel today, the Pharisees urge Jesus to silence the multitude who are singing “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Jesus' response is, “If these people were silent, the stones would cry out!”

The truth must be proclaimed.

The truth will be proclaimed somehow; by nature itself if the personal messengers are silenced!

That is how important the message is.

That is how determined Jesus is that the message shall be publicly proclaimed.

The stones will sing.

For a number of reasons, the church is not doing well in Europe.

Many church buildings are little more than museums, great piles of moldering stone, maybe kept up, maybe not.

It was Sunday morning in Cadiz, Spain, several years ago, and Katy and I went walking

We decided to visit some of these 400 year-old buildings.

I expected to see only a few grey-haired ladies scattered around, as I had in many other places.

But in several places, when we pushed open the heavy, solid door, we found a crowded nave and full-voiced singing.

The old stones were not just sitting there, but were sheltering a lively congregation in song.

Just when one thinks that the church is dead, it springs up in new life.

Just when it looks as though Jesus is defeated by death, there is resurrection.

Remember the prophet's words from last Sunday: Behold, I am doing a new thing, says the Lord, can you not perceive it?

Let us tell the story again and again, the story of the mystery of God's love, the story of death and resurrection, the story which calls together all who will listen.

And the whole of creation will at length resonate with the song that moves between two words,

hosanna = save Lord

alleluia = praise God

between prayer and praise.

Let brick and stone, glass and wood, and every bit of God's creation be joined with us in song:

Hosanna, Alleluia. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.