Calling All Angels

Palm Sunday, Year A
Leif Kehrwald

Listen to the recording, or read the text below.
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As we contemplate the passion and death of Jesus, how are we supposed to feel? How are we to respond to all this? How do we get through it? How does this go?
 
Brings to mind the refrain of a song by Jane Siberry:
Calling all angels, calling all angels
Walk me through this one, don't leave me alone
Calling all angels, calling all angels
We're tryin', we're hopin' but we're not sure how . . .

​Today marks the beginning of the journey toward the end and beyond. And we do it all in just one week. What a week it’s going to be!
 
A lot happens between now and next Sunday. From the crowds cheering as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to the crowds jeering at Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, Holy Week is a case study in how quickly public opinion can change and influence events. We celebrate Jesus’ somewhat tongue-in-cheek triumphal entry into Jerusalem, then the Seder Meal remembering the Great Passover from OT times, then the Last Supper, the Agony in the Garden, Jesus’ crucifixion and death on a cross, . . . and then the vigil, the wait, and finally we discover the tomb is empty! What a week it’s going to be!
 
Ask any Christian why Jesus died on the cross, and you’ll hear some version of “to save us from our sins.” Fact is, Matthew is the only gospel account that, in Jesus’ words over the cup at the Last Supper, interprets his death as forgiveness of sins, “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (26.28).
 
But if you read Matthew carefully – all of Matthew – you begin to see that interpreting his death as a one-time sacrifice of atonement is a bit too simplistic and misses the mark. Rather, we are saved by living a life of forgiving love and teaching his way of forgiveness to others. This is the life that Jesus lived! This is the life that saves.
 
Our gospel story today gives us two contrasting examples. Essentially, we can either be like Judas or be like Peter.
 
Sooner or later each of us falls short, and we betray those whom we love and those who love us, usually in small ways and sometimes in very big ways. And, sooner or later a loved one falls short and betrays us. At those moments, amidst the pain, confusion, and heartache we must choose either for or against forgiving, either for or against being forgiven.
 
Peter had the strength to choose for . . . Judas did not. Let us pray to live a life of forgiving love so that when the moment of betrayal occurs, whether we are perpetrator or victim, we can be like Peter.
 
The story of Jesus’ passion and death has social implications that are also linked to forgiveness. Jesus lived and taught forgiveness as a means of breaking cycles of violence, breaking the pattern of widespread betrayal of whole peoples. His death, while violent, was a definitive statement that all are entitled to a life of love and being loved, a life of wholeness.
 
But I must confess that I feel I’m a fraud peaching these words to you. My life is charmed. I have never really been a victim—either personally or socially. What do I know about forgiveness when I have never had to really forgive? And I’ve never been in a position where I had to put my life on the line and take a stand. I’d like to think I would choose Peter over Judas, but, in all reality, I don’t know because I’ve never been tested.
 
Yet, I know there are some in our community who have been truly tested, who have endured real pain and darkness of betrayal, who have been victims of injustice that I can only vaguely imagine. Your presence is a witness of the life of forgiveness that Jesus lived and to which we are all called. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being among us.
 
Yes, it’s the beginning of a big week for all of us. It’s a long journey from here to the empty tomb, and there’s much to learn along the way. And so join me in . . .
Calling all angels, calling all angels
Walk me through this one, don't leave me alone
Calling all angels, calling all angels
We're tryin', we're hopin', we're hurtin', we're lovin'
We're cryin', we're callin' 'cause we're not sure how . . . this goes.