April 1, 2007

Serve by Ruling or Rule by Serving?

by Rev. Dr. Jim Carlson

Luke 19:28-40

Opening Illustration - A Portuguese group campaigning for safe roads has asked the Vatican to ensure that a priest who owns a souped-up Ford Fiesta "resist the temptations of speed."
Father Antonio Rodrigues, Portugal's only owner of a 150-horse-power Ford Fiesta 2000 ST, has boasted of his car's rapid acceleration to 130 miles per hour and "thanked God" for never being fined, the Association of Motorist Citizens said in a letter to the Pope.
"I am no speed freak," a newspaper quoted Rodrigues as saying Monday. "I have a car that I like but I drive with prudence."
The association's letter cited the priest as saying he uses the car to take youngsters for spins and to zip around to "arrive on time to the three parish churches."
"We ask Your Holiness to help this unfortunate priest to ponder the gravity of his acts and the immodesty of his words and to resist the temptations of speed and boasting," the letter to the Pope said.
All I have to say is I want to hear this guy talk about Jesus plodding along on a donkey all the way to Jerusalem.

What car would Jesus drive? No one knows? Maybe we do.

Palm Sunday story in Luke – End of long trip.

Tell Story

Tendency to speak of this story in terms of invasion.

Real purpose of Jesus’ entry is to begin reign of peace. (Slide) Peace quotations

Two Lessons from this passage

Good things happen when you believe in those whom society has rejected.

We must not allow our agenda as a church to be dictated by other churches.

Reign of Peace is not accomplished through violence – but through sacrifice. Show on NPR discussing Iraq. Sometimes you have to clear out the temples to usher it in. Fights in Milwaukee caught on camera.

Dr. King’s opposition to the Vietnam War - (Slide)

As we prepare ourselves for Holy Week, I want to challenge you to think about peace. Today we know what makes for peace. I pray that we all have the courage to hope for it and the persistence to work for it.