Jesus compared himself to a shepherd, one whose sheep recognized, and one who knew all the names of the ones he cared for.
Here’s a transcript:
I’m thinking about the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel (John 10:1-10). This opening section leads toward one of the better known “I am” statements in John’s book, when Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.”
Leading up to that, Jesus spoke about how sheep recognize their shepherd and how shepherds know the names of their sheep. “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus said.
Names were extraordinarily important in the ancient Middle Eastern world. Moses wanted to know God’s name. Adam gave names to the animals in the Garden of Eden. And Jesus was given a name which means salvation.
Names were important. Names still are important.
Someone who knows you is somebody who will remember your name. Somebody who values you will work to remember your name. Someone who loves you knows your name.
Jesus told those folks 2,000 years ago that he knew their names, that God knew their names. And through John, Jesus still speaks to us 2,000 years later to reassure us that God knows our names. God cares about us. God loves us.
That’s what I am thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.
We come to this story on the third Sunday of the Easter season. We’re in a “move on” kind of place. Jesus rose two weeks ago, after all. Last Sunday we heard about events a week later – that’s convenient timing, isn’t it? So we’re ready for the next part of the story.
And today, the dear editors of the Revised Common Lectionary have brought us right back to Easter morning when uncertainty, anxiety, and fear dominated the minds of Jesus’ disciples. The Rev. Barbara Messner captured it beautifully in her poem “You on the Road to Emmaus” on her BarbPoetPriest blog:
Sometimes all you can do is walk away: away from the crosses on a hill and a tomb whether empty or not, away from your failures as followers and the loss of your hope and purpose, away from overwhelming emotion, that sink hole of anger, grief and fear.
Rev. Barbara Messner
It’s worth remembering that, on Easter morning, Jesus’ closest friends didn’t expect his resurrection. The Gospel writers all report that Jesus had told them, not once but repeatedly, and that they simply didn’t get it. Every Easter account emphasizes what a deeply surprising event it was.
As we join Cleopas and his unnamed companion, they had left Jerusalem with an initial destination of Emmaus. As Katherine Shaner writes at Working Preacher, “Cleopas and his companion were likely very scared about their future. They had seen the brutality of which the Romans were capable. They were not the most immediate targets of this Roman cruelty, but they were attuned to the stories of those who were. They were probably trying to figure out what to do next.”
Emmaus probably wasn’t their ultimate goal. They may not have had one in mind. Just – get out of the city, away from the priests, away from the Romans.
Cleopas and his friend had stayed in Jerusalem long enough that morning to hear that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women (Luke wasn’t clear about how many) had found the tomb open and empty. They’d heard that two figures in white (angels?) had told the women Jesus was alive. They’d even heard that Simon Peter had visited the tomb himself, finding no angels but also no body of Jesus.
Frankly, the likeliest possibility was that the Romans had decided not to let Jesus rest in peace. Desecration of corpses was one of the options for humiliating a defeated foe or condemned rebel – which was how they regarded Jesus. Most of Jesus’ male disciples disregarded the women’s account of angels. They called it an “idle tale,” according to Luke.
All in all, Cleopas and his friend were taking the smart road away from the city where an active campaign against Jesus was likely to start taking in his followers, too.
And then they met Jesus.
Christians reading Luke have spent the last nearly two thousand years trying to understand why Jesus’ two disciples didn’t recognize him. Greg Carey offers at Working Preacher, “I find it more compelling to believe it is the disciples’ expectations that prevents their recognition. This is not the context they expected for an encounter with Jesus.” Michal Beth Dinkler writes, “What if the disciples cannot recognize Jesus because their opinions are already fully formed? Like all humans, their assumptions shape what they talk about, and what they talk about shapes what they see.”
Honestly, I’m not sure it makes a difference. Biblical writers often mention that recognizing the risen Jesus is harder than you’d think. Luke himself, in the next portion of this chapter, wrote that Jesus’ appearance to his gathered disciples terrified them. They thought he was a ghost. Mary Magdalene imagined he was a gardener. The Apostle Paul, felled to the ground by a bright light, had to ask, “Who are you, Lord?”
I think that’s our experience as well. Recognizing the risen Jesus isn’t easy. The world is complicated and quick-moving. People raise up all sorts of things as good and condemn other things as evil. There are theologies that assert that God directly commands some wars, and there are theologies that claim that God condemns all wars. There are theologies that say that wealth and power are signs of virtue, and there are theologies that say that God prefers the poor. There are theologies that say only a few will be received into God’s realm, and there are theologies that say that everyone will be welcomed into heaven.
With such a range and so many possibilities in between, how do we recognize the risen Jesus?
For hundreds of years, Christians have celebrated a triumphant Jesus. Western art has often shown Jesus trampling demons beneath his feet. John Milton’s Paradise Lost opens with an account of a mysterious Christ figure defeating the legions of Satan. The Emperor Constantine, the first to be baptized a Christian (just a few days before he died, but he was), reportedly carried a shield marked with the Chi Rho, the first two letters of Christ, into the Battle of Milvian Bridge. Later on Christian rulers and even religious leaders would go into battle bearing Christian symbols. Bishops eventually encouraged the Crusades, which brought so much death and suffering to the Middle East and poisoned relations between Muslims and Christians to this very day.
Triumphant Jesus seems very curious to me, given that he went to his death without resistance. Triumphant Jesus seems very curious to me, given that the word “triumph” appears only three times in the New Testament, and never in reference to military success. James used it to write, “Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
I think there’s a better possibility in Christ the healer. For Mark the Gospel writer, Jesus’ power to heal and willingness to heal marked him as the Anointed One. It’s worth observing again that in Mark, Jesus instructed those who had been healed to praise God for it and not himself. The point was their wellness, not Jesus’ own reputation. Far more than triumph, I think you’re more likely to find the risen Christ when healing has taken place.
Then there’s Christ the teacher. “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures,” Luke wrote. All four of the Gospel writers made sure to emphasize the power, the wisdom, and especially the truth of Jesus’ teachings. They worked to support them with Scripture, sometimes as Jesus had done, and sometimes because they’d found those Bible references themselves. As a child of a Galilean village, Jesus grew up in an environment in which proper religious practice was based on knowing the Scriptures, considering the different ways they might be interpreted, engaging in spirited discussion of different ways to act based upon them, and choosing what you do and how you live based on those learnings and conversations. Honestly, shouldn’t Cleopas and his friend have recognized him right there? That’s what they were used to. That’s what they’d been hearing Jesus do. They even wondered at how they’d missed it. “Were not our hearts burning within uswhile he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
That’s not what did it, though, was it?
Eric Barreto writes at Working Preacher, “For Luke, however, Jesus is most Jesus at a quotidian table, at an ordinary meal infused with significance because of the people gathered around the food. Jesus is there at this table but so also all the sinners and tax collectors with whom Jesus shared meals… So, it’s instructive that it’s not his teaching that open their eyes. It’s not his presence. It’s his sharing of bread with his friends. It’s his blessing of food. In this sharing of bread at an ordinary table, we catch a glimpse of Jesus’ transformative kingdom.”
The moment of recognition came when they were fed.
Our moment of recognition comes when we are fed.
Others’ moment of recognition comes when they are fed.
As Mahatma Ghandi said, “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”
I think it’s about more than the deep hunger of extreme poverty. I think that the setting of a meal, of a table, is one in which relationships get formed and strengthened – also, I grant you, it can be a place where arguments and conflicts get formed and aggravated. When we feed one another, we at least begin in a space of caring, of compassion, of love and sharing.
When Jesus broke the bread for his two not-so-observant friends that day, he broke through to their hearts. They knew their minds had been expanded. They knew their bodies would be satisfied. Now they knew also that the one who had done that was the One in whom they had hoped, alive again beyond hope, alive again beyond despair.
“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.”
May we always recognize Jesus at the table, in the breaking of the bread.
Amen.
by Eric Anderson
Watch the Recorded Sermon
Pastor Eric makes changes while preaching, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes accidentally.
The image is The Supper at Emmaus by an Anonymous Genoese painter, active in the second half of the 17th-century – Acervo de Obras de Arte Europeia em Coleções Brasileiras (Plus Ultra): info; image, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30310751.
Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.
Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, April 19, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily.
Service of Worship April 19, 2026 Third Sunday of Easter
Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.
Prelude: Berceuse-James Denton Kayleen Yuda
Lighting of the Candles
Ringing of the Bell
Welcome: Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 116:12-19) Anne Sadayasu
Leader: What shall we return to the LORD for all we have received? People: Let us lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD!
Leader: Let us pay our vows to the LORD in the presence of all people. People: Let us declare that the LORD holds us in life and in death.
Leader: Let us offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving in the presence of all people! People: Here in God’s house we will gather, sing, and pray.
All: Let us worship God!
* Hymn #255: Jesus, Sovereign, Savior (v. 1 – 3)
* Invocation (based on 1 Peter 1:17-23) Anne Sadayasu
We know the futility of much of what we do, O God. We, like those around us, pursue comforts and perishable things. Even silver and gold will eventually succumb to time. Strengthen our trust and confidence in you today, O God, for in the resurrection of Jesus we see that there is life greater than what we have experienced or imagined. Make us new again in this time of worship. Amen.
Please be seated
WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD
Anthem: O Dearest Lord, Thy Sacred Head; Were You There Len Miyazano Bob Grove Eric Anderson
Time with the Children Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Scripture: Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Anne Sadayasu
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them,
“Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
Luke 24:13-35
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,
but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.
Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”
He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.
But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.
Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”
Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!
Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.
But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight.
They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.
They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!”
Then they told what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Sermon: The Moment of Recognition Rev. Eric S. Anderson
WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
* Hymn #343: Jesus Took the Bread (v. 1-4)
Call to Offering Anne Sadayasu
We say that Jesus gave us his life, and he did. He gave us his life when he used it to teach and heal. He gave us his life when he died on the cross. He gave us his life when he rose and lived again. In response to such a gift, let us give as well. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.
Offertory: Aria-Leonardo Vinci Kayleen Yuda
* Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below Praise Him above ye heavenly host Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen
* Offertory Prayer Anne Sadayasu
We rejoice in the life of Jesus given for us, O God. We honor that life with these gifts of our own, for the further life of the world. Amen.
* Hymn #253: Yours Is the Glory, Resurrected One! (v. 1 – 3 Eng.)
March from Occasional Oratorio Instrumental| Contributors: Janet Linker, G F Handel Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890
IMPORTANT DATES
Today, April 19 – Board of Deacons Meeting after worship service
Sundays, 8:30 a.m. – Holy Cross Singers Rehearsal in the Lounge Mondays, 11:30 a.m. — Pickleball lessons; contact Connie 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com to sign up Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom Fridays, 10:00 a.m. – Bell Choir Rehearsal in the Building of Faith Meeting Room
Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon Rev. Bensis Henry Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m. Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr. The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m. Rev. Edmes Edwin
Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson Moderator Lorraine Davis Vice Moderator Elwood Kita Lay Reader Chapel Decorations Organist / Pianist Kayleen Yuda Music Director-Accompanist Bob Grove Hand Bell Director Anna Kennedy IYAA Choir Director Stuart Mori Projected Imagery Sue Smith Live Stream Director Ruth Niino-DuPonte. Bob Smith Videographers Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith, Woody Kita, Mace Peng, Cindy Debus Sound Engineer Ben Yamaki Sunday School Teacher Gloria Kobayashi Sunday School Aide Johanna Narruhn
We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.
One of the first encounters with Jesus after his resurrection took place on a road, where he fed their minds and spirits, and then at a table, where he fed their bodies. Feeding people is at the heart of Christian faith.
Here’s a transcript:
I’m thinking about a passage in the twenty-fourth chapter of Luke’s Gospel (Luke 24:13-35) that I think at least a little bit about every month in the life cycle of Church of the Holy Cross. It’s the story of Jesus’ encounter with two of his disciples on the day of his resurrection, on Easter.
He met them on a road as they were leaving Jerusalem. They walked with him. They talked with him. He explained things about his death and the reports of his resurrection that nobody at that point much understood. He sat at a table with them. He broke bread and that is when they knew who he was, that is when they recognized him.
I mention this story every time we move into celebration of the Lord’s Supper, as we come to the table of Holy Communion. Because to my mind this reality of knowing Jesus when he feeds us is central, not just to our understanding of the sacrament, but to our understanding of Christianity itself. Christianity is about seeing that people are fed, fed in body, fed in mind as he did along that road, fed in spirit, in ways that are unique to the exercise of religion in general, but also unique of course to the practice of the faith of the followers of Jesus.
We feed people and we are also fed.
Jesus fed them on a hillside miraculously with bread and fish. Jesus fed them by the lakeside with understanding and knowledge. Jesus fed them in the days after his resurrection with a Holy Spirit that has continued to guide us, inspire us, and empower us to this very day.
So come, let us be fed. Come, let us feed others on the spirit of Jesus Christ.
That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.
Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, April 12, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily.
Service of Worship April 12, 2026 Second Sunday of Easter
Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor Rev. Dr. Jonathan Roach, Guest Pastor
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.
Prelude: Fanfare –Voluntary on “Darwall’s 148th” Kayleen Yuda
Lighting of the Candles
Ringing of the Bell
Welcome: Rev. Jonathan Roach
* Call to Worship (based on 1 Peter 1:3-9) Nina Buchanan
Leader: Blessed be our God who has given us Jesus Christ! People: By God’s mercy, we have been born to a living hope in Christ’s resurrection.
Leader: This is an unfading, imperishable inheritance kept in heaven for us, People: God’s protection through faith for a salvation beyond time.
Leader: You have not seen Christ, yet you love him and believe in him. People: In this faith we raise our voices in indescribable, glorious joy!
All: Let us worship God!
* Hymn #570: We Shall Overcome (v. 1 – 4)
* Please join me in the Invocation (based on Psalm an16) Nina Buchanan
Protect us, O God, for we seek our refuge in you. Though we might seek help in other places, you alone are our chosen portion. You hold our souls. Therefore our hearts are glad and our bodies rejoice in your security. You show us the path of life, and we give thanks forevermore. Amen.
Please be seated
WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD
Anthem: Concertino for Clarinette in B Mace Peng and Kayleen Yuda
Time with the Children Rev. Jonathan Roach
Scripture: Nina Buchanan
John 20:24-29
But Thomas (who was called the Twin[a]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Sermon: Deep Wounds Rev. Jonathan Roach
WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Jonathan Roach
Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
* Hymn #553: There Is a Balm in Gilead (v. 1-3)
Call to Offering Nina Buchanan
Do not doubt, but believe, said Jesus. One of the ways we live our faith is with generosity toward our church, our neighbors, and the strangers on the far side of the world. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.
Offertory: Andante Kayleen Yuda
* Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below Praise Him above ye heavenly host Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen
* Offertory Prayer Nina Buchanan
You have given us your Spirit, O God, before we even asked. You have also give us the freedom to question and even to doubt. Accept these gifts offered from our faith, and may our faith grow as these offerings do good in the world by your guidance and grace. Amen.
* Hymn #423: Great Is Your Faithfulness (v. 1 – 3)
Sundays, 8:30 AM – Holy Cross Singers Rehearsal in the Lounge
Mondays, 11:30 AM — Pickleball lessons; contact Connie 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com to sign up.
Wednesdays, 11:00 AM– One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live
Wednesdays, 5 PM – Bible Study in Pastor’s Study and via Zoom (The meeting link and Bible references will be in the Weekly Chime)
Fridays, 10 AM – Hand Bell Choir Rehearsal in Building of Faith’s meeting room
Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon Rev. Bensis Henry Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m. Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr. The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m. Rev. Edmes Edwin
Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson Guest Pastor Rev. Dr. Jonathan Roach Moderator Lorraine Davis Vice Moderator Elwood Kita Lay Reader Nina Buchanan Chapel Decorations Michi Koizumi Organist / Pianist Kayleen Yuda Music Director-Accompanist Bob Grove Hand Bell Director Anna Kennedy IYAA Choir Director Stuart Mori Projected Imagery Sue Smith Live Stream Director Ruth Niino-DuPonte. Bob Smith Videographers Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith, Woody Kita, Mace Peng, Cindy Debus Sound Engineer Ben Yamaki Sunday School Teacher Gloria Kobayashi Sunday School Aide Johanna Narruhn
We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.
It’s very difficult to get through the day without making decisions based on assumptions. Absent any reason to believe otherwise, I assume that the sun will rise in the morning and set in the evening, and I act accordingly. I assume that gravity will hold me to the ground and that when I breathe in, I’ll take in good air. I assume that water will satisfy my thirst and that eating will satisfy my hunger.
I have to say that those assumptions have held up pretty well over the years.
There are other assumptions that I tend to check. I’ll give a sniff to the package of grated cheese in the refrigerator before I add it to anything. Lately with our rather chilly mornings I’ve been checking the temperature outside before picking up a jacket – even though I feel somewhat cold in the house. It might be warmer outside; who knows?
Then there are the things I avoid making assumptions about. When driving, I take note of people’s turn signals, but you know what? I prepare myself for other drivers to do things they haven’t signaled. It’s not very trusting, I know, but it’s helped keep me from accidents. And anyone who has watched me with my keys has seen me tap my pocket – or reach into it – before I close a door that will lock. I always put my keys in the same pocket. But do I trust them to be there?
No.
On that first Easter morning, assumptions were front and center, as is common for human beings. Most of the assumptions were completely normal ones, things that we assume as well from one day to the next.
The first assumption was so human that John didn’t bother to name it. “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb…” John didn’t mention her reason, because he didn’t have to. We mourn at graves and tombs and columbaria whether the death was recent – like Friday – or years and years ago. Look over a cemetery sometime. Look at all the floral displays. Each one marks a visit in love and grief.
Mary Magdalene went to the tomb assuming that things would be as they’d been on Friday, and that was the first assumption to give way that morning. She saw the stone had been rolled aside. For the moment, she didn’t even look inside. She ran back to the place where some of the disciples were staying. She’d made an assumption, I think: she assumed that they could do something to help. It didn’t turn out to be a good assumption. They ran out to the tomb themselves, but once they arrived, what could they do? They looked inside. They saw the discarded grave cloths. One of them believed – though it’s one of the mysteries of this text what he believed – and then…
They left. Whatever Mary Magdalene had hoped for from the two men, she didn’t get it.
She was left now with, perhaps not an assumption, but a conclusion. Something was wrong. Beyond the terrible loss of Jesus’ life, now his body had disappeared. Someone who had been cruelly put to death could not even be left to rest in peace.
She looked into the tomb for the first time that morning, and found it, not empty as I’m sure she assumed, but occupied by what John described later as two angels in white. I’m sure she assumed that they were ordinary people, because she didn’t ask them anything. She just told them why she was crying.
Then the final assumption. Outside the tomb stood another person, a male figure in the morning light. He asked her who she was looking for – an important question. As Karoline Lewis writes at Working Preacher, “This is the third time this question has appeared in the Gospel, every time asked by Jesus. They are his first words to the first disciples, with the only difference being ‘what’ instead of ‘whom’ (John 1:38). To ask this question of Mary here takes the reader back to the calling of the disciples and implies that Mary, too, is considered a disciple.”
Of course she was wrong. It wasn’t a gardener. It was Jesus. In that moment of realization, so many assumptions came crashing down. In the normal way of things, the powers of the city leadership, the priesthood, and especially the Roman Governor should have been close to absolute. If they decided to execute someone and to further humiliate him after his death, they could do it. They did do it to people over and over again.
On that Easter morning, Mary found that the normal way of things wasn’t. The normal way of things had given way to something greater. Her assumptions had to be laid aside and left behind.
As Dorothy A. Lee writes at Working Preacher, “Mary does not reach the heights of faith without a struggle. This is a characteristic feature of John’s stories, in which faith comes through layers of misunderstanding. Step-by-step, the exemplary characters of the Gospel, including Mary herself, come to a spiritual comprehension of what is happening, moving from the material to the spiritual level. In this process, matter is not dismissed or set aside. On the contrary, the material is itself the means by which God in Christ is revealed, just as the flesh of Jesus in the incarnation radiates the divine glory (1:14).”
Her assigned task – to tell Jesus’ other friends and followers that he had risen – is the reason she has been called “the apostle to the apostles” for centuries. It’s worth noting that they don’t seem to have believed her. They had to make their own journey through misunderstanding.
On this Easter Day, what assumptions can we, might we, possibly even should we leave behind?
I think we might start by building on Mary’s assumption that that Sunday morning would be like any other morning. It was a uniquely heartbreaking morning, but familiar. We begin most of our days, even the heartbreaking ones, believing that they will be more or less predictable, that while they might bring some surprises, even those unusual things will fit within our basic expectations.
Perhaps we might consider each day as a potential setting for a miracle.
In a sense, miracles happen every day. On the worst day I’ve ever lived, I have been living, and life itself is miraculous. The natural world is resplendent with beauty of sight, sound, smell, texture, and taste. Human love, expressed through conversation in person or over the ether, fills the heart. Each day is filled with miracles.
But each day is also one in which God’s uniquely overwhelming love might make itself felt – any morning, any noon, any evening, any night. At any moment, we might find our hearts moved by something that is the compassion of God, the embrace of Jesus, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. At any moment, we might find ourselves surprised to find that death does not have the power we assume, that oppressive earthly authorities do not have the last word, that sin and evil cannot stand against the power of love.
What would it have looked like if Mary had come to the tomb on a day that could have included a miracle?
She might have viewed the moved stone with wonder. She might have fetched the disciples to join her in awe. She might have recognized the angels as angels, and she might have asked them, “What has happened?” rather than continuing to assume that she knew what had happened.
Finally, she might have recognized Jesus before he said her name. She might not have shown it – even in a mind ready for a miracle, I’d have probably been speechless – but when Jesus did say her name, when he did demonstrate that she was one of his flock, whose name he knew, when he called her, I’m pretty sure she’d have done exactly what she did.
Rush to embrace him.
What would it look like for us to see each day as a potential setting for a miracle?
I’m pretty sure we’d appreciate the daily miracles better – sunrise, sunset, sea foam, birdsong, mountains, flowers, and above all else the wonders of human companionship. Those are worth celebrating.
We’re also likely to approach the sadnesses and trials of our days with more hope. Pain and sorrow are real, but in any day God might just do something to comfort them. We still have to work to make things better, but we can do so confident of God’s aid.
Most of all, we live each day prepared to say, “I have seen the Lord,” I know that my Redeemer lives, I have heard my name, I have been held in loving embrace, I have a story to tell and to share from it.
Let today be one in which you celebrate the Easter miracle, and rejoice in the life of Jesus.
Let tomorrow be one in which you anticipate new miracles, and rejoice ever and always in the life of Jesus.
Amen.
by Eric Anderson
Regrettably, the sermon was not recorded this morning.
The image is an illumination on parchment by Unknown author (ca. 1503-1504) – This image is available from the National Library of Wales. You can view this image in its original context on the NLW Catalogue, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44920216.
Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.
This service includes the celebration of Holy Communion. If you will be worshiping from home, please prepare and have ready some bread or other staple food and grape juice or another beverage for that portion of the service.
Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, April 5, 2025. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily.
Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.
Prelude: Christ the Lord is Risen Today Kayleen Yuda
Lighting of the Candles
Ringing of the Bell
Welcome Rev. Eric S. Anderson
* Call to Worship (based on Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24) Peter Braun
Leader: Give thanks to the LORD, for God is good, whose steadfast love endures forever! People: God’s steadfast love endures forever!
Leader: The LORD is my strength and my might; God has become my salvation. People: I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.
Leader: Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. People: This is the gate of the LORD, and we rejoice to enter through it.
All: Let us worship God!
* Hymn #233: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (v. 1-4)
* Invocation (based on Jeremiah 31:1-6) Peter Braun
You have loved us with an everlasting love, O God. You have been faithful to us when we in ignorance or willfulness turned away. In the resurrection of Jesus we take up our tambourines; we go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. You gave us grace in the wilderness of our spirits; you gave us renewal in the shadows of our fears. Let your love blossom and bear fruit in us, O God, as we celebrate the life of Christ that takes away the power of death. Christ is risen! Alleluia! Amen
Please be seated
WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD
Anthem: Maing Sises (Lord Jesus) IYAA
Time with the Children Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Scripture Peter Braun
Acts 10:34-43
Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness[a] is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to lookinto the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Sermon: Assumptions Rev. Eric S. Anderson
WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen
Call to Offering Peter Braun
On this day we pause with Mary Magdalene in wonder and delight at the resurrection of Christ, a life which promises new life for us all. Tomorrow, through these gifts, we set ourselves once more on the road of discipleship, bearing the love of God in word and deed. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.
Offertory: Fanfare on Easter Hymn Kayleen Yuda
* Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below Praise Him above ye heavenly host Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Amen
* Offertory Prayer Peter Braun
Set our minds on Christ, O God. Set our hearts on you. Set our souls securely in the Holy Spirit. With mind and heart and soul we offer these gifts to you, celebrating the life of Jesus, and sharing your love with all the world. Amen.
* Hymn #245: The Day of Resurrection (v. 1-3)
Please be seated
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Invitation
Consecrating the Bread and Cup
Prayer of Thanksgiving
* Hymn #230: Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain (v. 1 – 4)
The Day of Resurrection Text by John of Damascus, 8th cent. Trans. by John Mason Neale, 1862 Tune LANCASHIRE by Henry T. Smart, 1836 Public Domain
Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain Text by John of Damascus, 8th cent. Trans. John Mason Neale, 1872 Tune ST. KEVIN by Arthur S. Sullivan, 1872 Public Domain
Sundays, 8:30 a.m. – Holy Cross Singers Rehearsal in the Lounge Mondays, 11:30 a.m. — Pickleball lessons; contact Connie 808-936-7534 or Ruth at rnduponte07@gmail.com to sign up Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – One Song from Church of the Holy Cross streamed live Wednesdays, 5:00 p.m. – Bible Study in person, in Pastor’s Study or via Zoom Fridays, 10:00 a.m. – Bell Choir Rehearsal in the Building of Faith Meeting Room
Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon Rev. Bensis Henry Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m. Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr. The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m. Rev. Edmes Edwin
Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson Moderator Lorraine Davis Vice Moderator Elwood Kita Lay Reader Peter Braun Chapel Decorations Lilies* coordinated by Cynthia Debus Organist / Pianist Kayleen Yuda Music Director-Accompanist Bob Grove Guest Organist Michael Springer Hand Bell Director Anna Kennedy Hymn Leader Chandra Oshima Projected Imagery Sue Smith Web Master Ruth Niino-DuPonte Videographers Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith, Woody Kita, Mace Peng, Cindy Debus Sunday School Teacher Gloria Kobayashi Sunday School Aide Johanna Narruhn
*Thank you to everyone who donated the lovely Easter Lilies
Lillies– Beverly Dodo, Nalyn Ang, Ming and Mace Peng, Moira Tanaka. Sandra Todd, Karen Shigeoka, Gloria Kobayashi, Lois Jean Tanouye, Joyce Nakamoto, Jane Kawazoe, Tim Hanson, Kevin Reardon Altar arrangement-Laura Ota
Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of our Maundy Thursday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 6:50 PM.
This service includes the celebration of Holy Communion. If you will be worshiping from home, please prepare and have ready some bread or other staple food and grape juice or another beverage for that portion of the service.
Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Maundy Thursday, April 2, 2026. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily.
Service of Worship April 2, 2026 Maundy Thursday Holy Communion and Tenebrae
Prelude: Jesus Walked this Lonesome Valley Kayleen Yuda
Please rise if you are able
*Call to Worship
Leader: When Jesus sat at table with his friends, they gathered to recall the mighty acts of God which won the freedom of their oppressed people. People: This evening we recall the mighty acts of God which won our freedom from the oppressions of sin and death. Leader: Our Savior did not lead an exodus, or make himself a general, or guide a nation to a Promised Land. People: He gave his friends the bread and wine of Passover by which they might remember him, then walked into the shadows of betrayal and of death. Leader: This evening, let us fill our hearts with Christ, and join him at the table. People: This evening, let us fill our hearts with Christ, and join him in the shadows.
* Opening Hymn #345: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (v. 1-3)
* Please join me in the Prayer of Confession
Giver of Life, from ancient time you call us to yourself. In ways too numerous to mention, we fail to respond. Forgive us, we pray. Our limited understanding of culture gets in the way of fellowship with those different from ourselves. Our limited vision of community gets in the way of your call to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to seek justice and peace for all. Replace our arrogance, Merciful One, with the humility and caring service Jesus modeled, for truly we are not greater than our Teacher and Savior. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Please be seated
We Share the Word of God
Scripture: John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you[c] are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’
Reflection Rev. Eric Anderson
We Come to the Table of God
Anthem: Easter Carol Holy Cross Singers J. P. Thoma, flute Kayleen Yuda, organ
Holy Communion Rev. Eric Anderson, Rev. Sitau Ofoia
* Hymn #226: O Sacred Head Now Wounded (v. 1-2)
We Journey to the Shadows with God Service of Tenebrae
Lighting of the Candles
The Shadow of Betrayal: Matthew 26:20-25 Stefan Tanouye
The Shadow of Desertion: Matthew 26:31-35 Nina Buchanan
Hymn #218: Ah, Holy Jesus (v. 1-2; please remain seated)
The Agony of the Soul: Luke 22:39-44 Peter Braun
The Unshared Vigil: Mark 14:32-41 Faith Mishina
Anthem: O oe na te tagata CCCAS Choir
“Father the hour is come”: John 17:1-6 John Narruhn
“That they may all be one”: John 17:15-22 Lorraine Davis
Hymn #224: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (v. 1-2; please remain seated)
The Arrest in the Garden: John 18:1-5 Baker Autumns Taumaoe
The Shadow of the Cross: Mark 15:16-20 Gloria Kobayashi
Hymn #229 Were You There? (v. 1-2; please remain seated)
The Word was God: John Rev. Eric Anderson
The Darkness
Please join me in The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Text from the Liturgy of St. James, 4th cent. Trans. Gerard Moultrie, 1864 Tune PICARDY 17th cent. French carol Public Domain
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded Text attrib. to Bernard of Clairvaux, 12th cent. Trans. James W. Alexander, 1830 Tune PASSION CHORALE by Hans Leo Hassler, 1601 Public Domain
Ah, Holy Jesus Text by Johann Heermann, 1630 Trans. Robert Bridges, 1899 Tune HERZLIEBSTER JESU by Johann Cruger, 1640 Public Domain
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross Text by Isaac Watts, 1707 Tune HAMBURG by Lowell Mason, 1825 Public Domain
Were You There? Text and Tune: African-American spiritual Public Domain
Other Faith Groups that meet at Church of the Holy Cross The United Church of Christ, Pohnpei – Sanctuary, 12 noon Rev. Bensis Henry Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa – Sanctuary, 2:00 p.m. Rev. Sitau Ofoia, Jr. The Bedesta Church – Sanctuary, 4 p.m. Rev. Edmes Edwin
Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson Moderator Lorraine Davis Vice Moderator Elwood Kita Organist Kayleen Yuda Guest Musician J.P. Thoma Music Director – Accompanist Bob Grove Hand Bell Director Anna Kennedy Projected Imagery Sue Smith Web Master Ruth Niino-DuPonte Videographers Eric Tanouye, Bob Smith, Mace Peng, Cindy Debus, Woody Kita Sound Director Ben Yamaki Sunday School Teacher Gloria Kobayashi Sunday School Aide Johanna Narruhn
Sometimes people are glad to be wrong about their assumptions. Easter morning was like that.
Here’s a transcript:
Well, now it is Holy Week. And there is a lot to think about.
I could be thinking about the Monday Thursday text, and indeed I will be. I could be thinking about the seven last words of Jesus, which we’ll read on Friday from noon to three, and indeed I will be. At the moment, though, I am thinking about the twentieth chapter of John’s Gospel (John 20:1-18, John’s account of the discovery of the resurrection.
Most of the time we tend to say that we’re talking about the stories of the resurrection, but we’re not. In most of the Gospels, the resurrection occurs outside of anybody else’s sight or awareness. They learn about it when they come in some of the Gospels to an empty tomb, or in John’s case to a tomb where there are a couple of angelic messengers saying that Jesus is not here.
In John’s Gospel, it’s Mary Magdalene who went to the tomb. She found it empty, rushed back to the city, brought Simon Peter and the disciple that Jesus loved. They looked at the empty tomb and went away. Mary then encountered this angelic messenger whose words didn’t seem to make any impression upon her.
She realized that there was somebody else in the garden with her. She assumed it was the gardener and asked him where Jesus was.
It was, of course, Jesus.
When he said her name, “Mary,” she realized who he was and rushed to embrace him.
The discovery of the resurrection.
It strikes me that there are so many assumptions people made on that first Easter Sunday. The first and the easiest and, frankly, the one that makes the most sense, is that everybody assumed that Jesus had died — as he had — but that he continued to be dead as he hadn’t.
That would be the assumption they were most grateful to find was incorrect.
Mary ran back to the city to find Simon Peter and the disciple that Jesus loved, assuming that they could do something to help. As, of course, they could not. Mary assumed that these words she was hearing weren’t meaningful to her, as they were. Jesus [Ed. Correction: Mary] assumed that this other person moving around the garden had to be a worker and she was wrong again.
And as glad to be wrong as ever a person was glad to be wrong.
The story of the discovery of Easter, the learning of the resurrection, the realization of what had happened: doesn’t it say something to us about the assumptions that we make about the world? How likely is it that the things that we firmly believe turn out to be wrong?
Perhaps the world is a more wondrous and miraculous place than we have let ourselves imagine.
Is not the world one in which Jesus of Nazareth lives again?
Happy Easter to you.
That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.
As Jesus rode the donkey – maybe two donkeys, according to Matthew – into Jerusalem, the crowds gathered and shouted. They quoted Psalm 118, a song of thanksgiving and, quite possibly, related to an ancient religious procession from the city entrance to the area of the Temple at the city’s summit. They also called “Hosannah to the Son of David!”
That was a pretty bold thing to say.
As D. Mark Davis writes at LeftBehindAndLovingIt, “The word “Hosanna” is only found in the entry stories of the NT. The Greek term Ὡσαννὰ [Hosanna] seems to be a transliteration of the Hebrew הושיעה־נא [Hoshiana]. When הושיעה־נא [Hoshiana] appears in the OT, such as in Psalm 118:25, it was translated in the LXX as σῴζω [sodzo], “to save.”
Calling for help and aid doesn’t sound so bold, but calling for it from the “Son of David” was. “Son of David” was a royal title, indicating a legitimate claim to the traditional throne of Israel and Judah. It was just short of calling Jesus, “King Jesus,” and not all that short of it.
Bold.
It could well have been even bolder, because it wasn’t just the city’s residents in the city at the time. At JourneyWithJesus.net, Debie Thomas writes,
In their compelling book, The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’ Last Days in Jerusalem, [Marcus] Borg and [John] Crossan argue that two processions entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday; Jesus’ was not the only Triumphal Entry.
Every year, the Roman governor of Judea would ride up to Jerusalem from his coastal residence in the west. Why? To be present in the city for Passover — the Jewish festival that swelled Jerusalem’s population from its usual 50,000 to at least 200,000.
The governor would come in all of his imperial majesty to remind the Jewish pilgrims that Rome was in charge. They could commemorate an ancient victory against Egypt if they wanted to. But real, present-day resistance (if anyone was daring to consider it) was futile.
When the crowds shouted “Hosannah! Save us! Help us!” to Jesus, they did so aware that the ones they wanted help against – the Romans – were present, armed, and prepared to bring violence just the other side of the city.
Help us!
A bold cry, or a desperate one, or sometimes maybe there isn’t much difference between desperate and bold.
Jesus chose an odd prophetic image to emulate with his donkey and colt. Jesus could have done things to look more like a traditional monarch. He might have sent his disciples to find a horse. He would have looked great on a horse. Everybody looks good on a horse – at least until it starts moving. After that it helps to know how to ride. It would have even matched a prophecy from Jeremiah rather than Zechariah.
If you want to look like a king, get a horse. Not a donkey.
They were bold and they were desperate, and they shouted, “Save us,” because even on a donkey Jesus was the best they had.
As D. Mark Davis writes, “I like how the word κράζω [kradzo] (cry out) is like an onomatopoeia, imitating the croak of a raven. It is used for both loud crowds and desperate people, like a woman crying out for help and Jesus crying out from the cross.”
Desperate people. A woman crying out for help. Jesus crying out from the cross. Matthew 27:46: “’Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”
Help us!
I don’t know for sure what that crowd wanted. As with most crowds, I suspect there was a good range. Some hoped for that royal Messiah who would cast out the Romans. Others probably hoped for a new religious, but not political, leader who would do something about the priests. I’m sorry to say that religious leaders aren’t always the best of friends to the people they’re supposed to serve, in the twenty-first century or in the first century. Some might have been shouting “Help us!” because of their individual needs: Healing for an illness or injury, a word of assurance for the hopeless, a gift of food for the hungry. I suspect as well that some joined the crowd and shouted and waved palms because people get caught up in that kind of excitement even when they don’t know anything about what’s going on. “Who is this?” they asked, and there’s always plenty who don’t bother to ask.
Help us!
I don’t know whether Marcus Borg and John Crossan are right that Pontius Pilate entered the city on the other side as Jesus entered on the near side. It would have required some knowledge and planning to time things that way – which, to be sure, Jesus was certainly capable of. Honestly, it doesn’t matter. The crowd would have contrasted the Jesus parade with the Pilate parade. They would have noticed the distinct lack of soldiers. They would have noticed the complete lack of marching drummers and trumpeters. They would have noticed the replacement of the warhorse with the donkey.
“Crossan notes that Jesus rode ‘the most unthreatening, most un-military mount imaginable: a female nursing donkey with her little colt trotting along beside her.’” (quoted by Debie Thomas at JourneyWithJesus.net)
I’ll help you, said Jesus in his choice of mount, but not quite as you think, and probably not quite as you expect, and more than you dare to hope.
I am depressingly conscious of the number of people crying out for help in the world today. Some of them are near: people on this island, O’ahu, and Maui picking up from the wreckage left by floods and high winds over the last two weeks. There is a national UCC emergency offering for that, by the way. Look for information on how to contribute to it in the Weekly Chime on Tuesday.
Others near us suffer from injuries or illness, from the pains of long-term disease, from the fogs and storms of mental illness. Some cope with grief, with feelings of failure, with the words of others telling them that they aren’t of much worth. Some cope with the oppression of violence, violence from those who claim to love them, or violence of those who are supposed to protect them. Let’s face it. Federal courts have clearly stated that a law enforcement agency of the United States is routinely abusing its authority, taking people into custody without due process of law, abusing those it has detained, and avoiding accountability before the courts.
If they do it in Minnesota and Maine, they’ll do it in Hawai’i.
Some of those crying for help are not so near. They live in some of the world’s poorest regions, vulnerable to famine or disaster. Or they live as a marginalized group of people in some of the world’s most oppressive nations. Those people might be identified by skin color, or by national heritage, or by sexual orientation. These people might simply be women.
Some of them are just people living in a place engaged in war. That includes the United States. The war has come home with grief for mercifully few families so far, but the only certain thing about armed conflict is that more families will grieve. It’s for certain that a lot more families are grieving in Iran, and most of them have nothing to do with the issues between the governments. That’s the great tragedy and the great immorality of war. Whatever the justice of the cause – and the American administration has made no coherent explanation answering the questions of just cause – the most just cause in the world inflicts horrendous suffering on innocents. During the Second World War, it’s estimated that twice as many civilians died as those in the military – and again, most of those soldiers and sailors and aircrew had nothing to do with the aggression of their governments.
There are a lot of people in the world crying, “Hosannah! Save us! Help us!”
Jesus, in the meantime, makes his way through our lives on a donkey, not a warhorse. Whatever the show on the far side of the city, the great gift is before us here.
How will he help? Not with military conquest. He didn’t do it in the first century. He’s not going to do it in the twenty-first century. Not with grandeur. He chose a donkey. Not with coercion. He didn’t force anybody to cheer him. Pilate almost certainly did.
The things that Jesus offers – nearness to God, richness of soul, abundance of life in this world and the promise of life eternal – just aren’t as grand or as compelling as the parade of Pilate. They don’t answer the cries of “Help us!” all that directly – but I ask you: if we all truly lived as Jesus calls us and as Jesus expects, would we be at war now?
I didn’t think so, either.
Help us, Jesus!
Amen.
by Eric Anderson
Watch the Recorded Sermon
Pastor Eric makes changes as he preaches – sometimes deliberately, and sometimes not. The sermon as he prepared it is not a direct match for the sermon he delivered.
