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Palm Sunday Revisited - a Reblog

I'm coming to the end of my period as Superintendent of Belfast Central Mission and before I take up my new appointment in July I am taking a 3 month sabbatical during which I have a number of writing projects I want to complete. During a previous sabbatical I had been to write and direct a community Passion play for our sister mission in East Belfast at the Skainos centre, but due to the ongoing flag protests and other reasons at that time the wheels came off that project. Instead they scaled things down and staged 3 of the monologues from the play as a devotional event on Maundy Thursday at East Belfast Mission. The first of those offered the perspective of a Roman centurion watching the events of Palm Sunday, and it was performed by Jim Allen. I've subsequently used it in the Agape Centre and as part of a Palm Sunday broadcast.
I was back over at Skainos this week for an event challenging us to revisit the work of reconciliation in this part of the world, and this piece came to mind. I'm leading worship in the Agape Centre again this morning (another "last") and whilst I will be touching on similar themes, I won't be using this piece... But I thought that it is worth another airing...

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Call that a king!? Where’s his army? That rag-tag bunch of misfits and malcontents!? Oh I’m quivering in my boots. One platoon of proper soldiers could take that lot out in a matter of minutes. That’s what’s needed to keep the peace in this God-forsaken province – a firm hand… and a sharp sword…
Though why the Emperor could be bothered with this place I don’t know… The weather is lousy… the food is awful… and the people are obsessed with religion… They’re convinced that their God is the only God and that he has given them this land… I suppose in comparison with some of the other desert wildernesses around here it’s not a bad bit of real estate, but to hear them talk about it you would think it was the centre of the universe…
Because they think that their God has given them this land they don’t want us anywhere about the place. The only thing is that as much as they hate us, they seem to hate each other even more… They fight among themselves over their religion… Don’t understand a word of it myself – but if they’re fighting each other they’re not bothering us…
Mind you, messiahs are still two a penny in this province. There’s always someone ready to throw off the oppressive yoke of the empire… But they all end up the same way… Nailed to a cross so that the people can see what happens to the enemies of the empire.
But the Emperor needn’t be worried about this so-called King… He doesn’t seem up for the fight… 
We keep an eye on all these rabble rousing rabbis…We’ve got informers following all of them… reporting back what they say. With this one its all sorts of talk about loving your enemies and forgiving those who hurt you… Hardly the words of a revolutionary! And his entrance there today bears that out… Not exactly a triumphal entry…
Now the Emperors… they know how to make an entrance… A golden chariot… Slaves captured in battle dragged along in chains… Soldiers in their parade ground best…
But this King… All he had was a bunch of northern fishermen, and some women and children… Singing old songs about salvation…
No… you mark my words… in a few days, weeks at the most, we’ll have forgotten about this guy and will have moved on to the next saviour…


PRAYER:           
Lord Jesus Christ…
King of Kings and Prince of Peace
Forgive us where we forget that your Kingdom is not as the kingdoms of this world, where we follow the way of the world in seeking to overpower and dominate others to get our own way;
Forgive us where we cheer and celebrate when things are going our way, but forget that you call us to follow you along the way of sacrificial service;
Forgive us where we do not see or work for what makes for peace, the real peace that comes about through reconciliation with God and others,
The peace that you came to bring.
Hosanna! We are saved!
Blessed are you who came in the name of the Lord our God, AMEN.

Selah

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