Can I share with you something quasi-embarrassing?
Last December, in the midst of all they hype and speculation that the University of Oklahoma was going to name a new Head Football Coach, I got a text from a friend that indicated that the announcement was imminent, the new coach was on campus, and that a stage was being constructed near the stadium for a late night concert by an “A List” celebrity and announcement of the new ball coach.
Now to fully appreciate this text, we need to understand the context of that moment. First of all, I am both an alumnus and fan of OU’s athletic teams. Second, like many, I had been checking and rechecking Twitter and other media outlets to follow the coaching search several times each day for over a week. Third, I had seen the celebrity in question on television the night before at an OKC Thunder game.
So, what did I do? [NOTE: this is the embarrassing part] I loaded up my entire family. That’s right. My wife, my son, AND my dog, and headed over to campus (at 10PM on a school night) to look for the celebration. So there we were … all 4 of us in a Chrysler mini-van, looking for the party.
We never found it. Nothing was really happening that night.
What this story DOES demonstrate, though, is how a crowd can assemble quickly with high expectations. If people care about something, are looking for signs of its coming, and see a glimmer of their hopes embodied in a person – they tend to show up!
I was thinking about that experience today, as I read John 12:9-19 in advance of Palm Sunday this weekend at Wildwood Community Church. In this section of God’s Word, we are transported back to the Sunday before Jesus’ would die on the cross. The Jewish people cared about the future of their nation, had a hope that Messiah would one day come, and saw in Jesus a glimmer that He just might be the One! So in great numbers, the people showed up when they heard He was passing through Bethany and headed over the Mount of Olives and into Jerusalem.
Were they RIGHT to show up that day, or would they ultimately be embarrassed by where they had placed their hope? We will explore that this Sunday at Wildwood in our Palm Sunday sermon … AND we will explore how WE can/should respond to the knowledge that Jesus is coming. Can’t wait to look at this passage of Scripture together. Make plans to worship with us at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 … or online in the stream. See you Sunday … and bring friends!