I think of the gathered masses we\u2019ve witnessed recently, and the broad range of longing they represent. NCAA championship games (which some of us may, or may not be watching because our \u2018sure thing\u2019 team may, or may not, have been handily eliminated before the first round\u2026) An inauguration; a papal election; a vigil following unthinkable violence\u2026<\/p>\n
There is power in showing up. In each of these moments, the gathered mass had one thing in common: hope.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve often wondered why we \u2018do\u2019 Palm Sunday at all. The ritual of it seems a little archaic, out of step with our progressive theology and contemporary worship vibe, and maybe even a little sinister\u2026I mean, we gather to welcome this King into our midst, knowing that, come Friday, we\u2019re going to watch him die. How can we celebrate the arrival that we know ends in death and darkness?<\/p>\n
Hope. This is the gospel of the gathered crowd. We hope that our team will win\u2014because they have before!\u2014even if all signs say they really just suck this year. We hope that the new guy in office will change things. We hope that the new guy in the papal vestments will turn the conversation around. We hope for an end to violence\u2014or we hope, at the very least, that we can learn to talk <\/em>about violence, without the world just losing its mind.<\/p>\n Never underestimate the power of\u00a0expectation collected under one roof, in the same time and place. Our hope is forever in the new guy, and here he comes, riding on a donkey. So what if we know there is heartbreak coming? He enters in all humility and grace, with a promise that good things are coming. Even if\u00a0our team is already out of the game. \u00a0Even if there\u2019s one more gun\u00a0death in the news this morning. \u00a0Even if we know that one new guy in the Oval, or one new guy in the Vatican, can do very little to stop it.<\/p>\n We gather, not to greet one more \u2018new guy,\u2019 but to welcome life itself\u2014all of God\u2019s love and grace and promise, riding not in a chariot or motorcade, but on a donkey. He brings the promise of every new thing God can bring about in us, every blessed transformation the world could hope for. And that\u2019s not for nothing. It is enough that we show up, with offerings from our lawn and our heart, with hands lifted in praise. We show up, hoping against hope that this parade, this anointed one, and this gathered crowd will change the world.<\/p>\n
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