With today, my friends; we begin the holiest of weeks of our Church Year. In today’s readings we see Jesus, our brother, entering triumphantly the city of Jerusalem as the prophets predicted the Messiah would one day.  He entered unlike an earthly king of his time would have, not in glory, but humbly, as in his birth, he came on the back of a donkey. His whole earthly life challenged the powers-that-be to live for others, to rule justly, to see that real authority comes from the heart, not the head.

Yesterday, thousands of young people and their supporters, over one million in fact,  entered our “holy city,” Washington, D.C. and many thousands others around our country, even here in Winona, MN, to speak truth to power in a similar way as our brother Jesus did all those hundreds of years ago.  Some of these young people probably responded from their beliefs in faith that their God was calling them to this action, others, if asked, might simply tell us that, “It was the right thing to do!”

Young people across this country have been inspired by the leadership of the survivors of the most recent massacre due to gun violence in Parkland, Florida.  These young people found within themselves the intestinal fortitude to say, “Enough is enough! We are tired of being afraid; we are tired of trying to learn in a climate of fear for our very lives! And we respectfully, but most certainly demand that the powers-that-be do what is needed to protect us!”

And their leadership has inspired others, thousands of others!  These young people are truly leading the way and many of us “older folks” are finally, finally, finding within ourselves, the strength to follow them.  Jim Wallis of Sojourner Magazine said that he recently met with a group of ministers and that they all asked forgiveness for having been complicit in not making our schools and our world safer from gun violence.

This past week many gathered in Wesley United Methodist church from many Christian denominations—Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian along with our non-Christian sisters and brothers of the Jewish, Buddhist, Islamic and Hindu faiths to stand in solidarity with the young people from Parkland and to definitively say that we are more alike than we are different—that we all have one God who is calling us to find the way to live in peace with all—a peace that keeps us safe, free, and cared for.

During Holy Week; we are called upon to ponder much that we would name as mystery—a king, yet humble, a messiah who brings power and new life through death, death and resurrection and all that this meant for Jesus and ultimately for us.

The March on Washington has inspired many, because the strength of this movement lies in the innocent, the pure, the hope of the future—those without power who have acquired power, like Jesus, in the truth of the message that they have made their own. And this too is mystery in that we don’t know how it will turn out.

I recently completed a small volume entitled, Mustard Seed Preaching by Ann Garrido and her thesis, simply put, is that unless we take the Word, small as a mustard seed, with no power and let it grow in us, “become us,” in fact; it will never matter in our world that so needs its fruit.

Like our brother Jesus, my friends; we must listen to the call of our God who has first loved us and respond in love for our good and the good of our world. Holy Week is really all about love, love given—love received and love shared—in fact that is the whole Christian message as well as the message taught and practiced by our non-Christian sisters and brothers and all good people around the world whether they claim a Church or a god.

Let us pray for each other that we can respond as Jesus did, raised a good Jew, as the Buddha did, as Muhammad did, as those who practice Hinduism do! Amen?  Amen!

My friends, I’d like to tell you a real-life story today as I begin that I think speaks well to the overriding themes of this weekend in Lent.  This story is one that you know, but I tell it again, so that we won’t forget it.

This past Wednesday, March 14, 2018, marked one month since the tragic shooting of 17 students and teachers at Margory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.  Some were maybe prone to notice this event, but then move quickly on, thinking there was nothing to be done to end this violence.  How many such shootings have already occurred? Does anyone of us really know?

Yet, amid the suffering that this high school in Parkland, Florida was enduring; they found the strength from within to stand up to and for our country and say, “Enough is enough, no more!”  They asked students who wished to stand with them to join in a walk-out from school on the month anniversary of this devastating tragedy to show their resolve that these lives taken were not in vain and of how much they want Congress and all in our society to get motivated in order that change can happen.

In addition, these young leaders from Florida have mobilized the country to a March on Washington on the 24^th of this month to implore, but more so, demand that those in Congress, our so-called leaders would finally do something to bring about change.

The prophet Jeremiah speaks the words of God, “The days are coming…I will put my law on your hearts.” God, through the prophet was telling the people in Jeremiah’s time, well before our brother, Jesus walked the earth, that for all the covenants and promises made and broken by the people, now was the time when they needed to change, for good, once and for all.

The words of the prophet seem appropriate for us now, at this time when our country so needs change so that our school children and young people can learn in settings free from fear.  This is what Winona’s high school students told us most eloquently on Wednesday morning.

There was no doubt that these students had placed this concern “on their hearts,” letting all of us standing in support with them, know that they would not quit until some change happens.

Beyond the very moving way that the Winona Senior High School students chose to remember those slain at Margory Stoneman Douglas High, there was a sense of sincere, yet gentle outrage for what happened in Florida, realizing that this tragedy could have happened just as easily in Winona. Their sense of sincerity, urgency and outrage that this not happen again was evident in their demeanor and in the words of those who spoke.

The reading to the Hebrews today lets us know that “Jesus was heard because of his reverence.”  In that light; I give a word or two about the demonstration of remembrance that the students used on Wednesday.  Each victim’s name was read aloud and short bios shared for each of the 14 students and the 3 faculty members.  As each name was read, a student presented him/her-self and lay on the concrete in front of school and had their form traced there. A very poignant piece was that after the tracing, the student was able to get up and walk away. That wasn’t the case for the students in Parkland, Florida.

It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and this was certainly true on Wednesday morning.  I believe all of the community members who came to support the students’ efforts on Wednesday thought of their own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends and could perhaps imagine if what happened in Parkland and so many other places—too many other places, happened to their loved ones. The horror of receiving such a call from your children’s school is unimaginable, unthinkable; but in this day and age, possible!

The student speaker who concluded the program challenged her fellow students to do more, challenged the adults, present, to do more, realizing and expressing the fact that everyone in our country doesn’t agree on the solutions to this violence epidemic, but stressed that there are many things people are in agreement about and that much must be done!

Again, that reminds me of Paul’s words to the Hebrews—for people to hear us; reverence is required—we have to listen to others, try to understand when we disagree and see where we can possibly come together.  The battle to make our country safer will not come through angry words and actions, but through listening, understanding and treating our adversaries with as much respect as possible.  A very positive action that adults can take is through our right to vote—something not to be taken lightly.

The students who organized and facilitated the event on Wednesday, last, are to be commended! It is always easier to stand back, let others do it. Putting ourselves on the line is always the harder part. Sometimes it may mean ridicule, but it is the right choice to make as followers of our brother, Jesus.

He says in today’s gospel that “unless a grain of wheat fall and die—it remains only a single grain.”  We may agree that change is needed, but unless we place our commitment “on our hearts,” making it part of our flesh and bones, it can’t help others to grow.  Sometimes our word and our action is the impetus to get others moving.  We cannot underestimate the power of one person to bring about change when our commitment to do what is right and good in our world is laid “upon our hearts” which basically solidifies the words of our mouths.  And when are actions are done “with reverence” with care for all, only good can come from that!  Amen? Amen!!