December 4th, 2023
Scripture
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Reflection
I wanted a Huffy bicycle. The pink one with the puffy white seat that looked like a fluffy pillow. Low handlebars with black grips. Pedals with cleat-like prongs that would dig into my tennis shoes so my feet wouldn’t slip off when I popped a wheelie on the curb at the end of my driveway. Fat tires with thick tread waiting to take a deep, sweet slide in the pea-sized gravel at the corner of Westridge Street and Wagon Wheel.
I wanted a Huffy. I got a Schwinn. Purple. Purple glitter banana seat. Tall handle bars with white grips and streamers. Plain, non-cleat pedals. Small, low-tread tires. And a stupid orange flag atop a long pole stuck in the gear of the back wheel. In true only-child’ response, I was mortified but was not about to let my parents know my absolute, utter disappointment.
Jesus, the Son of God, Redeemer of the World, should have been riding a triumphant warhorse, a Clydesdale or Friesian or Percheron into Jerusalem. Custom-made leather saddle dyed deep red and buffed to a mirror shine. Exquisitely-tasseled bridle. The luscious mane and tail brushed and braided with micro-strands of gold and silver threads.
Jesus rides a donkey. A lowly animal barely half the height and a quarter of the weight of a war charger. And this animal isn’t even his own; it’s a borrowed beast left outside to tend to its own colt. And, as the King of Heaven enters the city, no great leaders, no powerful politicians, no innovators of the community cluster the streets to see this mythical man who heals and raises the dead and breaks the barrier between the natural and miraculous. No, only the lowly greet him and wave his entrance into his final destination.
I tore up the streets of my neighborhood with that purple Schwinn, scraped many toes when my feet slipped off the pedals, popped too many tires when speeding down the hill in order to slam on the brakes and slide sideways through the gravel. That little bike was my best friend taking me to the creek to fish for crawdads and offering me freedom to get to school by myself by not having to ride the dreaded school bus. I washed off the mud, oiled the chain and gears, and learned how to use Turtle Wax so that it looked new and spit-polished.
When I engage with the world, may I remember the adage, “Never judge a book by its cover.” May I not take myself too seriously. May I offer to myself as much grace as I extend to others when the package is rumpled or the message delivery isn’t as polished as a Poet Laureate. And may I remember, above all, that the Incarnate God brought Heaven here and engaged with the world for love and hope and grace and wholeness. May I, too, engage with my own world with passion and abandon and joy for the message itself…
And not how the message is packaged.
The Rev. Janie Koch, Vicar
All Saints Episcopal Church
McAlester, OK