(Matthew 21:1-11)

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! "Hosanna in the highest!" When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

This dramatic moment in Jesus' ministry is beautifully choreographed with the disciples going ahead of Jesus to find the donkey and the colt, then to lead Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem and at the same time echoing the pages of scripture. Like any poignant piece of drama people could read what was happening on any number of different levels. For some it would have been a fun day out - a spectacle, parade, performance, and type of occasion. In modern parlance there would have been hot dog stands, souvenir stalls and music - it would have been the Notting Hill Carnival of the Jerusalem world.

Some would have been there with their own agenda hoping for things from this strange messiah-man. The Romans had been the occupying force in Jerusalem for a number of years and these people would have been hoping that Jesus would be the person to set them free. They would have loved the energy and anger of the crowd scene and would have been hoping that it would leave to confrontation with the authorities. In modern terminology these would be the political activists handing out leaflets to their next meeting - 'Romans out!' Some would see it as the day of truth. They would know that Jesus was the Son of God and they would sense that coming towards Jerusalem meant that things were coming to a head. They were excited and hopeful.

It is not so different for us in the way that we gather here. We all have our own motives for getting out of bed on Sunday morning. Some of us come to church because we want to be with people and chat and catch up on the week. Some of us come to church because we want our children to know and to understand. We want our children to get into the school and need to come to the church for this to happen. We need security points in our week, safe places, still points. We are hurt and need comfort. As more of us start to come we have to learn to listen to each other and not to be defensive about our place within the church. (I end up as the lightening rod for people's expectations)

We are all there in the crowd shouting at Jesus as he walks past. Remember though that Jesus dies and his followers have to shape themselves into the church and to begin the process of telling the story down the generations. The reason that Jesus was (and is) so tantalising, alluring and attractive, infuriating and challenging were that he was always some but never all of what people wanted from him. He always calls us on to something more. They hit out against Jesus when they did not get what they wanted, crucified and killed him.