Enough Already

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  April 2, 2023

Click here to listen to the service 
 
Read Philippians 2:5 – 11
 
Today is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.  Our New Testament lesson from Paul’s letter to the Philippians is part of what the Lectionary refers to as the Liturgy of the Passion. 
 
The Passion… a term that is used to describe the period of suffering endured by Jesus leading up to His crucifixion.
 
The Passion… the term that writer, director, and actor, Mel Gibson, used in titling his 2004 award-winning movie, “The Passion of the Christ.”
 
The Passion… a term that could be used to describe the anguish of parents, teachers, and children in the wake of yet another school shooting… one that occurred less than a week ago.
 
One that has been weighing on my heart, much like this and so many other school shootings have weighed on all of our hearts… so many school shootings that all I can say at this point is ENOUGH ALREADY!
 
Like so many other people, I cannot help but wonder what it is going to take for the people in positions of power to stop sending our little children up to heaven along with all of their thoughts and prayers.
 
Let me just say, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords getting shot didn’t do it.
 
Congressman Steve Scalise getting shot didn’t do it.
 
Protestors, rioters, insurrectionists, or whatever you want to call them storming the Capitol buildings across the country brandishing their weapons didn’t do it.
 
Shootings in schools, churches, synagogues, mosques, grocery stores, movie theaters, shopping malls and everywhere else we once considered to be safe places didn’t do it.
 
So, what will it take for politicians and lawmakers to finally say ENOUGH ALREADY and do something to address the problem of gun violence in America? 
 
The United States of America… the country that has more guns than any other country in the world… the country that literally has more guns than it has people in the country.  (Source: https://americangunfacts.com/gun-ownership-statistics/)
 
I wish I had the answer but I do not. 
 
I wish I knew when I would no longer feel compelled to speak to the subject of gun violence in this country as part of a sermon on a Sunday morning… particularly when that Sunday is Palm Sunday.
 
Palm Sunday… the day that commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem to shouts of Hosanna… a word that means, “save us.”
 
Maybe this is a fitting sermon for today after all… because there is no doubt that we need the Lord to save us… to save us from ourselves… to save us from the sin and evil that is running rampant in this world… to save us from the hatred that would sooner have us take up arms against one another rather than link arms with one another in peace.
 
Lord, save us!  Hosanna!
 
That is what the people cried out as Jesus rode into the city on the back of a donkey… fulfilling the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
 
They celebrated Jesus’ arrival with a lot of fanfare and with much joy, excitement, anticipation and expectation… not so unlike what we might do as we celebrate the arrival of a newborn child.
 
 But in only a few short days, those cheers of joy and expectancy with the arrival of Jesus would turn to shouts of “crucify Him!”  Feelings of excitement and anticipation would give way to anger and animosity and abandonment.
 
Not so unlike what we continue to do with our children… children whose lives, for all intents and purposes, have become expendable… as we abandon them to the anger and animosity of those who are so consumed by their precious guns that they would rather ban books than ban bullets and bump stocks.
 
 And so, as I stand before you today, all I can say is ENOUGH ALREADY.
 
ENOUGH ALREADY with the political rhetoric about why this is STILL not the right time to talk about common sense gun laws.
 
ENOUGH ALREADY with the loss of life and limb for the sake of revenues and profit.
 
ENOUGH ALREADY with hollow platitudes offering thoughts and prayers… it is time for serious action and real change.
 
Now, I am guessing there may be some folks sitting there thinking ENOUGH ALREADY with the soapbox… get to the text.
 
Okay, I will do that.
 
And so, as we look at the text, the first word of encouragement we find from Paul is this, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…” or as it reads in the Message Paraphrase, “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.”
 
What does it mean for us to have the same mindset as Christ… to think about ourselves the way Jesus thought about Himself?
 
Well, in Mark 10:45, we read, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
 
And in John 15:13, we read, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
 
To have the same mindset as Christ is to have the heart of a servant… to have the heart of One who understands and embodies the Great Commandment… to love God and the people of God…
 
To have the same mindset as Christ is to have the heart of One who is willing to say ENOUGH ALREADY and set aside His power and privilege and sacrifice Himself out of His great love for you and for me.
 
Paul explains it this way, still reading from the Message:

He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
 
But rest assured, there is a purpose in His passion… Christ did not suffer and die in vain… because as we keep reading, the text tells us:
 
Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
 
Now, if I could use my imagine for just a moment, I can almost see the day when Jesus returns and we hear the Lord say, ENOUGH ALREADY…
 
Stop worshiping your perceived power and privilege…
 
Stop worshiping your assault weapons and your misguided perceptions about your second amendment rights.
 
And stop bowing down to all those gun lobbyists and manufacturers who thrive in a culture of fear that has been purposely designed to feed their greed.
 
The time has come to say ENOUGH ALREADY!
 
Because the day is drawing near when Jesus will return… and the Scriptures declare that when that day comes… every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…
 
That He is Lord… and He is the ultimate source of all power…
 
He is more powerful than any political figure… He is more powerful than any gun lobbyist or manufacturer… and He is more powerful than even the biggest and baddest assault style weapon they could ever hope to make…
 
He has the power to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cause the deaf to hear and the mute to speak… even demons tremble at the name of Jesus.
 
Beyond a shadow of a doubt… there is power in the name of Jesus!
 
And that takes me back to something that what we read back in 2 Chronicles 7 (14):
 
…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
 
I think we can all agree, our land truly is in need of healing… so as we move into this Holy Week, let us say ENOUGH ALREADY and pray for healing to come to our land… in the name of Jesus.
 
Amen.
 

 

Back