"and we broke down and wept" an historic palm sunday in iowa

Anna Blaedel
First UMC, Osage
April 5, 2009
Passion/Palm Sunday
Mark 14:1-72


Today I want to share two stories with you. One is from the gospel of Mark—the 14th chapter, in its entirety. The other is a story written by a woman in Iowa. Her name is Diane. I am scared to tell both stories. Neither are easy stories to hear. Both have brought me to tears. In the first, Jesus admits openly who he is, the Messiah, and the disciples show their true colors by betraying him and fleeing, denying Jesus in his hour of greatest need. And, in the first story, we glimpse into the Last Supper in the Upper Room, this place where our sacrament of communion began. And, in this first story, Jesus comes face to face with the Jerusalem council of chief priests and religious elders as they try over and over to bring false witness against him, to convict him and sentence him to death. In the second story, well, I won’t ruin a story you haven’t yet heard by getting ahead of myself. Let us pray: O God, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable and pleasing in your sight, O God, our strength, and our redeemer.

I have known many blessings throughout my life—none more precious than the opportunity to be a parent to two beautiful children. The first of those children came to me and my husband, Art, from Korea when she was only three months old. Katie arrived at JFK in New York dressed up in a jumpsuit and bonnet on a hot summer day in July.

It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”

We brought Katie to church on her very first Sunday in the United States, and it took no time at all for her to realize that since her new daddy was a United Methodist pastor, she was going to have a home away from home and a very large extended family! There hadn’t been a “parsonage baby” in a very long time, so Katie was passed from one smiling person to another—all hands extended in welcome and in joy to receive her.

While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, whenever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.

It wasn’t long before Katie realized that she was a part of the church even if not yet a member and that she had gifts that she could share. She loved to sing and decided that the church could use a children’s choir, so she started one when she was six years old. I couldn’t have been more proud when the little choir of ten children got up one Sunday morning for the very first time and sang. Katie was beaming!

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

Katie loved children. As soon as she was able, she graduated from being a student at Vacation Bible School to being a helper. Children were drawn to her as if she were a magnet, and she loved working with them. I can still remember how thrilled she was to be able to share the stories of God’s love with a room full of 3rd and 4th graders the first summer she was asked to teach.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be distressed and say to him one after another, “Surely, not I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the cup with me.

Katie grew up in the United Methodist Church. Her faith was formed there, and on the day her daddy placed his hands on her head and confirmed her, there were tears pouring down his face and everyone else’s. As a full member of the church, Katie helped out wherever she was needed. She would never miss a youth group meeting and enjoyed reaching out to the elderly in the congregation—raking leaves, shoveling snow, visiting homebound members—it was all a natural part of her life. She participated in youth mission trips where she touched the lives of people right in our own neighborhood and abroad.

While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.

The years went by far too swiftly, and Katie went off to college. One summer break, she came home with news. She had made some agonizing discoveries about herself and about her sexual orientation. Try as she might to ignore and to fight what her body was telling her, Katie realized that her life would be different than she had always hoped and dreamed. At first she thought she would live her life alone—a thought that filled her with deep sadness, but now there was someone special in her life—another young woman that she wanted us to meet.

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though all become deserters, I will not.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same.

Katie expected the news she shared to fall like a bombshell. But there was a knowledge within me, a kind of mother’s knowing, that led me to expect the news she shared. I will always be thankful for the grace that enabled me to take her in my arms that day and for the words that spilled out. She was the girl she had always been. Nothing had changed. She was my child and I loved her.

They went to a place called Gathsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that , if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, “Abba, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again Jesus went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Anointed One is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

Being a “preacher’s kid” was never a drawback for Katie. She was always proud of her dad and what he did, and when I broke the news to our children that I too felt called to serve God as an ordained minister, Katie was doubly proud. She encouraged me and supported me every step of my journey through Divinity School and into my first pastorate. When I felt overwhelmed or discouraged, Katie, with faith-filled language, reminded me that the God who called me would be there to help me through. She was always right.

Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. Then they laid hands on him and arrested him. But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me.” All of them deserted him and fled.

The timing of the United Methodist Judicial Council Decision 1032 in 2005 couldn’t have been worse for me. The council had reaffirmed a pastor’s right to deny church membership to a practicing homosexual on the eve of my interview with the Board of Ordained Ministry. I was about to request ordination into a church that could, at a pastor’s discretion, refuse membership to my child, a child of two United Methodist pastors, a child of God, simply because she is who God created her to be. How could I do this? In accepting the privilege of serving my church, would I be denying my own daughter? Was God asking me to do something this difficult? Katie’s words of reassurance urged me forward. God was in all that we were experiencing—her revelations about herself, my call to ordained ministry—she didn’t know how, but God would use us both.


They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death. Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him over and beat him.

In June 2007, my stomach was tied in knots as I stood on the floor of the Iowa Annual Conference session to share the story of my grown up little child who has taught me so much about God. A pastor in our church may deny her church membership, but that will not stop her from serving God wherever she is.


While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to saw to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

We can close our church doors [and our hearts] to people who are different than we are because we don’t understand them or because we, in our judgment, think they are too sinful to enter in. But if we do, where will our children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and friends go when they need to stand on holy ground and hear these words from our God: ‘Nothing has changed. You are my child, and I love you.’

Amen.