A common perspective of the Palm Sunday story looks at the crowd that is there. This perspective, at its core, is a negative one. It considers the change that occurs in the crowd over a matter of days--from crying "Hosanna to the Son of David!" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" on this day we celebrate as Palm Sunday, to crying "Crucify him!" and "We have no king but Caesar!" five days later on the day we mark as Good Friday. No doubt it is an appropriate perspective. For while the Bible doesn’t tell us how many people were in the crowds of those two days, nor does the Bible tell us that some of the same crowd that welcomed Jesus were now in the crowd calling for his crucifixion, it is a reasonable conclusion to draw. Jerusalem would’ve been packed with celebrants for the Passover—one of the high, holy days on the Jewish calendar, one that required Jews in the surrounding areas to come to Jerusalem for Passover. And it is reasonable to conclude that the news about Jesus had been traveling fast and worshipers already excited about the coming celebration of Passover would be interested in seeing this One whom some proclaimed to be the promised Messiah. So, both events—Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and Jesus being brought by Pilate before the crowds—likely drew many of the same people. And, in those two events, the mood of the crowd had definitely changed—from proclaiming this Jesus as King, to calling for him to be crucified. The attention of many commentators and preachers, myself included, at some point has been drawn to this shift in the crowd.

But, that is not our focus today. Today I’m interested in a more positive approach, considering the faithful ones—those disciples and followers of Jesus who stuck with him to what seemed to be the end, only to discover it was really the beginning. Today I’m interested in those in the crowd who removed their outer garments or cut down palm branches and laid them on the dusty road to make a pathway for Jesus, AND who were gathered together in a room anxiously wondering about the next event after the crucifixion, and then again after Jesus had ascended into heaven. God knows their loyalty wavered, their hope hung on the thin edge of turning to despair in the midst of the events that took place between Passover and Easter, and between Easter and Pentecost. But, hung in there they did. And the result was they not only made a way for Jesus to enter into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, they also made a way for Jesus to enter into every corner of the world…and to enter into the heart of every believer, including you and me. They are among our "cloud of witnesses" whose example and life of service inspired others to become followers of Jesus Christ.

Peter, for example. I rather imagine the apostle Peter, in his leap-before-you-look exuberance, out in front of the Palm Sunday procession, yelling for the crowd to move back, one arm holding the lead bridle of the donkey Jesus was riding, the other arm reaching out to hold people back. Peter would be out in front leading the way. And we know of Peter’s moments of weakness. Especially his moment of denial when his exuberance took him to the place where Jesus was being held and interrogated, only to realize there that now his life was in danger also as people recognized Peter as one of Jesus’ followers. "You’re wrong. I don’t know him," comes the denial—three times. Yet, it is also Peter who runs to the tomb at Mary’s report that it is empty; Peter in that room on the day of Pentecost, who then speaks to the crowd that gathers and 3,000 followers are added to the group; it is Peter who follows the inspiration of a vision to go and make the bold move of baptizing a Gentile, Cornelius, into the faith of those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior; Peter, one in the cloud of witnesses who have made a way for Jesus to enter into someone’s heart.

Or, take James and John as other examples. The sons of Zebedee, Jesus called them the "Sons of Thunder" and I rather imagine them on that first Palm Sunday walking among the crowd and leading the cries of "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Yet, James disappears in the chaos of Gethsemane and Golgotha while his brother, John, apparently wields influence with someone on the inside that gets Peter and him into the courtyard near where Jesus is being held. Yet, John soon disappears, leaving Peter by himself with his subsequent denials. James and John both surface again, at the scene of the crucifixion, later in the room of anxiety until Mary enters with her news of an empty tomb, and then in the room of waiting at Pentecost. James and John join the cloud of witnesses as the number of followers of Jesus grows. James gives his life to the cause, becoming one of the first Christian martyrs—"put to the sword" in the persecutions from a raging Herod. John, meanwhile, writes for the Church its gospel of faith, three letters of love, and a revelatory vision of hope. James and John are there on that first Palm Sunday and they are there on that first Easter, there on that first Pentecost. They join our cloud of witnesses.

I’m thinking also of Mary Magdalene on this Palm Sunday. Various stories and theories exist as to when and how Mary joined the group of followers of Jesus. Was she the woman caught in adultery and forgiven by Jesus, told in the eighth chapter of John? Perhaps she was the "woman who had lived a sinful life" who, Luke tells us in his gospel, tearfully came to Jesus and anointed his head and feet with perfume as well as her tears. Many producers of films about Jesus have assumed one—or both—are Mary Magdalene. We don’t know. But, she was there on that first Palm Sunday. I imagine her walking close to the donkey carrying Jesus into Jerusalem, close at hand to be available if anything was needed. She is there at Golgotha. And she is there in that anxious room following the crucifixion, there, at least, until the Sabbath ends when she goes to the tomb early in the morning to properly anoint Jesus’ body for burial—only to discover the tomb is empty. We know Mary Magdalene is there at the tomb because she is the only person written about in all four gospels as being at the tomb that first Easter Sunday. And she is there at Pentecost, joining in with those who witness about what Jesus has done for them.

All of these witnesses—and millions more—have worked through their own moments of weakness, their own moments of doubt or despair and remained steadfast in the faith, "making a way for Jesus" in their own lives…and in the lives of others. We’ve been encouraging you throughout this Lenten season to give prayerful reflection and thanksgiving for your own personal cloud of witnesses. You’ve been invited to bring pictures of them—and if you weren’t able to do so for this Sunday, I hope you will do so in the next few days to form a "cloud of witnesses" surrounding us on Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. I invite you also to share their stories with others, to tell others of the inspiration and influence they have in your faith journey. I get the privilege of the moment to share a few stories with you.

One of my pictures is of Pastor John Refsell, the first pastor of my youth I can recall with any meaning and significance. Pastor Refsell was the pastor of my confirmation days in the Lutheran Church. Most of my Saturday mornings for two years around the age of 12 and 13 were spent with Pastor Refsell. He paved the way for Jesus in my life by teaching me the essentials of Christian faith...and by modeling them for me in his own life. I have to admit that one of the things for which I’m most grateful for Pastor Refsell’s presence in my life was the change he brought to confirmation. Up to the time of my class being confirmed, the traditional last act in the confirmation journey was a public meeting held with the Council (the Lutheran "Session") in which the confirmands were "put through their paces." Asked questions—which I can only hope and assume were given to them in advance—each confirmand would respond with an answer. It might be to recite the Apostles’ Creed, or the Lord’s Prayer, perhaps the books of the Bible in order. You can imagine the terror that meeting struck in the heart of every confirmand. Pastor Refsell, God love him, apparently thought that ritual wasn’t the best setting for confirming the faith of eighth graders, because he instituted a new policy—beginning with my class—where the last act in the confirmation journey was a retreat in the mountains. There we studied and reviewed together, then met individually in an interview with Pastor Refsell. I’ll always love him for that change! But, that is not the only, nor even the foremost reason he is a cherished witness in my cloud of witnesses. Foremost is that, again, he taught me the basics of Christian faith for which I’ll always be grateful. And he did so, even in the midst of some tragedy and difficulty in his life. There must have been some turmoil within the church over his pastorate because shortly after my confirmation he left under some controversial circumstances. I hope it wasn’t the decision about the retreat! In any case, I recall being angry about his departure because he had become an important figure in my Christian growth. Pastor Refsell is among my cloud of witnesses.

And, God is good. Into the void created by Pastor Refsell’s departure came Pastor Weissenbueller. Sounds like a Lutheran pastor, doesn’t it? Pastor Weissenbueller quickly became an important figure in my Christian growth by his friendly, caring manner. Even as a high school student, I enjoyed his sermons. His sound teachings further built upon the foundation of my faith. Trips back home from college would always involve a Sunday morning at the church where Pastor Weissenbueller would greet me with a welcome and concern that made me feel like he couldn’t make it through the week until he knew how I was doing. When Kim and I decided to get married, it was a given that we would want Pastor Weissenbueller to officiate. He brought to the ceremony a personal touch of knowledge about both our lives that serves as a guide still today—both in our marriage and in my wedding ceremonies. When Kim and I celebrated our 25^th anniversary, we were blessed to have Pastor Weissenbueller available to officiate a marriage renewal ceremony in my parent’s backyard. Pastor Weissenbueller is an important witness in the cloud of witnesses that surround me.

Like the author of the letter to the Hebrews, I don’t have time to tell you about others in my cloud of witnesses—of my pastor in Greeley, Jim Farley, or my friend and colleague, Brian Boughter, my brother, Mick, and his wife, Gail, other colleagues in ministry like Chuck Olsen and Howard Childers…and many others. But, I am especially grateful on this day, as I hope you are for your witnesses, for the way to Jesus that was paved for me by their faithful lives in service to the gospel. Even in the midst of whatever difficult circumstances they faced in life, they held on and persevered, being a witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. On this Palm Sunday, in this holy season of the Christian year, as we journey toward the celebrations of Easter and Pentecost, may we draw from their inspiration to live lives of faith and faithfulness—growing in our understanding of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, holding on with hope and perseverance through the difficult days of our journey, and making a way for Jesus to enter into the life of others that they might add us to their cloud of witnesses, joining their voices with ours in proclaiming, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Amen.