When some call for us to stop, Jesus reminds us that if that happens, even the stones will cry out. Why do the stones cry out? What does it mean to worship and sing at the gates?

A Remarkable Scene

It’s a remarkable scene. Jesus riding on a Donkey into Jerusalem. He is surrounded by a crowd. When we go to a big game or concert, we buy special shirts we’ll take home. Here… People are throwing their clothes on the road. It’s almost like they’re paving the street with the shirts off their backs. Other gospels add that people are waving palm branches. Could he be the one who’ll free us? People are cheering, bless the king who comes! It’s this amazing moment, of excitement and commitment, hope and fragile possibility. 

Tell them to stop!

When a few voices –I imagine them shouting to be heard over Jesus’ followers and fans– say to Jesus Tell them to stop!

They will still be heard

And Jesus calls back, even if they stop, the stones would shout! 

The Imperative to Speak

The very stones would cry out! They would shout! They would worship! They would hope! They would fill the air with their voices. Even if he tells them to stop, even if the crowd falls silent…. there are voices that will still cry out!

It’s been Said Before

It’s an idea that flows through the scriptures. Trees, animals, mountains, all of creation worships and will be heard, worship and be witnesses.

Something Undeniable

For Jesus, there is something undeniable in this moment about the need to cry out. This is not a still silent voice heard by a few people but something fundamental, something undeniable, calling on them all.

The Stoppers

What of the voices yelling Tell them to stop? Let’s put ourselves in their shoes. Do they fear what the mob will do? Are they worried the governor’s agents are in the crowd? Maybe Roman spies? Are they trying to protect Jesus? Are they worried what they will loose if Jesus succeeds? 

All their fears keep them from hearing the crowd, picking up what would drive the stones to cry out, seeing the possibilities, feeling the hope in the moment.

Tell them to stop! These are the folks farthest from Jesus in this story. They only see something that must be stopped. Even as our scene opens with Jesus being carried by a Donkey that’s never been tamed or domesticated… Our scenes ends in disconnect and conflict.

The Stones and the Trench

It speaks to how we divide up our world, built walls between us and nature, splitting our sacred and worship lives from our secular and daily lives. 

But our hymns remind us of going down to the river to pray, wading in the water. Our lives remind us we are connected to the plants around by the very oxygen we breath.

Just as the crowd are witnesses, so too are the stones. To all that they see around them. To the harm reflected in melting glaciers, raging wildfires. And to worship the divine. The stones Jesus walked that day had held the weight of prophets feet as they lamented. They absorbed countless prayers, witnessed centuries of festival pilgrimages. 

In the deepest parts of the ocean, the great stones of the continental plates meet at the bottom of the Mariannas trench. You’ll find our touch there in the form of our trash and microplastics. But, even though it has never seen sunlight and it seems inhospitable to us, it is also full of life, animated by the presence of the divine. Would Jesus look and think the great stones of the continents will cry out?

There’s a wisdom here that transcends species and categories, breaking down the barriers we’ve built. Witness will continue and praise will not be silenced.

We do not do these things alone. Praise isn’t something we do alone. We’re part of a great chorus feeling the imperative to remember the centuries that have brought us here. We’re part of a great chorus that bears witness to what is happening around now. Even when it as dark as the ocean depths where the great stones of the continents meet, we are part of a great chorus that lives and breaths and knows what it is be filled with the breath of the divine. We’re part of a great chorus that calls in thanks and praise and wonder. We are the ones who sing out at the gate. Be part of the chorus and sing.

Benediction

Now, may the Lord lift up her face to you
and shine upon you.

May you remember all the feet
that have walked the stones before us.

May you be witnesses to what is
in both its darkness and its light

May you feel the divine breath
that animates us all

May you cry out
at the gates
May you sing
at the gates