First Lines and Buried Seeds

Not all is as MEH as it first appears when John embarks on the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Palm fronds and an ancient plea turned praise adorn the political street theatre of Jesus astride a baby donkey. It calls to mind the Singing Resistance happening in Minneapolis - St. Paul in these days and weeks (and increasingly: months). When things get spicier for Jesus in the Jerusalem week ahead (which spans a full HALF of John’s gospel), perhaps folks look back on that moment in the streets, drawing strength and inspiration when all seems hopeless and lost. Perhaps they ponder more deeply and poignantly what Jesus meant by that grain of wheat that needs to be buried and die in order to bear fruit and live.Sermon begins at minute marker 2:52Scripture:  John 12.12-27Resources:BibleWorm podcast: Episode 336 - The Executed King, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr.Josephus, ancient historian.Passover, ancient pilgrimage festival and contemporary Jewish holiday, recalling the story of the Exodus of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt.Theatre of the Oppressed, originated by Brazilian director and activist, Augusto Boal, in the 1970s. Based at least in part on…Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 1968.Singing Resistance, Twin Cities MN, 2025-2026"Hold on, hold on, my dear one, here comes the dawn," written by songwriter Heidi Wilson“On the Origins of ‘They Tried to Bury Us, They Didn’t Know We Were Seeds,’” Interview of Greek media scholar, Alexandra Boutopoulou, by AX Mina, Hyperallergic, 2018 (link).Brandi Carlile reflects on livestream concert from Minneapolis, ICE, and changing your mind, in Rolling Stone, 2026. Sally Morgan, My Place, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 1987.Isabel Allende, City of the Beasts, HarperCollins Publishers, 2002 (trans. Margaret Sayers Peden).Jesmyn Ward, Let Us Descend, Scribner, 2023.