It's Palm Sunday. Hosanna! Hosanna in the Highest!

 Read John 12

Matthew 21

Mark 11

Luke 19:28-44

We continue through Genesis but take note that this is Palm Sunday.  We love the kids parading through the sanctuary with the palm fronds.

We love the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey.  The people laid out their coats and palm branches before him.

They were honoring a king.  Did they know they were honoring the King of Kings?

There were cries of Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!

The people were celebrating and crying out for salvation in the same breath.

The self-righteous religious leaders were not happy about this whole thing.

C’mon rabbi, tell them to chill.  A little welcome to town is fine, but this is just too much.  Just who do they think you are?

Jesus told the religious leaders—some of whom were likely in attendance at the kangaroo court that would be held later that week or within the crowd gathered before Pilate enticing them to shout Crucify Him—he told them if the people won’t cry out, even the stones that line the road will.

Those entrenched in their rules had become shackled to ritual and repetition and the respect of the people who now were praising Jesus.  Jesus was cutting into their turf.

Jesus told them that there were consequences for their blindness.  Those who followed these self-righteous leaders would fall to their earthly enemies.  There would be consequences for not having eyes to see.

They did not have eyes to see God in his most essential form—God, love was right before them. All they could see was a man, perhaps a rabbi, who just would not get with their program.

Love was on the back of a young donkey as he rode into Jerusalem. The people shouted praises while the religious leaders plotted his death.

The week ahead was as jam-packed as any since the creation of the world.  Jesus would teach and rebuke. He would boldly confront those offending his Father in his Father’s house.

And he would seek one last secluded gathering with his closest friends, once for a meal and once in the garden, where he would ask some of these men to stay with him while he prayed.

Jesus would ask his Father if there was any other way, knowing full well that there was not.  Jesus knew that the hour of his death was coming millennia before the events of this week.

God’s plan to release humankind from the shackles of sin and death had reached its pinnacle, but Jesus still went through every human emotion knowing that a brutal death was before him.

Jesus was truly human.

He was truly divine.

He was the unblemished Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world.

He gave up his life freely.  He could have stopped all of this business leading up to the cross.  In a moment, he could have commanded legions of angels to protect him.

To do so would mean that he thought we didn’t matter or at least we didn’t matter enough, but he knew we mattered to his Father in heaven.

Jesus came to do the will of his Father in heaven and that will sent him to the cross. We matter to God.

Jesus was the unblemished lamb.  He went to be sacrificed to atone for our sins.

He is our Savior.  He is our Master.

JESUS IS LORD!

On a morning about 2000 years ago, our Lord rode into the city of Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey and received the welcome and praises of so many people who were looking for a Savior.

He rode right past them.  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords came by them and they shouted HOSANNA, HOSANNA INT THE HIGHEST.

Save us.  God almighty and everlasting, save us.

We are continuing through Genesis.  We are in the second half of the book, but as you go through your week, let the words HOSANNA, HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST bounce around in your minds.

HOSANNA!

HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST!

We will get to Genesis 26 in the next service.  We’ve got wells to dig.

But for now and the week that follows, think:

HOSANNA!

HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Amen.

Matthew 21 - Part 1

 

Read Matthew 21

Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and could have rightfully insisted that everyone and everything in his creation serve him and worship him.  He came to serve and to give himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

But for a brief time, the people would get a glimpse of the King.  He rode into Jerusalem as prophesied.  The logistics of this entry into Jerusalem were in place.  Jesus road into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey,

People praised him and cried out Hosanna!  Hosanna means save us but it came to be used as a word of praise.  Hosanna!

As the people lined the road with cloaks and branches, they also cried out:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

 

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

 

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

 

We are told that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred.  There was a frenzy about the city.  There was more than excitement.  There was expectation.

The people cried out to the Son of David.  They shouted blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord but they told others that this was Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. 

Just who was this Jesus?  For this short time, he gave people a glimpse of the King who would one day rule on this earth. 

He would quickly resume his role as the suffering servant and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but some got an early glimpse of the King of Kings.

Amen.

The World Turned Right-Side Up for a Moment

Read John 12:12-19

If you have been reading the first chapter of John but not following my messages and updates this week, you might be wondering, “How did he get to chapter 12?”

It’s Palm Sunday, and next week you will get a message of Resurrection.  Those were always headed your way, but this year both will come from John’s gospel.

I just don’t want some of you to think you missed the boat in this alternate format.

As you might have surmised, things have been a little different lately.  I finally picked up my car from Altus.  Yes, this is the car that I hit a building with.  It’s all fixed now.

While I was in Altus, I went to pick up my medicine at the base pharmacy.  I have crossed international borders and entered secure classified facilities with less screening.  One airman took my temperature with a phaser.  It must have been set to mild stun because they let me pass.

They didn’t require me to wear a mask.  I had one in my coat pocket just in case.  I was going to go to the commissary while I waited for the pharmacy to fill my scripts, but it was closed to all but active duty personnel and those who lived on base or worked on base.

So, it was off to the Altus Walmart.  At least I would save a trip to Elk City sometime later.  Altus was more fun that the Walmart I’m used to.  The parking lot was full. You could enter only on the market side.  Shopping carts had been laid on their sides and connected with crime scene tape to make a channeled and theoretically controlled entrance.

Next week they might go Disney on us and put up signs that say, 1 hour from this point.

There were still a bazillion people there, about a third of them masked.  If anyone ever wanted to rob a train or a bank, now would be the time.  A couple people were walking around with face shields.  The Walmart music was from the Dark Side of the Moon album. 

Some of you know that I like both Star Trek and Star Wars.  I didn’t feel obliged to have to choose between the two.  You also might know, that I don’t collect any paraphernalia from either, but I would have loved to have owned a Darth Vader mask to wear in Walmart that day.

And there were plenty of new employees, most of them guarding the entrance with Lysol and hand sanitizer.

As I entered, I reached to grab a shopping cart, and the Walmart employee at the other end of about 45 carts yells, “Those haven’t been sanitized.”  I can see the two jugs of Round Up set aside to spray the carts and, on a shelf, up above them, a can of Lysol and some wipes.

I sprayed and wiped and said, I’m doing the self-service check-in.  I don’t like the self-service check out, but save 10 minutes checking in, that’s another matter.  I think the guy was in shock, but he felt obliged to warn me that you’re shopping at your own risk. 

I was not up for the conversation that would have begun with, “I’ve lived most of my life at my own risk.”  You should be proud of me though; I still had the can of Lysol in my hand but did not do the underarm deodorant thing.  It crossed my mind, but there were enough stressed out people already.

Of course, nothing in the Altus Walmart is in the same place as the Elk City Walmart, so it was Game on!  I think I hit 95% of the items on my list.  That’s not bad considering sometimes you don’t know if you are looking in the wrong place or if it used to be on that 20 yards of empty shelves.

The two paper towel limit is strictly enforced.  Be warned.

So I get my cart full of stuff and head to the checkout.  It’s a full cart.  Realize that when we go to Altus to shop at the commissary, we make a list for a month, so I had a full cart.

Also realize that Walmart must have had 50 extra employees working all over the store, except the checkout registers.  There are three registers open.  All of the self-service ones are open and there’s a unsocially-distanced mob over there, but there are only three regular registers open and lines at each one.

I had one of those obscure thoughts that one way to spread out the people would be to open more registers.  Just when I thought I was going from satire to cynicism as I viewed the Shakespearean tragedy play out as a comedy all around me, an associate came up to me and said, would you like to go to register 4.  We will open it as soon as we wipe down the belt.

What a blessing.  Let the surreal come to an end!

The kid at the register came and wiped the belt and then said, that’s all I can do, I have come out too long.  I guess there was some sort of invisible shield around the register.  So, I put my groceries on the wet, but clean belt that would move them to the cashier.  After the belt had moved a couple feet the part of the belt that had been underneath was now on top. 

I don’t think the cashier quite knew if I was serious or not when I asked if I should wait for the clean part of the belt to come around again.  I think he was wondering, why did hey send this guy to me?

I got my stuff and headed out to the car.  It cost much more than I expected but we had groceries in case everyone was truly locked down, which is an impossibility if you want to continue to have electricity, water, gas, gasoline, and even food, to include feeding hungry people who can’t afford to go to Walmart. 

But I am thankful that Walmart and other places are open and doing their best with procedures that we hope will reduce the effects of the contagion.  I am thankful that our logistical systems are functioning, and most shelves are replenished.  I am thankful that so many people are taking reasonable precautions.

I love proactive but won’t do panicked and one day we are all going to have some stories to tell our grandkids.  We can tell them how the world we knew got turned upside down, at least for a while.

Jesus came into a world that was upside down, wrong-side out, and pretty much living contrary to the ways of God.  Even the religious hierarchy didn’t know which way was up. 

As Jesus went around the countryside, he amazed people with miracles, challenging teachings, and the fact that he spoke with authority.

Not everything he said was easy to understand.  Sometimes he used figurative language such as hyperbole, simile, and extended metaphors.  The disciples often had to have the parables explained.  Their minds were still governed by the models of the world in so many ways.

He used concepts such as being born again and even the teachers of Israel couldn’t grasp what he was saying.  When your world is upside-down, the one living right-side-up seems to be out of place, out of sync, out of touch.

But for a moment, surely less than an hour, the world or at least a piece of it, was turned right-side up.  Jesus rode into the Jerusalem during Passover week.  He had been anointed while in Bethany and was coming into the city as foretold by the prophet, on the colt of a donkey.

Only a short time before, he had raised Lazarus from the dead.  People were excited.  Yes, some were plotting to kill him as well, but this hour belonged to the people who saw and tasted and knew hope for the moment.  They cried out:

Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the King of Israel.

In that moment, the blind spoke.  What?  The Pharisees who were surely oblivious to who was coming into town, were talking about how this guy was a wrench in the works.  He was messing up their normal, but they spoke truth as well.  They did not realize it, but they did.

Look how the whole world has gone after him.

They did not realize what they just said which essentially was:

Look, for this time, the world has been righted.  For now, we are right-side up.  In the moment, things are right and harmonious and full of joy.

Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the King of Israel.

In that moment, the hearts of the people sought after the Lord.  We know there is more to the story that unfolded over the next few and very full days. 

We know that cries of Hosanna will turn to Crucify Him.  We know that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sin.  We know there is much that Jesus has to teach his followers in these last days before his death and resurrection. 

Looking forward from this point, he will really turn their world upside down when he washes their feet.  There is so much more.

But for now, the world is right.  The people seek Jesus.  The whole world has come after him.

That’s our commission now, to bring the whole world to come after him.  This time, it’s more than shouting Hosanna.  It’s leading people to the salvation and Lordship of Christ Jesus and cries of Hallelujah as they realize their freedom from sin and death.

Hosanna.  Hosanna in the highest.

Hallelujah.

Amen.

Hear the Children

Read Matthew 21:1-17

It’s Palm Sunday.  It got here in a hurry.  Usually the Palm Sunday messages are about the triumphal entry into Jerusalem or about the Passion of the Christ.  These are two appropriate topics for this day.  You have heard them both here over the past decade.

But today, I want to talk about the kids.  Think about the kids shouting Hosanna!  Hosanna to the Son of David!  Hosanna in the highest.  They were probably just repeating what they had heard as Jesus rode into town.  Probably.

Jesus went on to the temple and disrupted commerce to say the least, then he was back to healing again.  And there were two distinct responses noted in the text.

The religious leaders were indignant.  Just who does this guy think he is?  We’re the big dogs here.  Who is this Jesus of Nazareth to steal the show?

The children said, Hosanna to the Son of David. 

The religious leaders were blind to the fact that this is the Son of David.  This is the Messiah.  Even Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was the Son of David.  It seems that the kids and a blind man have the best vision.

The children cry out Hosanna!  It’s an interesting word.  It’s a Greek word that sounds pretty much like the Hebrew word or words.  It’s a cry for help and a cry of happiness.  It means not only save us, but save us now. 

It’s save us, I pray you save us.  I am petitioning the one who can grant my request.  That’s a source of joy.

The kids knew Jesus was the Son of David.  It seems that they also knew he was Savior.  It seems that they had connected more of the dots here than the really smart people, at least the self-proclaimed really smart people.

We shouldn’t be surprised.  Jesus has already taught that whoever humbles himself like a child will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

He said whoever welcomes a child in his name is welcoming him.

Oh by the way, woe unto the person who leads a child in the wrong way.

He went on to say that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these, referring to the children that had come to see Jesus and the disciples thought he was too busy.

Sometimes it seems that children see so clearly, know instinctively, and have faith without doubt as their first nature.

We adults have complicated things quite a bit.  We split hairs over theology—swallow camels and strain out gnats if you will.

Kids just see the reality of God.  We complicate it with the reality of a world conformed to sin.

Here comes Jesus the Son of David riding on a small donkey.  People shout Hosanna.  He clears the temple of the money changers.  He is not happy about how his Father’s house is treated.  He heals those who are sick, lame, and even blind.

The kids get it.  This is the one that we have been waiting for—this is the Messiah that the rabbis teach of. 

The teachers were blind to the man before them, asking: Who is this guy whose cutting in on our turf?

This is Palm Sunday but we have been talking about faith all year.  The kids believe.  The kids have faith and do not doubt.  They probably don’t even know they have faith.

The adults, especially these very well-educated adults, have complicated things.  Does that mean that we should not study and show ourselves as a workman approved?

No.  We study, and memorize, and learn, and practice but we do it with the faith of a child.  We need the innocent faith of a child in a world that detests innocence.  I think you understand what it is like to be as innocent as doves and as shrewd as snakes.

We have been sent out as sheep among wolves and too often we become like the wolves.  There is an acceptance that children have that we need.  We need to understand the world around us because the days are evil, but we need that pure acceptance that we seem to find only in children.

Every 3 or 4 years I find I reason to tell this story.  I could only wait one year this time. It is very much a true story.  It comes from a missionary sent from England to Zaire many decades ago.  Her name is Dr. Helen Roseveare.  She died at the age of 91 in 2016.  I have read most of her books and can say without equivocation, that the things that she went through in God’s service would make most Marines feel like a bunch of wimps.

One night, in Central Africa, I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all that we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying, two-year-old daughter.

We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive. We had no incubator. We had no electricity to run an incubator, and no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.

A student-midwife went for the box we had for such babies and for the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly, in distress, to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. “…and it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk; so, in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over a burst water bottle. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. All right,” I said, “Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.”

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with many of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chilled. I also told them about the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt consciousness of our African children. “Please, God,” she prayed, “send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, the baby’ll be dead; so, please send it this afternoon.” While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, ” …And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?” As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, “Amen?” I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything: The Bible says so, but there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time that I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel! I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone; so, I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then, there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children began to look a little bored. Next, came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas – – that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend. As I put my hand in again, I felt the…could it really be? I grasped it, and pulled it out. Yes, “A brand-new rubber, hot water bottle!” I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!” Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone: She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, “Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?”

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday School class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. One of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child — five months earlier in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it “That afternoon!” “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24.

Most of the time when I share this I talk about the verse from Isaiah, but today consider the faith of the child—the innocent, undoubting faith of this child named Ruth.

“If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!”

She had no idea that the box would come.  She had no idea what was in it, but when she saw the first part of her prayer answered, she had no doubt that there would be a dolly in that box as well.

The answer to her prayer would be in that box.  God wouldn’t ship the items separately.  The doll would be in that box.

The kids knew who had come to town that day, riding on the colt of a donkey.  They were not encumbered by the patterns of the world.

They cried-out Hosanna to the Son of David.

It’s a cry of joy and petition.  It is a cry for help knowing the one who can help hears us.  It’s casting aside the chains of the world and seeking salvation from the only one who can deliver it.

Today, Palm Sunday, I want you to know the joy of calling out Hosanna to the one who saves.  We know already what he has done for us, but let’s call out all the same.

Hosanna.  Hosanna to the Son of David.

Amen.

Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion

Read John 12:12-19

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

I may or may not have told you this, but I can read minds.  Some of you are already thinking, “I bet he wants us to say that at the end of his two-hour sermon.”

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  There might just be a time for that.  There is a time for everything…

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

     a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

     a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

     a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

     a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

     a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

     a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

And there was a time for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem and be hailed as King.  There was a time for the people to cry out to him to save them.  Hosanna!  Hosanna in the highest!

Blessings and petitions from his own people who lined the road into Jerusalem defined that day.  It was as scripture had defined the moment.  Jesus road on the colt of a donkey.  He was given the royal treatment.

If you read the account in Luke’s gospel, the religious leaders thought that everyone was getting a little carried away.  They tried to rebuke Jesus for his disciples—and we are talking about more than the 12—as they were just taking this whole trip into town into town stuff to the extremes.

How did Jesus respond?  If I tell them to be quiet, then the very rocks on the side of the road will cry out in acclamation of what is happening here.  

Because what was happening here had been foretold by Zechariah. 

The religious leaders should have known exactly what was happening, but they suffered from the blindness of the Pharisees.   God’s own people had suffered under terrible leadership for too long. 

God had given the law to Moses so that the people could live good lives.  If they did what the law commanded, they would be in debt to no one and could freely forgive the debts of others.  The law provided a good model and obedience would leave the people in good standing.

Here is a big one.  If the people would live as God commanded, there would be no poor in the land.  Think about it.  If you live as the law commands, you will be blessed, God’s storehouse will be full, you will do no harm to your neighbor, and nobody will be poor.  That last part defies every economic model that we know today.  Someone always gets the short end of the stick.

The problem was that the people could not live by the law.  They tried and failed.  Tried harder and failed.  Didn’t try very hard at all and failed.  They just could not bring their rebellious human nature into obedience to holy God.

So the people missed out on many blessings, were conquered several times, and seemed to have poor people everywhere.  When Jesus came, he told these people who should have no poor among them that the poor would always be with them.  Had something changed?  No, the law offered possibilities—potential if you will—and Jesus spoke of the state of the people who could never live up to the law.

God’s own people were a mess, but their King had come.  He came riding on the foal of a donkey.  There was hope that as God had required his people to cancel debts, that their own debts to God might be cancelled.

There are some words here that we sometimes read past as we get excited with Hosanna, and blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, and your King is coming seated on the colt of a donkey.  What words?

Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion.

The Daughter of Zion verbiage was used several times in the Old Testament.  Zion is Jerusalem and the daughter is God’s people.  More than that, they are people in need of salvation.

The message that is ubiquitous in God’s word is do not be afraid. 

Oh you 12 tribes that have made a mess of things, do not be afraid.  The Daughter of Zion cries out Hosanna meaning save us and that salvation that you cry aloud for rides before you on a little donkey.

Do not be afraid.  Things were going according to plan.  God’s own people probably didn’t like the plan that was unfolding before them, but it contains the very thing they desired so much—salvation.

Had the crowd known that Jesus had already been anointed for his burial, they might not have cheered so vigorously.  Had they known that Jesus would breathe his last on a Roman cross in just a few days, it might have put a damper on things.  Had the people know what was required by the plan of God, they might have opted out or protested or posted angry emojis.  For this is not the way they would have put together a plan of salvation, but that plan was at work nonetheless.

We look back two millennia with fantastic hindsight.  We see how those pieces fit together, but how about now?  How about in our time?  What do we see?

Some have eyes to see blessings, lots of blessings.  A home, heat and air, running water, indoor plumbing, and food not just in abundant quantities but in unbelievable variety.  Those are some blessings.

Throw on top of that a vehicle or two per family.  The fact that Jesus walked everywhere, except for one trip into town on a donkey, has not held us back.  What a blessing the automobile is—wow!

But we also know trouble.  Discord, violence, global war—of which our nation is involved almost everywhere, and the never-ending threat of nuclear war—it only takes one crazy man to set that disaster into motion—that has hung over us for 7 decades now mark the tribulation of our modern lives. 

We know hatred and vitriol and fatal automobile accidents.  This can be a mean world.

We would like the world to get in step with God, and one day it will, but it appears that such a day is not in our immediate future.  And so, that leaves us to cry out to God to save us.  In the middle of this crazy world where blessings and blasphemies both grow like the wheat and the weeds, we ask God to save us from this insanity.

And we should hear God’s answer, for he has answered us.  He tells us not to be afraid.  He tells us to take courage.  God has not abandoned his plan for us.  He told us in advance that we would have trouble in this world.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Take heart, take courage, do not be afraid are God’s consistent messages to his Chosen People and now to us. 

In the week ahead, I want you not only to think about the kids and the palms and Jesus riding into town on a young donkey; but think of how much God loves us in the passion that would take Jesus all the way to the cross.  I want you to realize that God’s plan unfolded just as prescribed in that first century.

I want you to know that in the insanity and discord and vitriol of this modern world, he still has good plans for us.

He has already saved us from sin and death having any say in our eternity and he will never abandon us, even in our darkest hour.  He has not orphaned us in this world that has forsaken him.

He has answered our cries for help and sends us into this dark world with hope.  He sends us out as his light.  He sends us out with good news for a fallen world.

And as we go, do not be afraid, take heart, and take courage.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Amen. 

Hosanna to the Son of David

Read Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus has been baptized by John, an event witnessed by heaven and earth.  He was tempted by physical weakness and by Satan himself and emerged victorious ready for his mission to kick into gear.

He has been welcomed, given the cold shoulder, praised, and challenged.  He taught, healed, rebuked, comforted, and rescued a wedding from disaster.  He dined with Pharisees and tax collectors.  He retreated from the crowds into houses and went up mountains to pray and just get away from the crowds so he could be with his Father.  He needed a place to be still.

He has even had his body prepared for burial in advance with some pricy fragrances. The disciples might have thought that such a high-priced perfume might be sold to feed the poor, but they were yet to understand the magnitude of what was to come.

Jesus wept at the loss of his friend Lazarus even though he would bring him back from the dead.  Jesus had told his closest friends that he must die.  They did not want to accept this, but Jesus told them that it must happen.  They must set aside their own expectations for the plan of God.

Jesus walked from place to place as any man would but he was also transfigured into the glory that awaited him.  This took place before three of his disciples.  Elijah and Moses appeared with him.  It was sort of like a final timeout to make sure that everything required by the law and the prophets would be accomplished in these final days.

Jesus still had a few more things to check off his bucket list before he went to the cross.  One of them was to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey—and a young donkey at that.  The logistics for this were already in place. 

Jesus sent two disciples to a specific place to retrieve these animals.  He said that if anyone says anything, just tell them that the Lord needs them.  They returned without incident with a donkey and its colt in tow. Whether this had been arranged sometime over the past three years of roaming the countryside or had ben coordinated at the foundation of the world is not part of the account, but Jesus would ride into Jerusalem just as Zechariah’s prophecy had foretold.

There were coats and cloaks placed on this donkey.  There were coats placed on the road into Jerusalem.  People cut down branches to line the road.  This was a big event.  This was an array of color and commendation set for Jesus.  The King of kings was coming to town.

How did people know to be on this road before Twitter and Facebook?  How did a crowd form when nobody knew how to send a group text?

This was Jerusalem’s King.  This was the King of kings riding into town just as prophesied.  There was no advertising or advanced billing, but the King was coming.

There was excitement in the air.  Some of the crowd went ahead of Jesus.  Some surely just came to the roadside.  Others followed.  Jesus had just healed two blind men, probably in Jericho or at least on the road from Jericho.  These two men followed.

Even when they were blind, they knew who this man was.  They cried out, “Lord, Son of David, help us!”  They could have cried out, “Prophet from Nazareth would you help us?”

They cried out to the Son of David and asked for mercy. 

Jesus replied, “I do all kinds of mercy.  What exactly do you need?”

Now Jesus knew what they needed but we have been given this exchange so we can witness the reverence for Jesus and the confidence in Jesus and the gratitude of two men who given their sight might have had a list of their own—you know, things to do if we ever got our sight—but they decided to follow Jesus.

Jesus was coming and didn’t need tweets or posts to let people know.  There was an excitement building in and around Jerusalem.  Listen to how the gospel writer personified the city.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

blind men knew that Jesus was the Son of David.  The crowds in Jerusalem knew him as a prophet from Galilee.  The Sanhedrin were not impressed by anything that came out of Nazareth or Galilee, but this wasn’t their day.  This day belonged to the man riding the donkey.

The crowds called out to the Son of David.  The people going ahead or following behind Jesus knew that this man was more than a prophet.  This was the long-promised Messiah from the lineage of King David.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Hosanna is an exclamation of praise and a request for help all wrapped into one.   It’s save us and praise you squeezed into a single word.  It is excitement and expectation bundled together.  The people were asking for salvation with the expectation that the man on the colt could provide it.

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

What a day!  Not everyone knew everything but enough people knew enough to get excited and shout, Hosanna!  They knew enough.

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

In 2017 we know much, much more than those who lined the road to Jerusalem.  We know that this was and is the King of kings.  This man is the Messiah.  Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  We know the story but do we have the excitement?

Or do we think:

“Oh man, Palm Sunday already—I had better get on the ball and buy some eggs for the kids.”

“Holy Toledo!  It’s almost Easter. I don’t know if I am up to another zero dark thirty worship service.”

“I hope they got most of the stickers out of that field for the Easter Egg Hunt.”

“I am so not ready to sing, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord.  Could any song have a more depressing melody and lyrics?  Can’t we just skip to He Lives, He Lives!”

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

Or

“Man, where did the year go?  It’s that time again?”

We need more of “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” and less of time passing us by.  We need to generate some excitement about the celebration that is upon us.

We need to embrace the attitude that goes with these words:  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever would believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

You have heard these words from me every Sunday since the fall of 2011.  Regardless of what the sermon is, we always proclaim the good news.  If you ever hear me just say these words instead of proclaiming them with enthusiasm and joy, then put the search committee together. 

We should be even more excited about shouting Hosanna—save us—to the Son of David because that is exactly what he did.

There is a whole lot that transpired between that first Palm Sunday and the resurrection.  There is a lot to study and learn and apply, but for today, it’s about excitement.  It is about building up to the biggest celebration of our year. 

As you go through this week, do it with the words, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

When you pick up your mail, shout, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

When you think about something being boring or routine in your life, then proclaim these words:  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life!

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

I know that sometimes biblical messages are heavy on the theology and the interpretation of the text and the latest twist on what the Greek or Aramaic might have meant instead of the traditional interpretation.  I know that.  Preacher has to pay the bills, right?  So he throws in a fancy word every now and then so people think that he might have gone to school, but today is about getting worked up for the biggest celebration of the year.

Today is about laying down our coats and palm branches and our selfish desires.  It is for lifting up our spirit for the King of kings is coming to town, and we know that the biggest gift the world has even known is about to bestow life upon the world.

Get ready to celebrate.

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Amen!