Rochester, MN UCC - "Cry Out with Joy" - Matthew 21:1-11
It must have been quite the celebration that first Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Huge crowds laying their cloaks on the road and waving palms. The crowds went on before Jesus and on and on behind him in a massive parade of people shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" This crowd of Judeans was celebrating the coming of a King, a Son of David. They were crying out “Hosanna! Save Us!” They believed that Jesus was the king that God had sent to save them.
The crowds were right; but not quite. As Jesus’ procession enters the city people ask, “Who is this?” The crowds respond, saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” Prophet isn’t quite right. Prophets are empowered to speak the Word of God, Jesus is the Word of God itself. Yes, he is a king, but he’s not just any king, he’s the King of Kings. He’s not merely the Son of David, he’s the Son of God come to us in the flesh.
The crowd's failure to understand who Jesus is, means they also don’t understand the salvation he is bringing or the kingdom he is inaugurating. He will save us through suffering. He will defeat death by dying himself and rising to new life. And he asks his followers to join him in this by dying to their sin through his grace and rising to new life in Him. The kingdom that he brings is one where greatness is defined by service to all. A kingdom where the sick are healed, the hungry fed, and the stranger welcomed.
We are in a slightly different position than the crowds on that first Palm Sunday. We have the benefit of knowing how the story ends. We know that he will be crucified. We know that he will rise again in triumph. We even know that pride of place in his kingdom belongs to the least of these among us and those who give their lives in service to them. Knowing what we know– knowing the kind of king Christ is and the type of kingdom which he brings- will we still celebrate him? Will we shout loud Hosannas to a Crucified King who calls us not to rule but to serve? With the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit we will do just that this Sunday in worship. Join us in celebrating the one who comes in the name of Lord, waving palms, singing hosannas, and choosing once more to walk with Jesus through the cross and into the new life of his resurrection.
Pastor Andrew Greenhaw