Why do we begin Advent with the story of Palm Sunday? Now the Gospel of

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1 Advent November 29, 2015 Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio Pastor Kevin Jud Psalm 25:1-10, Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 19:28-40 Why do we begin Advent with the story of Palm Sunday? Now the Gospel of Luke we just read this morning does not record anything about the palm branches as does the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John but all four Gospels record this event and all four record the words of the crowd as Jesus rides the colt down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! All four Gospels record the royal names and titles for Jesus, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. The king of Israel. And here in Luke, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! The King is coming. Advent means coming; the coming into place. Advent is from the Latin word adventus meaning arrival, approach. What better way to begin the season of celebrating Jesus arrival than with Jesus arrival in Jerusalem to complete His mission of carrying the sins of the world to the cross. During Advent we remember Jesus first arrival as the baby born in Bethlehem and we look forward to that celebration on Christmas. But even more during Advent we look forward to Jesus arrival on the last day as the Lord returns in glory to judge the living and the dead. Today we remember Jesus arriving in Jerusalem to the shouts of Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!

2 2 The sounds of the crowd fill the air on the road heading into Jerusalem and it brings to mind a place not far away. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! As Jesus rides down the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, just six miles south are shepherds keeping watch over their flocks outside Bethlehem, the City of David. Thirtythree years earlier shepherds were in those same fields when angels appeared to announce the arrival of the king. Luke 2:8-14 (ESV) 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! 1 On the first Christmas the multitude of angels announce, Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth. On the first Palm Sunday, the multitude of people in Jerusalem announce, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! There is peace on earth at Jesus birth as the Savior has come into the world, but that peace is hidden from people s eyes as the Godhead is veiled in flesh. There is peace on earth through a squirmy little baby boy lying in a donkey s feed trough. 1 The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

3 3 As we see in our reading today, now there is peace in heaven as Jesus enters Jerusalem to be sacrificed on the cross as the Lamb of God; to suffer, die and rise again. But this peace is hidden from people s eyes. It is hidden in a Galilean rabbi riding a donkey s colt down the Mount of Olives to His death. There is a crowd to welcome the rabbi as a King, but it must look kind of ridiculous. There is no army, there is no palace guard, there is just Jesus on a colt and the people are throwing their cloaks on the ground in front of the king s mount. It is like they are play-acting that Jesus is King. Glory to God in the highest! But from all you can see there is no king. The glory of God is hidden from their eyes. Earth and heaven are joined in peace at Jesus death on the cross as the substitutionary sacrifice and His rising from the dead as victor over the grave. Jesus brings peace but it is hidden from our eyes. Glory to God in the highest! But the glory is hidden in a brutalized, humiliated, bleeding man slowly suffocating on the cross. Even today Jesus continues to bring peace but it is hidden from our eyes. We just witnessed God bring peace between heaven and earth for little Liam. God brings peace in the waters of Holy Baptism. Glory to God in the highest! But the glory is hidden in water and the word. Most Sundays we are brought the peace of God in the Body and Blood of Christ received in Holy Communion. Glory to God in the highest! But the glory is hidden in simple bread and wine. Jesus is King wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Glory to God in the highest! But His glory is hidden.

4 4 Jesus is King as he rides a colt into Jerusalem to the shouts of the crowd. Glory to God in the highest! But His glory is hidden. Jesus is King as He is crucified on the cross of Calvary. Glory to God in the highest! But His glory is hidden. Jesus is King right now, today. Glory to God in the highest! But His glory is hidden. People today will deny Jesus is Lord because His glory is hidden. They want a powerful, in your face Jesus, or they will not believe. Jesus is king reigning on His throne. Glory to God in the highest! But His glory is hidden. Jesus is coming as King on the clouds of glory on the last day and finally His glory will not be hidden. Glory to God in the highest! Jesus glory will shine through; Jesus power will be evident for all to see. For now lots of people want to ignore Jesus; they want to pretend that Jesus is not the King; not the Lord, but on the last day there will be no ignoring Jesus. And so we tell others the truth of Jesus, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Jesus is King. But this is not a popular message. Who is this one who claims to be king? The Pharisees want Jesus followers to shut up and stop shouting, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! The Pharisees do not want to hear it but Jesus says that if these in the crowd are silent the very rocks will cry out. There is no silencing the message that Jesus is Lord. If the Jews don t cry out, then the Gentiles will.

5 5 Today the message that Jesus is King who brings peace between earth and heaven is still not a popular message. There are many places in the world where the name of Jesus will get you killed. In our nation it won t get you killed, but it may get you ostracized; it will get you pushed out of the popular group. The message that Jesus is Lord, Jesus is the savior, Jesus is the only savior; this is a radical message. In a nation that continues to push for politically correct speech the very idea that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus, is a teaching that people want silenced. But the message will not be silenced; it cannot be silenced. The Good News is that Jesus died for you; Jesus died for all. Jesus paid the price for your sin. Jesus died and rose again and brings that peace to you in hidden ways through the waters of Holy Baptism, through the words of absolution, through the bread and wine of Holy Communion. This message cannot be silenced. Islamic extremists can behead our brothers and sisters in Christ, but that will only make us shout the louder. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Every time a false teacher tries to turn Christianity into a means to achieve the American dream we will shout the louder. Jesus is King who brings peace to earth and heaven. Every time the world pushes us to be silent or risk exclusion we will continue to give voice to the Gospel. Jesus Christ is Lord. The more people try to silence the Good News, the more the Good News of Jesus will resound because it is true, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Today we begin the season of Advent remembering King Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem and we look forward to King Jesus coming again in glory. Amen.