Sunday 04/10/22 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “New Life Is Entering In!” (“New Life Is Coming” Series: Part 6 of 7)
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
New Testament Scripture:
Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel Lesson: Luke 19:28-40
Five weeks ago, I started
a new sermon series called the “New Life Is Coming Series.” We are currently in
the season of spring, and we are currently also in the season of Lent. These
are both seasons of growth and new life. In this season of Lent, we have new
life in Jesus’ resurrection on Easter morning, we have new life in renewing our
faith in Christ, and we have new life in coming out of the fog of this
pandemic.
How are you noticing and
seeing “New Life” in this season of Lent? Are you hoping that we are moving to
our new normal, post pandemic? Are you giving up, giving away, and turning to
Christ in this season? Are you looking not just to the cross, but to the empty
tomb in this season of “New Life”?
So where have you seen new
life entering in, in this season of spring and in Lent? Where have you seen signs
of hope, joy, grace, love, and the light of Jesus Christ? I have seen many of
these in many different ways, have you?
As I mentioned last Sunday,
when we had the funeral or the celebration of life service for Wayne King, I said
that I had some grief last Saturday. Sometimes I am just so busy, and I go and go
and go. I am getting better about taking time to “smell the roses,” but sometimes
we just do not take enough time to process emotionally and spiritually what is
going on in our lives and in the world.
Last Saturday, Melissa was
at a youth event, and I had some time to spend alone at home with our dog
Sally. As I sat in my recliner with Sally for about 1-2 hours, I suddenly found
myself tearful. I felt grief and sorrow. At first, I could not understand why I
was feeling the way I was, but then it hit me, we have been through a lot of
loss in the past couple of years. In those 1-2 two hours, I thought about the
people from this church who have passed on to glory in the last two years. It
just hit me, as well as the over one million people from this country that have
died from COVID-19, as well as the war in Ukraine.
You see, there is much suffering
in this world, in this country, and in this very community. Yet, we are in a
season of new hope, and as Christians we are children of resurrection. We are children
of hope and “New Life,” even it seems like sometimes that there is precious
little to go around. The reality is, is that suffering is real, but that the
power of God in Jesus Christ is real, as well.
Despite all the odds,
despite all the factors, Jesus will rise from the dead next Sunday, on Easter
morning. Despite all of the suffering and the carnage that we have lived
through during this pandemic, we are hopefully beginning to get to a new
normal. Hopefully, we are seeing and experiencing signs of “New Life” and joy. For
all of these reasons, this is why my sermon series is called, “New Life Is
Coming!”
This morning, on this our
Palm or Passion Sunday, my sermon is called “New Life Is Entering In!” This Sunday
is called Palm Sunday, because as Jesus’ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey or a
colt, on this day, as people waved palm branches and shouted Hosanna! It is
also called Passion Sunday, as some churches read what is often called the “Passion
Narrative.” This is the gospel reading from today through Good Friday, and
Jesus’ death on Good Friday. The reason I generally do not read the whole “Passion
Narrative” on this Sunday, is because we tell the story of this week gradually
as the week progresses. We tell the story of this Holy Week more this Thursday
night at 7:00 pm, on Maundy or Holy Thursday. We tell this story more this
Friday night at 7:00 pm on Good Friday, and we cap this story off on Easter Sunday
with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So, this morning Jesus
enters into the holy city, or “Zion” as it sometimes called in the Old
Testament, to shouts of “Hosanna!” Palm branches were waved, as the savior of
the world and the Lord of all enters in. It would seem that nobody knew that
Jesus was going to do this on this day. Or if they thought that he might do
this, they did not know when or how he would do this. It was a surprising
display of “New Life Entering In.” Perhaps some people during the coming
Passover festival in Jerusalem were broken and grieved. Maybe they had a moment
like I did a week ago where all the suffering and loss just seemed so heavy.
Sometimes friends when we
least expect it, “New Life Enters In!” Sometimes this is also literal, not just
things we see or experience. In the past handful of weeks for example, millions
of people have been displaced in Ukraine. Millions of people have left their
homes for other places in the country, and millions have fled the country
altogether. There are about 2.5 million Ukrainian refugees in Poland, and hundreds
of thousands in other nearby countries. Despite the war, the carnage, and the
suffering, “New Life” and new hope is being offered too so many. How can we
offer new life and new hope to others on this Palm or Passion Sunday, and during
this whole Holy Week?
On this our Palm Sunday,
Jesus enters into the Holy City of Jerusalem in simplest of ways, riding on a
donkey or a colt to the shouts of “Hosanna!” Maybe over the course of the past
couple of years of this pandemic you could have used a new and real Palm
Sunday. Maybe you could have used the triumphant entrance of Jesus Christ to
show us hope, faith, and love.
It is comforting that the Psalmist
reminds this morning in 118:1 that:
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! (Ps. 118:1, NRSV).
God’s love is
eternal, but war is not. God’s love is eternal, but pandemics are not. God’s
love is eternal, but earthly suffering is not. This is why when Jesus entered
Jerusalem this morning there were shouts to Jesus of as it says in Psalm
118:26:
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord (Ps. 118:26, NRSV).
There is hope
in suffering, there “New Life Entering In” when we least expect it. The Apostle
Paul reminds us in our reading from Philippians 2:5-11 for this morning that we
should have the same mind in us, as Jesus had. Paul tells that even though
Jesus was God on earth, he was still humble and kind, that he took the form of
a slave, and that he died on cross for us all (Phil. 2:5-8, NRSV). Due to all
of this, Jesus is exalted above all people and over all the earth. Every knee
shall bow, and every tongue confess one day that Jesus is Lord (Phil. 2:9-11,
NRSV).
While
forgiveness and salvation is a free gift in Jesus Christ to all who ask for it,
if we live wickedly and do not repent, we will have to answer for it. If
dictators and people that harm others do not repent, they will have to answer
to Jesus for the harm that they have caused. Jesus calls all the world unto himself,
and we are all called to live, love, and be like Jesus.
So just how,
once again, did “New Life” enter into the Holy City of Jerusalem on this day
nearly two-thousand years ago? Let us look at our gospel of Luke reading for
this morning from 19:28-40 for this morning, once again. Starting in 19:28 it
says:
28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord needs it” (Lk. 19:28-33, NRSV).
Imagine if someone told
you to walk into Sidney and that you would find a colt or donkey tied up?
Imagine further if this person then told you to take this colt or donkey and
bring it to them. So just steal the thing! Further, if anyone asks you about
stealing it, just say that “The Lord needs it.” Wow! I guess we can assume that
after Jesus’ rode into Jerusalem this day, on Palm Sunday, that the donkey or
the colt was returned to the owner.
After bringing this colt or donkey to
Jesus, the gospel of Luke then says once again starting in 19:35:
35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out” (Lk. 19:35-40, NRSV).
Jesus rides into Jerusalem on this day
in the humblest of ways offering new hope, “New Life,” and light to the world. This
event is recorded in all four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which
is where we get the differences of mentioning Jesus riding a donkey or colt,
which is a young horse. A king would ride a horse, but a donkey is a symbol of
peace, that surely the prince of peace would ride. Luke’s gospel does not mention
the palm branches being waved, but other gospels do.
The real question is how can something
as simple as Jesus’ riding into Jerusalem on a donkey or a colt, a young horse,
to the shouts of “Hosanna” with palm branches waving be such a bid deal? I mean
we have been telling this story for two-thousand years, and Jesus’ entry was
not anything grand or fancy. It must have been so transformative however, that
it made it into all four of the New Testament gospels. As a result, “New Life”
can enter into our live in simple or magnificent ways. What happened this day,
nearly two-thousand years ago was profound and life changing enough that we still
tell and celebrate this story even today.
As we enter into this Holy Week, this
week that leads to Easter Sunday, be on the look out for the simple and the magnificent
ways that “New Life Is Entering In.” Also, be aware of the possibilities where we
can offer “New Life,” new hope, and new love to those around us. It can be
grand and magnificent, or it can be as simple as us riding in on a donkey, with
palms waving to the shouts of “Hosanna!” Amen.
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