Sunday 03/24/24 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Hope Through Humility and Simplicity!” (“Resurrection Hope” Series: Part 6 of 7)
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
New Testament Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel Lesson: Mark 11:1-11
Sometimes in our lives we over complicate things. Sometimes
there are very basic and very simple things, but we sometimes make them much
more complicated than they need to be. For example, some of us might be going somewhere
special, and we spend an hour trying to figure what to wear, how to do our
hair, etc. Sometimes we over think things that are simple, and even that are humble
and basic.
Sometimes some of us lose sleep, worry, or stress about
things, that when looking back later, we realize were small, simple, and
humble. In our busy and technologically advanced culture, sometimes we make
things so complicated. Sometimes an understanding of Jesus, and coming to Jesus
becomes over complicated. Yet, I think that coming to Jesus is in many ways simple
and something the requires our humility.
I mean how much simpler can it get? God sent his only Son to
earth, and this son taught, loved, healed, forgave, and has transformed the
whole world. All we have to do is have faith “Through
Humility and Simplicity!” We
realize that on our own, all of us, including me, and including you, are
incapable of living fully independent of sin and darkness. This is all of us,
not just some. We realize that we want and need spiritual freedom, and the answer
my friends is faith in Christ “Through
Humility and Simplicity!” Jesus
made it so easy for us, that if we through “Through
Humility and Simplicity!” turn
to him, we can be restored to new life, we will be forgiven, and we can live a
life of victory!
For God in the flesh came among us to be like one of us, to
live like one of us, so that we might have hope and spiritual restoration in
and through him. Further, we can then live out that faith, that discipleship,
that love, that community, and that hope, not only individually, not only in
our families, not only in our church families, but in the whole world!
I mean in many ways John 3:16 can’t be any simpler or humbler,
as John 3:16 says:
16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life (Jn. 3:16, NRSV).
So
basic, so simple, so humble, but many of us often have a tendency to over
complicate things that are so uncomplicated. Next Sunday, is Easter or
Resurrection Sunday. Next Sunday, we will celebrate Jesus Christ our Lord
physically rising from the dead, after three days, triumphing of sin, evil,
darkness, and hopelessness. Today on this Palm or Passion Sunday, Jesus enters
the holy city of Jerusalem, or Zion as it often called in the Old Testament or the
Hebrew Bible. In this scene, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, enters the
holy city, Zion, Jerusalem, not in limousine, or a gold covered chariot. Jesus
Christ, God in the flesh enters the holy city on a donkey, a colt.
If
we were going to make a grand entrance, if we were going to a grand event,
would be simple about it, or would make it more complicated? If you were to
have the savior the world, God in the flesh enter Jerusalem to start the Jewish
Passover celebration, how would you have him enter? In my sermon for this
morning being called “Hope Through Humility and Simplicity,” I think that Jesus
this morning wanted us to see who he was on this Palm or Passion Sunday in a
simple and even humble way.
Just
think of it, the savior of the world coming into Jerusalem to prepare to
celebrate the Passover, but he does it on a borrowed donkey, or colt. Cloaks,
which a sort of like coats of sorts we place on the donkey or a colt, and Jesus
sat on it. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, people cut palm branches from trees, as
we have palms this morning, to remember this. People spread their cloaks in the
path that Jesus walked in on, and as he entered, in this simple and humble way,
or gospel of Matthew reading says in 11:9-10 the people were shouting:
9 Then those who went
ahead and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who
comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom
of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ (Mk. 11:9-10, NRSV).
The savior of the world enters into
the holy city of Jerusalem, or Zion this day, in a simple and a humble way. You
see, as I said, Jesus came to live like one of us. How much simpler and humbler
could Jesus make it this morning. Turn our lives over to Christ, live for him,
and like him. Live simply and humbly, as our savior enter the holy city this morning
in this way.
As many of know through this season of
Lent and through easter I have been preaching a sermon series called the “Resurrection
Hope” series. Easter Sunday, which is next Sunday, is that day Jesus conquers
sin and death when he rises up and leaves him empty tomb. This day is what
makes and proves that Jesus is truly Lord and savior. So powerful is the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, that most Christian Churches worship on Sunday mornings, making
each Sunday a mini-Easter celebration. Even so, we can seek other forms of hope
through this season of Lent, Easter, and beyond.
So
far in this “Resurrection Hope” preaching series we have talked about finding “Hope Through
Baptism” that we feel and receive. We have talked about having “Hope In
Suffering and Surrender!” as we all struggle, and as we all need to continue to
surrender our lives daily to Jesus Christ. We have talked about “Hope Through
Biblical Justice,” as Jesus flipped the tables of money changers and cleansed
the temple. We have talked about “Hope Through Love, Life, and Light!” and last
week we talked about “Hope Through Faith and Trust!” This morning, once again,
we are talking about “Hope Through Humility and Simplicity!”
For example, in our reading for this
morning from Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 for this morning, we hear in Psalm 118:1, once
again:
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his
steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 118:1, NRSV).
Simple
and basic right? I mean how could we over complicate this, but we so often can
do just that. We hear in the same Psalm reading for this morning, foreshadowing
Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem this morning our gospel of Matthew 11:1-11,
in Psalm 118:26, this
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name
of the Lord.
We
bless you from the house of the Lord (Psalm, 118:26, NRSV)
Similar
to what the people this morning shouted when Jesus came into Jerusalem to prepare
to celebrate the Passover “Through Humility and Simplicity!” If we
were going to send Jesus into Jerusalem this morning, how would we do it? Would
we over complicate it, or would we show the “Humility and Simplicity!” and that
our Lord and Savior tried to show us this morning.
Since Jesus enters Jerusalem this way
on this Palm or Passion Sunday, then what does this tell us our faith should be
like? A simple faith. A humble faith where love Jesus, and where we love
others. At the same time, we are called to humbly and simply turn from sin and
darkness towards Jesus Christ. In fact, in our reading from Philippians 2:5-11
for this morning, we hear right away in 2:5-8, once again:
5 Let
the same mind be in you that was
in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form
of God, did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited, 7 but
emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness. And
being found in human form, 8 he humbled
himself and became obedient to the point of
death—even death on a cross.
Jesus Christ, enters into Jerusalem on
this Palm or Passion Sunday with humility and simplicity, to remind that he came
to this earth feel what we feel and experience what we experience. Jesus enters
Jerusalem this day, to give us “Hope
Through Humility and Simplicity!”
In looking, once again, our gospel of
Matthew 11:1-11 reading for this morning, it says starting in 11:1, once again:
11 When they were
approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he
sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of
you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has
never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, “Why are
you doing this?” just say this, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here
immediately.”’ 4 They went away and found a colt tied near a
door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the
bystanders said to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’ 6 They told them
what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it (Mk.
11:1-6, NRSV).
I have
also found it kind of humorous that Jesus sent two of his disciples in the
village to just untie a colt, or donkey depending on your translation, and to
just bring it to Jesus. Jesus said this animal had never been ridden. Jesus
tells the disciples if they are questioned, to just tell whoever may question
them that “The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.”’ It’s
sort of like a modern version of Jesus wants to borrow your car briefly.
The gospel of Matthew reading then picks up in Mark
11:7, and finishes in Mark 11:11, saying:
7 Then they brought
the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8 Many people
spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had
cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed
were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the
one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed
is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna
in the highest heaven!’ 11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went
into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already
late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve (Mk.
11:7-11, NRSV).
So, this story of Palm Sunday, that many of us have heard many times, where we wave palms and where we shout ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! is to remember and commemorate this our start of Holy Week. On this day, Jesus enters the holy city, Zion, Jerusalem, on a donkey, a colt, to shouts of ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Jesus enters in the humblest and most simple of ways, to show us his love, his grace, to become like one of us, and to show us how simple and humble faith in him can be. On this day in always may we seek to have “Hope Through Humility and Simplicity!” Amen.
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