As Jesus stared down that road into Jerusalem, he knew what he would face: rejection, pain, and death. But he also stared into the faces of people he would save. He visualized the countless saints in heaven rejoicing his triumph on the cross for all eternity. Today, we celebrate our King coming to save us and we thank Jesus for our confirmands who are committing to following Jesus our King and relying on his grace their whole lives long.
As Jesus stared down that road into Jerusalem, he knew what he would face: rejection, pain, and death. But he also stared into the faces of people he would save. He visualized the countless saints in heaven rejoicing his triumph on the cross for all eternity. Today, we celebrate our King coming to save us and we thank Jesus for our confirmands who are committing to following Jesus our King and relying on his grace their whole lives long.
Maddy and Alex, what do you remember from our first class together? So, you don’t remember me looking crazy nervous? That’s good! My acting skills came through then! :) I can still remember frantically getting the Google Slides set up, wanting everything to be just so, and I looked at this group of 5 incredible people, people I know Jesus is going to use in amazing ways, and I said a mental prayer, “Jesus, don’t let me mess this up!” The first question I asked you all was, “What is the number one thing you want to learn more about in confirmation class?” Maddy’s hand flies up (not surprising) and she says the best answer anyone could say, “I want to learn more about God!” Alex in his usual cool demeanor smiled, nodded, and said, “Same.” So we made it our goal as a class to learn more about God and to realize more and more just how deep Jesus’ love for us is. The only way to do that was to hear God speak to us through the Bible. The question every person on the planet needs to answer is the same one the crowd was asking on Palm Sunday, “Who is this?” (Matthew 21:10)
Jesus’ love is so obvious here. He stands on the Mount of Olives looking down at Jerusalem. He knows what’s coming, and he knows each and every step he needs to take to the cross. So, he sent disciples ahead of him to procure a donkey, fulfilling prophecies from the Old Testament, then Jesus saddles up and starts slowly descending down the green hill. Word spreads like crazy, “Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming!” The whole city is buzzing. This is the guy who just raised Lazarus from the dead. This is the guy who heals the sick. This is the guy who feeds thousands of people. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” The hype is building. It’s Passover. Could this be the king to save us from Rome? Could this be the Son of David to give us back our independence? They were trying to answer the most important question in the world, “Who is this?” Who is Jesus?
Alex and Maddy, you know this, but going into high school, college, adulting, you’re going to hear a lot of answers. You’re going to hear answers like: “Jesus was a philosopher,” “Jesus was a good guy,” and “Jesus was a good teacher, but nothing more.” You’re going to hear, if you haven’t already, classmates dismiss Jesus and friends look at you funny for your commitment to him. You know situations will come when you will feel pressured to follow the crowd and not Jesus. You know Satan wants you to forget who Jesus really is, because he knows if we forget who Jesus is, we’ll lose who we really are.
In confirmation class, the ground rule is that we would always be real with each other, and in that spirit, I need to tell you both something. If you’re thinking life will get easier after Confirmation, the reality is far different. You both love your Savior. You both want nothing more than to stay close to his side. You both know he fights for you and won the war for you. You know he loves you more than anyone else. But you also know that Satan is going to work double-time in your life to lead you away from him, to convince you Jesus is all hype and no substance, to get you to think that Jesus isn’t the God he should be, to bring confusion into your life about who Jesus is. He’ll use peer pressure, he’ll use stress, he’ll use anxiety. That’s the reality. Life picks up speed and never slows down.
But here’s the full reality. Remember the prophecy Jesus fulfilled here on Palm Sunday? The prophecy that says point-blank who he is? “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Who is this? Who is Jesus? He is your king. As your king, he reigns with total control. His plan for you will happen. There is no one and nothing who’s stronger than he is! There’s no one who’s more kind. He will never let you down. I love the fact that you guys wanted to sing 10,000 Reasons and By Faith today. Both these songs stress that Jesus is at your side. The Son of David is your life song. Even through tears and fears, you can sing with joy, “Hosanna!” “Save!” And you know your Savior will be right there.
That’s the beauty of verse 5 when it says, “He comes.” Notice how that’s present tense. Jesus will never stop approaching you. He will never let you out of his sights. Through his Word and sacraments, he equips you, grounds you, inspires you, leads you and forgives you. You know the king that Jesus is. He’s the king who gave his life for you, the king who will be the first one to greet you at heaven’s door, the king who is going to lead you to places in your life you never thought you’d go, but it’ll be okay, because he’ll be there.
Maddy and Alex, you know Jesus personally, you know the king who went to the cross, the king who stands victorious over the grave, by grace you will stand on that solid truth your whole life long. He won’t let you fall. He’ll always have your back. He’s your greatest friend. Because you know Jesus as he truly is, remember who you are. You have the gift to call yourself a “Christian.” You belong to Jesus. Your true home is coming. You are part of an army, serving throughout the world, marching out into this world armed with God’s grace and truth. As baptized children of God, every day you two will be presented with opportunities to make an eternal difference in someone’s life. The adventure God has in mind for you is going to be better than you can imagine because Jesus will be at your side every step of the way.
I’m so excited to have the Lord’s Supper with you. I’m so thrilled that you’ll get to taste your forgiveness in Jesus in such a personal and powerful way, but even more so, I so much look forward to you growing closer to your Savior. Life’s adversity has a way of bringing you even closer to him. Jesus is determined to love you, just as he was determined to love us and enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Our cry is the same as the crowd that day, “Hosanna!” Save us! He has! He’s the God who saves and he’s your Jesus who stands beside you now and always. Amen.