Holy Week: Palm Sunday

Hosanna!  Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!  Join Rev. Dr. Aimee Copley Mulder as we reflect on the story in John 12:12-19 and why praising Jesus is who we are.   Shout Hosanna!

Transcript

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All glory to God. This is Amy Cockley Mulder. It's Holy Week. And so I'm so glad you chose to join me. Please continue to listen to my podcast every single day this week as we walk the last week of Jesus together. The last week where Jesus was on the earth before he was crucified. This Holy Week is a time for us to set aside moments where we really think about what Jesus did for us. Holy Week. Join me here at all glory to God.

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Doesn't matter if you're young or white. All that matters if you answer the door when Jesus comes to change your life. All the glory to God.

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Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And here it is: this moment where we shout Hosanna together in worship. I absolutely love it. As a kid, it was my favorite thing that we had these palm branches that we waved, that we walked the aisles. And, you know, I just remember this whole thought of parade. You know, we're doing a parade for Jesus. This week, we start with Palm Sunday. And as I waved my palm branches and shouted Hosanna this morning, I just my favorite song that we sing this day is One Less Stone. And it's saying, in one of the scriptures, it says, if the people hold their peace, the rocks will cry out. And I am one less stone. I am praising Jesus. I am choosing praise. Hosanna, blessed is he who comes. Hosanna, Hosanna, God save us. It's an incredible time together to have the kids come. And I just remember always having this palm branch, this palm branch. And what it meant was honor and praise to the king. Woo! Exciting stuff. Palm Sunday is also a time where we can reflect, that this reflection that we do on Palm Sunday as we go through the Gospel of John, that's the book that we're choosing this holy week. I want you to know that I have preached for 20 years, I have taught for 20 years out of for this week, for Holy Week. And I pray every time, God, could you show me something new? Could you show me something that I've never thought of before? And God is incredibly faithful to always unfold a new nugget, a new beauty, a new truth of who God is. And as Jesus walked the earth this last week, fully human and fully divine, he had a lot, a lot to teach us. And so as we open up the Gospel of John, verse 12, and we're going to start at verse 12, and I encourage you to read John this week as you go to Easter. We will be reading it together on these reflections. But just remember that any gospel that you choose to read, this holy week is incredibly important. Percentage-wise, in your gospel, most of your gospels have a huge chunk of it devoted to the last week of Jesus. So we think it's pretty important. John chapter 12, verse 12. The next day, the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written, Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming sitting on a donkey's colt. His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. Then the Pharisees then said to one another, You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him. This is John chapter 12, verses 12 through 19. We meet Jesus in an incredible scene here. This you can see it. I hope you can see it. Jesus on a on a fresh colt and the palm trees being laid down and the coats and everyone honoring like this big, huge parade. Hosanna, he is here. The one we've been waiting for is here. Some gospels refer to him as the son of man, but every word that's said what in this particular passage of John is about prophecy. This is the one who has come. John lets us know this a couple ways. John says, Hey, they were saying all these things. The disciples didn't understand it, but Jesus was glorified when after Jesus rose again and ascended, then we were like, oh yeah, that's why he said all those things. So John really wants us to know that Jesus, this one he's been writing about, the one he walked with, is the Messiah, the one that we have been waiting for. And here it is, this Palm Sunday moment. But I also want you to understand, as much as everyone's celebrating Jesus, that Jesus is in a lot of, there's a lot of heat around Jesus. The big thing that's happened, besides all the miracles of feeding the 5,000 and all the healings, which is great. But the big miracle that's happened that's causing all of the religious leaders, the chief priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, everybody, they're nervous and scared to the point of just absolute terror and plotting the death of Jesus, is that Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead. So I want you to think about this. Parade. And one of the main reasons that people are louding and praising and honoring and saying, This is the Messiah we have been waiting for. One of the main reasons that they're doing that is because Lazarus was dead. We all knew him. He was in our neighborhood. He was dead for a long time. And then he came out of the tomb and didn't smell like a dead guy. And there is Lazarus talking. So right before we get this triumphal entry, we have the chief priest plotting to kill Jesus and to kill Lazarus. We got to get rid of the evidence. We got to kill Lazarus. We can't, we can't let this go. This is this is big deal. Jesus is not fitting into the box. So we got to get rid of him because people are following him. And it was a terrifying moment. Now Jesus has said a million times in the Gospel of John, I will come and I will die, and then I will there'll be three days, and then I will raise again. He's been very open about this, but he's kind of spoken in metaphor, so people are unsure, like what? You know, nobody really knows what Jesus is talking about most of the time, which should encourage us greatly. And here is Jesus getting praised by the people, and it's an incredible thing, but just know the Pharisees are not into it, they are plotting to kill him. This is a dangerous thing. So sometimes this parade, I thought of as a kid, and parading and having palm branches and all of those things. Oh my goodness, how exciting it is. The people were praising for a miracle, and it was a dangerous feeling. Does it does it change the way you think of that scripture? Because there are people against this man being praised. The Jesus that we meet during Holy Week, fully human, fully divine, on a cult to fulfill scripture. Unassuming. And he says, you know, those people cannot be quiet. If they are quiet, the rocks will cry out. That Jesus humble, not coming in on triumphant horse with war imagery or even with a sword. He's not there to to conquer. He's there just to be. And the voices that said, Hosanna, blessed are you that come in the name of the Lord, King of Israel, the crowd that's around because they're so excited that Lazarus was raised from the dead. They still don't get what Jesus does. And a lot of those voices are the same voices that say, crucify him on Friday. So I want to encourage you today to shout Hosanna. You are the God who saves us. Why should we shout Hosanna today? Well, first of all, you need to understand that you need a savior. That's why I shout Hosanna. I need to be saved. Left to my own devices, I would put myself in the center of my life. I would do what I want to do. I would um be completely focused on myself. And that kind of focus on myself can lead me to a really special kind of darkness where I believe that no one else could ever relate to me, um, where I would just be lonely because I'm so amazing and special that no one could ever understand how I am like I am. So I shout Hosanna because I want Christ to be central in my life. And I know a lot of people are saying this is what Jesus is and this is who Jesus is, but let's look at Jesus in this John chapter 12 story. He's right riding on a cult, he is accepting praise. And do you think his Jesus is getting all of these accolades? Hosanna. Blessed are you, the Messiah. That he doesn't know that the Pharisees and the chief priests of the law and the Sadducees are plotting his death. Do we assume that Jesus doesn't know as he's being praised and admired and worshipped? That there will be a day when he will be crucified by those same voices. He knows. But part of the whole story of this week is that Jesus was praised and then he was killed. So I shout Hosanna because I need a savior. I shout Hosanna because I have to praise God. I am overwhelmed with the beauty of the way that Jesus not only was born and walked and ministered and lived, but the way he approaches this holy week with this great humility, with accepting the praise, knowing that the people will be misled and shout crucify. I shout Hosanna because I need a savior, but I also shout Hosanna because I can't help but praise God. Because as we journey this week, we are going toward the cross. The empty tomb is the great news of the story. But every step that Jesus is on the earth before he dies in the crucifixion is this exercise in Jesus' humanity. That Jesus, fully human and fully divine, walked where we have walked. And maybe you've been somewhere where you were praised and admired. Maybe you haven't. Maybe you've been somewhere where everyone just is really into what you're doing and you receive glory and commendations. Look at that person. But then when you have a bad day, nobody's around. Or when you're in despair, your friends maybe have betrayed you, or just maybe you're too much of a drag when you're having a bad day. Can I encourage you completely today to shout Hosanna because you need a savior, to shout Hosanna because you have to praise. But maybe you'll whisper Hosanna because you realize that you are on the start of a week where God is going to teach you something new that you've never known before. Lazarus' resurrection from the dead was a miracle. But another miracle's coming. And as much as people wanted to stop it, the plan of God is to walk the earth and then die for us. It never gets diluted. Hosanna, blessed are you, Jesus, who comes in the name of the Lord. Open the eyes of my heart today, so that I may be the one who shouts Hosanna and never stops praising, no matter what life may bring. Join me tomorrow for Holy Monday. This is Amy Coffee Mulder.

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All glory to God to God that give all the glory. It's done that time to die.