Palm Sunday, The Sixth Sunday in Lent, 2021
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Be not Thou far from me, O Lord: O my Strength, haste
Thee to help me.
Save me from the lion’s mouth: and deliver me from the
horns of the unicorns.
Psalm. My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Why art Thou so far from helping Me?
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast sent Thy Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon Him our flesh and to suffer death upon
the cross that all mankind should follow the example of His great humility,
mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of His patience and also
be made partakers of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Thou hast holden me by my right hand: Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory.
V. Truly, God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart: but as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well-nigh slipped; for I was grieved at the ungodly.
Tract. My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
V. Why art Thou so far from helping Me: and from the words of My roaring?
V. I am a worm and no man: a reproach of men and despised of the people.
V. Be not Thou far from Me, O Lord; O My Strength, haste Thee to help Me.
V. I will declare Thy name unto My brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee.
V. They shall come and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born: that He hath done this.
The Gospel
God's Time
Prayers and Announcements
- Medical Treatment - Christina Jackson, her brother-in-law Kermit Way, Pastor James Shrader.
- Two brother's, not related, illness.
- Pray for DEP Trump and our country as the major trials continue.
- Maundy Thursday Holy Communion, 7 PM Central Daylight Time.
- Good Friday Vespers, 7 PM.
- Easter Sunday Holy Communion.
- The video committee has formed! to use more videos and to learn about video editing. Members are Travis Cartee, Alec Satin, and Zach Engleman. The expert who prodded me will lend a hand.
KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Palm Sunday
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast caused Thy beloved Son to take our nature upon Himself, that He might give all mankind the example of humility and suffer death upon the cross for our sins: Mercifully grant us a believing knowledge of this, and that, following the example of His patience, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His sacred passion and death, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
God's Time
Background Information
Expectations for the Messiah grew over centuries, because the Savior was promised when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. The Son of God is found throughout the Old Testament, and this is abundantly clear when we look at those passages. This is especially true in the Exodus, in the Psalms, and in the Prophets. That also brought up false hopes and Messianic figures. However, only one was - and remains - the true Messiah, the Son of David.
Many wanted a warrior king who was just like King David, so the image of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah was a truth before their eyes and yet not seen. Isaiah 53 changed from a puzzle no one understood - into the primary statement of Jesus' work foretold a thousand years before. The warrior king concept faded away, to be replaced by Jesus as the Hero, who was both the Lamb of God and the Priest offering the sacrifice, Himself.
KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Some of these passages in the New Testament, so familiar, are poetic, suggesting they were memorized, as confessions of faith, or hymns, or both. That is true today of the great classic hymns sung by all Protestants - those hymns arise out of times of Reformation, renewal, and doctrinal confessions. Hymns have never been composed as entertainment, which is why warmed-over bar music is such a failure in churches today.
In this passage Paul is reminding people to be Christ-like, so it is not only a confession of the majesty and humility of Jesus, but also a template for how we should conduct ourselves. We are not to emulate what the world teaches without faith but what the Word of God teaches through faith in Christ.
This passage could be called one where we consider the divine drama of Christ's
atoning death, resurrection, and enthronement at God's right hand, but also one
which moves us by the power of the Gospel to live according to His example.
[As a side note, the "mind of Christ" phrase is used to deny the divinity of Christ. It arose from the Life of Jesus movement, which was an attempt to find what was actually true about Jesus from a rationalistic (and extremely biased) point of view. The German rationalists and rationalistic Pietists (Halle University) concluded Jesus never saw Himself as God or the Savior, so the "mind of Christ" is used to say He was a Teacher, a good person, and that is all. That remains the primary view of all "Biblical scholarship" today, very little of it showing or supporting faith in Christ as born of the Virgin, dying for our sins, and rising from the dead.]
Mind - is a concept often overlooked in this emotion-based culture. This is a common response to grading a paper that is not written in clear English - "You have made me sad and worthless. I worked very hard but now I do not know what to do.
I am so upset about your feedback."
The New Testament - and Paul in particular - has an emphasis on thought, mind, on how consider all the truths laid out before us, weighing right and wrong, correct doctrine and false doctrine. (I have had phone conversations where the minister began by asking a question, flew into a rage about the truth, and slammed down the phone to end the conversation. Those were the good old days of phones that built to last forever and survive a few hundred cradle slams.)
Think and remember are major themes in the Bible. When we celebrate Holy Communion, we are remembering one particular event (and also meals with similarities - the Feeding of the Multitudes, Christ by the lake with a meal prepared for the fishermen who were fishing for their food. Their worries were, after the Resurrection, how are we going to eat? Once again, Jesus showed them, worried about food when I am the Bread of Life?)
If we never study or listen to the Word of God, we lack the memory and the lessons to be applied to daily life. Jesus was equal to God in His earthly ministry, but He did not flaunt or parade His majesty and remained humble.
1. Here Paul again presents to us as a powerful example of the celestial and eternal fire, the love of Christ, for the purpose of persuading us to exercise a loving concern for one another. The apostle employs fine words and precious admonitions, having perceived the indolence and negligence displayed by Christians in this matter of loving. For this the flesh is responsible. The flesh continually resists the willing spirit, seeking its own interest and causing sects and factions. Although a sermon on this same text went forth in my name a few years ago, entitled “The Twofold Righteousness,” the text was not exhausted; therefore we will now examine it word by word. “Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
2. You are Christians; you have Christ, and in him and through him all fullness of comfort for time and eternity: therefore nothing should appeal to your thought, your judgment, your pleasure, but that which was in the mind of Christ concerning you as the source of your welfare. For his motive throughout was not his own advantage; everything he did was done for your sake and in your interest. Let men therefore, in accord with his example, work every good thing for one another’s benefit. “Who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.” [“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.”]
3. If Christ, who was true God by nature, has humbled himself to become servant of all, how much more should such action befit us who are of no worth, and are by nature children of sin, death and the devil! Were we similarly to humble ourselves, and even to go beyond Christ in humility — a thing, however, impossible — we should do nothing extraordinary. Our humility would still reek of sin in comparison with his. Suppose Christ to humble himself in the least degree — but a hair’s breadth, so to speak — below the most exalted angels; and suppose we were to humble ourselves to a position a thousand times more abased than that of the devils in hell; yet our humility would not compare in the least with that of Christ. For he is an infinite blessing — God himself — and we are but miserable creatures whose existence and life are not for one moment secure.
4. What terrible judgment must come upon those who fail to imitate the ineffable example of Christ; who do not humble themselves below their neighbors and serve them, but rather exalt themselves above them! Indeed, the example of Christ may well terrify the exalted, and those high in authority; and still more the self-exalted. Who would not shrink from occupying the uppermost seat and from lording it over others when he sees the Son of God humble and eliminate himself?
Jesus did not appear to people in His divine glory but cloaked it in His human nature. The divinity was united with His humanity from conception, but He did not swagger and shout angrily at people, as earthly leaders and Synod Presidents do.
(I could go on and on about the angry stances I have seen a synodical meetings. It also goes with the ambition to take over the leadership.)
This is very clear in what Paul is saying. Jesus did not walk about in robes festooned with symbols, braids, decorations, and shoulder pads to impress people. He performed miracles, as the Fourth Gospel reveals, so people would pay attention to His teaching. That revealed the fickleness of the crowds, because they wanted even more once-in-a-lifetime miracles. The disciples too worried about food after the Feeding of the Multitude and after His resurrection.
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Here are the three stages -
- He did not declare His titles of glory but became anonymous, without titles.
- He revealed Himself as a slave or servant, not as the Lord.
- He looked human and emphasized that over His divinity, though both natures were - and are - united in Him.
This is the opposite of what people expected and wanted. That challenged every single person who thought of the Messiah as another Maccabeus, who defeated the
foreign power and re-established the Jewish kingdom. The Seleucids - remnants of Alexander the Great's Empire ruled Palestine. But this did not last. When the Romans were invited as peace-keepers, they arrived and stayed. That established Israel as a captive nation once again, reinforced by the Zealot revolt in 70 AD.
Great powers were at work and Rome was reaching the peak of its influence. However, Jesus conquered by having the appearance and the manner of a servant.
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Rome and the Pharisees were filled with fear about the influence and power of Jesus, so they tested it with a traitor, Judas. Rome was indifferent about religion in general, but not about the King title. Forgetting that, the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of calling Himself the Son of God. That was the real crime for them, showing His divinity and yet risking the priests' very nice arrangement with Rome. They could lose it all! In fact, they did when the Roman Empire came call and destroyed everything and killed or enslaved the population, only 40 years after the death and resurrection of Christ.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Jesus proved to be an example to all believers in being nothing in the eyes of rulers but glorified in His sacrificial and innocent death, fulfilling all the Promises of the Old Testament. Isaiah 53 was a riddle to the disciples until the risen Lord began explaining it to the disciples. Then it was so clear it could not be missed. They knew the passage but did not comprehend it.
We have many today, who with years of training, know all the words but do not comprehend what they are reading. The scales fall off our eyes when we realize that the message is there, plain and simple, but clouded by the fads and fallacies of the current generation.
Doctrine becomes corrupt, as it did with the Pharisees. Paul was an example. He knew it all, as much as a human could, but that clouded his understanding of Jesus until the risen Lord clarified everything for him. Scales did fall from his eyes. See Acts.
One LCA minister was shocked that there were actually people that "named the Name." He was trained in thinking Christianity made people good and eager to change society, that is, divorced from faith in Jesus Christ.
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The day will come when everyone will confess (or concede) that Jesus is the Name above all names. They will not have the synod or denomination to confess but only the reality of Jesus as the Savior. Those who die in Christian Faith receive the blessings earned by Christ, who died without sin and rose to seal the Promise that we are justified - declared free of sin - by faith in Him.
In this way God is glorified, for providing the remedy of sin, which freedom of the will made possible.
