Behold The Man Who Tried To Be King
Sermon
Behold The Man
Sermons And Object Lessons For Lent And Easter
Some time ago there was a stage play called Construction. It was the story of some people who wanted to build a wall. But there was a young man there who urged them instead to build a bridge. The people turned on him and killed him because of what he wanted them to do. After they killed him one of the characters said, ''We can't go on crucifying the truth forever.''1
When Jesus went to Jerusalem he found a wall. He had come to build a bridge. But he knew all along that on the other side of the wall his crucifixion awaited him.
One of the hotels where we have stayed in Jerusalem is located on the Mount of Olives. You can look back behind that hotel toward Bethany and Bethphage. Standing out in front of that hotel you can look over the wall into the old city of Jerusalem. Usually a man is there who offers camel rides. It is a really good deal. It costs only one dollar to get on a camel for a ride. It costs ten dollars to get off. I was going to take a picture of that old camel while he was lying down taking a nap. Just as I snapped it a boy on a donkey rode right in front of me. He is all you see in the picture.
I thought of another one riding a donkey across that mountain just up from where I was standing. The bustling city was there waiting on him. Down the Mount of Olives he rode, across the Kidron Valley, then up the hill toward the gates of the city.
What a striking sight it must have been! Jesus knew, as everyone else knew, what it meant for him to enter Jerusalem like this. The old kings had always come into the city to begin their rule in this way, riding on a donkey. It was a lowly animal signifying peace. The people would line the road waving palm branches and calling out, ''Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!''
Jesus knew what he was doing. He knew what it meant. He knew what those people in Jerusalem would think when they saw him coming to town this way.
Today on this Palm Sunday -- behold the man who tried to be king.
As we think about this today let us be clear in our understanding, and remind ourselves that in many ways Palm Sunday was a mockery. Even though thousands waved palm branches with their hands, for so many of them their hearts were not in it. Even though Jesus was trying to be king, for so many of those people he did not look like a king, did not act like a king, and would not be crowned as a king by them. They knew what they wanted, and they knew what Jesus said and did was not it.
They wanted a great kingdom of glory, but Jesus said, ''The Kingdom of God is within you.''
They wanted a restoration of their former power and wealth, but Jesus said, ''The Kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed.''
They wanted a display of majesty and honor, but Jesus said, ''The Kingdom of God is like a seed growing secretly. No one sees it or knows it is there.''
They wanted their freedom from the bondage of Rome, but Jesus said, ''You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.'' And later he said, ''I am the way, and the truth, and the life.''
Yet, even though Jerusalem accepted him only during the parade, there were many in the crowd that day who had come down from Galilee for the Passover season. They knew who Jesus was, and many of them were loyal to him. They knew and accepted the meaning of his entrance into the city.
James Stewart, the Scottish preacher, said that as Jesus went to the capital city ''he openly accepted the tribute'' of the crowd, and in entering Jerusalem as a king he was acting out a living parable about who he was.2
We think about this today. But let me remind us also that Palm Sunday is still before us today. It will not let us rest. It will not let us go. It will not turn us loose or let us turn aside. Palm Sunday and all of its choices still confront us today.
So on this Palm Sunday, behold the man who tried to be king, and understand these things about him.
*aaa*aaa*
His fame was easily gained. Everyone knew he was coming to Jerusalem. We are told that ''a great multitude spread their garments on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.'' Soon the whole city of Jerusalem was aware of what was going on. And they all turned out to see him.
Jesus was in the limelight that day. He was the object of everyone's attention. Everyone wanted to see the parade. Jesus had no trouble drawing a crowd that day. His fame was easily gained.
It had been that way for Jesus all throughout his ministry in Galilee. Everywhere he went great crowds of people came to hear him. They sought him out. It was said of him, ''The common people heard him gladly.'' Up in Galilee on several occasions thousands of people came out from the towns to hear him preach on the side of a mountain. His fame spread throughout all of Galilee and beyond. When he came down to Jericho, the people there knew of him and turned out to see him off on his way up to Jerusalem.
This happened because of who he was, the words he spoke, the things he did, and what he meant to people.
It was the message, the good news about all of this and his death and resurrection that caused his fame to spread and faith in him to spread out all over the Roman world in a very short time. Now, he is known, honored, worshipped, and served all over the world.
A bishop was visiting a church one Sunday, and he was talking with a little boy. He said, ''Son, I'll give you an orange if you can tell me where God is.'' The boy said, ''I'll give you two if you can tell me where he is not.''3
You cannot name a place where Jesus is not known, loved and served. We serve him today and gather in his name. But we must remember that sometimes our attachments can be weak, our commitments shallow, and our interest fleeting.
Archbishop William Temple was staying in someone's home overnight. He was about to go down for breakfast when he heard the lady of the house singing ''Nearer My God To Thee.'' He thought about that woman's faith and commitment beginning the day that way. When he got to the kitchen he said something to her about it, and she answered, ''Oh, yes. That's the hymn I use for boiling eggs -- three verses for soft-boiled and five for hard-boiled.''4
It turned out to be a shallow kind of faith. That is the faith many had in Jesus when his fame was easily gained.
*aaa*aaa*
We also need to understand that allegiance to Jesus costs nothing. Watching the parade that day did not require anything. Multitudes of people turned out to see Jesus. Many of those bystanders joined in with those who went before and those who followed after shouting, ''Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!'' But, you see, those people in the crowd that day were not required to do anything costly. All they had to do was stand there and shout and watch the parade go by. They did not even
have to shout. Many of them were there simply because they were curious. They just wanted to find out what was going on. Allegiance to him cost nothing.
However, all along the way Jesus had been saying it does cost something. It costs everything. So it was that he said, ''If any man would come after me let him deny himself, take up the cross and follow me. He who tries to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it. No one can serve two masters for he will hate the one and love the other.''
Like the crowd in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday we could easily think allegiance to him costs nothing. That leads us to crown him king only for a day, fleeting moments here and there which require of us absolutely nothing.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book, The Cost Of Discipleship, that ''cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church.'' It requires no repentance, no discipleship, no confession. It is ''grace without the cross.''5 Without that there is no Jesus, no king, no kingdom.
Still today we are called to be disciples who follow, who serve, who give ourselves, who live the abundant life and share it with the world.
One year at Annual Conference when our retiring ministers were being recognized, the Bishop told about the wife of one of them. He told of what a dynamic person she was and how she was full of life, deeply concerned about her fellowman. One day she was walking down a street in downtown Atlanta. She saw a man lying on the sidewalk, face down. She thought, ''Oh, no! He's dying.'' Quickly she reviewed the lifesaving steps she had learned in a CPR class. She rushed over to him, rolled him over, threw his head back, held his nose and began giving him the breath of life. But he fought her, kicked and flung his arms around. She said, ''Man, what's wrong with you?'' He replied, ''Lady, I work for the phone company. I was just checking out this circuit box under the sidewalk.''
Maybe sometimes we get carried away. But I would rather that someone be too anxious to do something than not enough
-- too committed than not enough -- too willing than not enough -- wanting to do too much rather than nothing.
Many of those people who saw Jesus that day wanted to do nothing, and that cost them nothing.
*aaa*aaa*
Finally, his popularity soon faded. The parade came to an end when Jesus got there. When he arrived in Jerusalem, ''All the city was moved saying, 'Who is this?' '' His supporters answered, ''This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth.'' Then Jesus went immediately into the Temple. He drove out the moneychangers who were cheating people as they exchanged their money for temple-money. From Sunday it was all downhill the rest of the week. His popularity soon faded.
People began to understand what Jesus was saying and who he was. The people in Jerusalem, with the help of the Pharisees and the priests, began to turn against him. Jesus simply could not do the things he did, say the things he said, and be the person he was and get away with it.
Years ago there was a television program called Truth Or Consequences. When our daughter Sheri was about seven or eight, she came in the den one night just as the news was going off and that program was coming on. She said, ''Hey, what's on -- the Consequences Of Telling The Truth?''
Jesus would face them that week. People began to understand him. When that happened the political leaders began to reject his concept of the kingdom for he spoke of the Kingdom of God. The religious authorities rejected his plan of salvation for he spoke about a change of heart. The disciples fell away from their discipleship, the thrill of Palm Sunday passed and they saw the cross staring Jesus in the face. The people of Jerusalem called him King on Sunday, and by Friday they gave him a crown of thorns. They were willing to place him on a throne on his first day, and five days later they placed him on a cross. The throng gave him thorns instead of a throne.
They pluck their palm branches and
hail Him as King early on Sunday.
They spread out their garments;
Hosannas they sing early on Sunday.
But, where is the noise of their hurrying feet,
the crown they would offer, the scepter, the seat?
Their King wanders hungry, forgot on the street,
early on Monday.6
But, what about this Palm Sunday? Let us take this whole story out of the past and bring it up to date. Let us pretend word has gotten out that Jesus is coming to our town. And let us pretend we all go out in front of this church and stand there by the side of the street waving our palm branches with shouts of ''Hosanna.''
What are we doing? Are we really making Jesus our King, or merely King for a day? Are we just watching the parade, or are we really giving ourselves to him? You are the crowd on this Palm Sunday, and you must decide.
Later in the week they took Jesus before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. He said to the people, ''Behold the man!'' They cried out for the crucifixion of Jesus. Pilate examined him again, still finding no fault in him. The people said, ''Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.'' Pilate sat in the judgment seat and said, ''Behold your king!'' When the people responded with ''Crucify him!'' Pilate then asked, ''Shall I crucify your King?'' The chief priests answered, ''We have no king but Caesar!''
What about this Palm Sunday? Who is your king? ''Behold the man. What shall I do with Jesus?'' still is the question.
There was a woman who lived a good life, spending most of her days in comfort and ease. In her final years she was confined to her bed in a nursing home. Her resources were gone. Her existence was meager. She knew she was dying, and one day she said to her pastor, ''I want someone to sing 'I'm The Child Of A King' at my funeral.'' All of us can be if we choose to be.
There was a play about the life of Emily Dickinson. Julie Harris portrayed her. At one point she talks about religion and says, ''I do believe that no person can be truly happy until that person can say, 'I love Christ.' ''7
Palm Sunday confronts us with the necessity of making a choice about just that. What about it on this Palm Sunday?
1. James W. Moore, Yes Lord I Have Sinned, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1991, p. 70.
2. James S. Stewart, The Life And Teaching Of Jesus Christ, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1957, p. 182.
3. Hugh H. Drennan, Emphasis, CSS Publishing Co., Lima, Ohio. September-October, 1992, p. 55.
4. Robert W. Spain, How To Stay Alive As Long As You Live, Dimensions For Living, Nashville, 1992, p. 135.
5. Wallace W. Kirby, Emphasis, op. cit., p. 15.
6. Edwin McNeill Poteat, ''Palm Sunday And Monday,'' Over The Sea, The Sky, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1945, p. 126.
7. Edward W. Bauman, God's Presence In My Life, Abingdon, Nashville, 1981, p. 23.
Palm Sunday
Pastoral Prayer
Eternal God and Father of all, we enter thy gates with thanksgiving and come into thy courts with praise. As we bow down before thee, accept the worship and allegiance we offer to thee and thy Kingdom.
On this Palm Sunday, O God, we remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem, and we join the unending hymn, ''Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'' We remember today that he went there for all of us. We are thankful, Father, for him, and we know it is because of him that we may live lives of victory and hope. We are thankful for his courage as it led him to face the cross, though it brought suffering to him. His courage combined with thy good will has brought new life to all the earth.
Because of this, we can thank thee for our own times of suffering, though they bring us much anguish, because we know thy love and good will are at work for us even as they were for thy Son. And because of that, we will find our way.
Help us, O God, to be people of steadfast and stalwart faith that we may not be victimized by our circumstances, but the victors over them, even as Jesus was victorious over the cross.
Forgive our sins and enable us to know thy will and do it, for it is in this way that we will do well and thy Kingdom will come for us.
Touch the sick and sorrowful of our church and community and those who suffer everywhere. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Palm Sunday
Children's Message
''Wave The Flag''
Object: a flag and a palm branch
Good morning, boys and girls. Isn't it great to be here on Palm Sunday? I am so glad you came today, and that all of you were able to come in with the choir and wave your palm branches. You did a really good job with that. Today on Palm Sunday we think about Jesus entering Jerusalem. When he did that everyone in town came out to see him.
You know, they say everyone loves a parade. When we go to a parade, we like to wave the flag. See this flag. At parades many people have them, and some carry large flags.
When Jesus came into Jerusalem it was a big parade because some were calling him the new king of the Jews. They were welcoming him into the city. Of course, they did not wave flags like ours. What they waved were palm branches like this palm branch and the ones you brought in today. That was an old custom among those people. It was the way they always received a new king. But we know they did not really mean it, most of them, because they turned against Jesus and refused to let him be the king of their lives.
Today Palm Sunday means for us that we want Jesus to be the king of our lives. We want him to live in us and help us. We want to love him and serve him. We want to belong to him and live for him.
Think about this today. Let Jesus be your king and welcome him into your life, and all of your plans and hopes and dreams for the future.
May we pray. Help us, Father, to open up our lives that the king of glory may come in and live in us. Amen.
Palm Sunday
Order Of Worship
Prelude
Chiming Of The Hour
Introit
The Hymn Of Praise ''All Glory, Laud And Honor''
Affirmation Of FaithaaaaaaThe Apostles' Creed
Invocation
Moments Of Fellowship
Pastoral Prayer And The Lord's Prayer
The Children's Message ''Wave The Flag''
The Anthem ''Lift Up Your Heads''
The Prayer Of Dedication
The Offertory
The Doxology
The Hymn Of Preparation ''Hosanna, Loud Hosanna''
Scripture Lesson Matthew 21:1-10
Sermon ''Behold The Man Who Tried To Be King''
Invitation To Christian Discipleship
Hymn Of Invitation ''Rejoice, Ye Pure In Heart''
Benediction
The Choral Response
Postlude
Palm Sunday
Discussion Questions
1. Have someone again read the scripture lesson: Matthew 21:1-10.
2. Let several people share what they think the situation in Jerusalem was like as Jesus came to the city.
3. What was the significance of Jesus entering the city riding on a donkey?
4. How did the people in Jerusalem react to Jesus' entry?
5. What does Palm Sunday mean to you today?
6. How might we open our lives to the coming of the King?
7. How can we let Jesus rule our lives?
In closing have someone read Psalm 22. Then, end with sentence prayers.
When Jesus went to Jerusalem he found a wall. He had come to build a bridge. But he knew all along that on the other side of the wall his crucifixion awaited him.
One of the hotels where we have stayed in Jerusalem is located on the Mount of Olives. You can look back behind that hotel toward Bethany and Bethphage. Standing out in front of that hotel you can look over the wall into the old city of Jerusalem. Usually a man is there who offers camel rides. It is a really good deal. It costs only one dollar to get on a camel for a ride. It costs ten dollars to get off. I was going to take a picture of that old camel while he was lying down taking a nap. Just as I snapped it a boy on a donkey rode right in front of me. He is all you see in the picture.
I thought of another one riding a donkey across that mountain just up from where I was standing. The bustling city was there waiting on him. Down the Mount of Olives he rode, across the Kidron Valley, then up the hill toward the gates of the city.
What a striking sight it must have been! Jesus knew, as everyone else knew, what it meant for him to enter Jerusalem like this. The old kings had always come into the city to begin their rule in this way, riding on a donkey. It was a lowly animal signifying peace. The people would line the road waving palm branches and calling out, ''Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!''
Jesus knew what he was doing. He knew what it meant. He knew what those people in Jerusalem would think when they saw him coming to town this way.
Today on this Palm Sunday -- behold the man who tried to be king.
As we think about this today let us be clear in our understanding, and remind ourselves that in many ways Palm Sunday was a mockery. Even though thousands waved palm branches with their hands, for so many of them their hearts were not in it. Even though Jesus was trying to be king, for so many of those people he did not look like a king, did not act like a king, and would not be crowned as a king by them. They knew what they wanted, and they knew what Jesus said and did was not it.
They wanted a great kingdom of glory, but Jesus said, ''The Kingdom of God is within you.''
They wanted a restoration of their former power and wealth, but Jesus said, ''The Kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed.''
They wanted a display of majesty and honor, but Jesus said, ''The Kingdom of God is like a seed growing secretly. No one sees it or knows it is there.''
They wanted their freedom from the bondage of Rome, but Jesus said, ''You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.'' And later he said, ''I am the way, and the truth, and the life.''
Yet, even though Jerusalem accepted him only during the parade, there were many in the crowd that day who had come down from Galilee for the Passover season. They knew who Jesus was, and many of them were loyal to him. They knew and accepted the meaning of his entrance into the city.
James Stewart, the Scottish preacher, said that as Jesus went to the capital city ''he openly accepted the tribute'' of the crowd, and in entering Jerusalem as a king he was acting out a living parable about who he was.2
We think about this today. But let me remind us also that Palm Sunday is still before us today. It will not let us rest. It will not let us go. It will not turn us loose or let us turn aside. Palm Sunday and all of its choices still confront us today.
So on this Palm Sunday, behold the man who tried to be king, and understand these things about him.
*aaa*aaa*
His fame was easily gained. Everyone knew he was coming to Jerusalem. We are told that ''a great multitude spread their garments on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.'' Soon the whole city of Jerusalem was aware of what was going on. And they all turned out to see him.
Jesus was in the limelight that day. He was the object of everyone's attention. Everyone wanted to see the parade. Jesus had no trouble drawing a crowd that day. His fame was easily gained.
It had been that way for Jesus all throughout his ministry in Galilee. Everywhere he went great crowds of people came to hear him. They sought him out. It was said of him, ''The common people heard him gladly.'' Up in Galilee on several occasions thousands of people came out from the towns to hear him preach on the side of a mountain. His fame spread throughout all of Galilee and beyond. When he came down to Jericho, the people there knew of him and turned out to see him off on his way up to Jerusalem.
This happened because of who he was, the words he spoke, the things he did, and what he meant to people.
It was the message, the good news about all of this and his death and resurrection that caused his fame to spread and faith in him to spread out all over the Roman world in a very short time. Now, he is known, honored, worshipped, and served all over the world.
A bishop was visiting a church one Sunday, and he was talking with a little boy. He said, ''Son, I'll give you an orange if you can tell me where God is.'' The boy said, ''I'll give you two if you can tell me where he is not.''3
You cannot name a place where Jesus is not known, loved and served. We serve him today and gather in his name. But we must remember that sometimes our attachments can be weak, our commitments shallow, and our interest fleeting.
Archbishop William Temple was staying in someone's home overnight. He was about to go down for breakfast when he heard the lady of the house singing ''Nearer My God To Thee.'' He thought about that woman's faith and commitment beginning the day that way. When he got to the kitchen he said something to her about it, and she answered, ''Oh, yes. That's the hymn I use for boiling eggs -- three verses for soft-boiled and five for hard-boiled.''4
It turned out to be a shallow kind of faith. That is the faith many had in Jesus when his fame was easily gained.
*aaa*aaa*
We also need to understand that allegiance to Jesus costs nothing. Watching the parade that day did not require anything. Multitudes of people turned out to see Jesus. Many of those bystanders joined in with those who went before and those who followed after shouting, ''Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!'' But, you see, those people in the crowd that day were not required to do anything costly. All they had to do was stand there and shout and watch the parade go by. They did not even
have to shout. Many of them were there simply because they were curious. They just wanted to find out what was going on. Allegiance to him cost nothing.
However, all along the way Jesus had been saying it does cost something. It costs everything. So it was that he said, ''If any man would come after me let him deny himself, take up the cross and follow me. He who tries to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it. No one can serve two masters for he will hate the one and love the other.''
Like the crowd in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday we could easily think allegiance to him costs nothing. That leads us to crown him king only for a day, fleeting moments here and there which require of us absolutely nothing.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book, The Cost Of Discipleship, that ''cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church.'' It requires no repentance, no discipleship, no confession. It is ''grace without the cross.''5 Without that there is no Jesus, no king, no kingdom.
Still today we are called to be disciples who follow, who serve, who give ourselves, who live the abundant life and share it with the world.
One year at Annual Conference when our retiring ministers were being recognized, the Bishop told about the wife of one of them. He told of what a dynamic person she was and how she was full of life, deeply concerned about her fellowman. One day she was walking down a street in downtown Atlanta. She saw a man lying on the sidewalk, face down. She thought, ''Oh, no! He's dying.'' Quickly she reviewed the lifesaving steps she had learned in a CPR class. She rushed over to him, rolled him over, threw his head back, held his nose and began giving him the breath of life. But he fought her, kicked and flung his arms around. She said, ''Man, what's wrong with you?'' He replied, ''Lady, I work for the phone company. I was just checking out this circuit box under the sidewalk.''
Maybe sometimes we get carried away. But I would rather that someone be too anxious to do something than not enough
-- too committed than not enough -- too willing than not enough -- wanting to do too much rather than nothing.
Many of those people who saw Jesus that day wanted to do nothing, and that cost them nothing.
*aaa*aaa*
Finally, his popularity soon faded. The parade came to an end when Jesus got there. When he arrived in Jerusalem, ''All the city was moved saying, 'Who is this?' '' His supporters answered, ''This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth.'' Then Jesus went immediately into the Temple. He drove out the moneychangers who were cheating people as they exchanged their money for temple-money. From Sunday it was all downhill the rest of the week. His popularity soon faded.
People began to understand what Jesus was saying and who he was. The people in Jerusalem, with the help of the Pharisees and the priests, began to turn against him. Jesus simply could not do the things he did, say the things he said, and be the person he was and get away with it.
Years ago there was a television program called Truth Or Consequences. When our daughter Sheri was about seven or eight, she came in the den one night just as the news was going off and that program was coming on. She said, ''Hey, what's on -- the Consequences Of Telling The Truth?''
Jesus would face them that week. People began to understand him. When that happened the political leaders began to reject his concept of the kingdom for he spoke of the Kingdom of God. The religious authorities rejected his plan of salvation for he spoke about a change of heart. The disciples fell away from their discipleship, the thrill of Palm Sunday passed and they saw the cross staring Jesus in the face. The people of Jerusalem called him King on Sunday, and by Friday they gave him a crown of thorns. They were willing to place him on a throne on his first day, and five days later they placed him on a cross. The throng gave him thorns instead of a throne.
They pluck their palm branches and
hail Him as King early on Sunday.
They spread out their garments;
Hosannas they sing early on Sunday.
But, where is the noise of their hurrying feet,
the crown they would offer, the scepter, the seat?
Their King wanders hungry, forgot on the street,
early on Monday.6
But, what about this Palm Sunday? Let us take this whole story out of the past and bring it up to date. Let us pretend word has gotten out that Jesus is coming to our town. And let us pretend we all go out in front of this church and stand there by the side of the street waving our palm branches with shouts of ''Hosanna.''
What are we doing? Are we really making Jesus our King, or merely King for a day? Are we just watching the parade, or are we really giving ourselves to him? You are the crowd on this Palm Sunday, and you must decide.
Later in the week they took Jesus before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. He said to the people, ''Behold the man!'' They cried out for the crucifixion of Jesus. Pilate examined him again, still finding no fault in him. The people said, ''Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.'' Pilate sat in the judgment seat and said, ''Behold your king!'' When the people responded with ''Crucify him!'' Pilate then asked, ''Shall I crucify your King?'' The chief priests answered, ''We have no king but Caesar!''
What about this Palm Sunday? Who is your king? ''Behold the man. What shall I do with Jesus?'' still is the question.
There was a woman who lived a good life, spending most of her days in comfort and ease. In her final years she was confined to her bed in a nursing home. Her resources were gone. Her existence was meager. She knew she was dying, and one day she said to her pastor, ''I want someone to sing 'I'm The Child Of A King' at my funeral.'' All of us can be if we choose to be.
There was a play about the life of Emily Dickinson. Julie Harris portrayed her. At one point she talks about religion and says, ''I do believe that no person can be truly happy until that person can say, 'I love Christ.' ''7
Palm Sunday confronts us with the necessity of making a choice about just that. What about it on this Palm Sunday?
1. James W. Moore, Yes Lord I Have Sinned, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1991, p. 70.
2. James S. Stewart, The Life And Teaching Of Jesus Christ, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1957, p. 182.
3. Hugh H. Drennan, Emphasis, CSS Publishing Co., Lima, Ohio. September-October, 1992, p. 55.
4. Robert W. Spain, How To Stay Alive As Long As You Live, Dimensions For Living, Nashville, 1992, p. 135.
5. Wallace W. Kirby, Emphasis, op. cit., p. 15.
6. Edwin McNeill Poteat, ''Palm Sunday And Monday,'' Over The Sea, The Sky, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1945, p. 126.
7. Edward W. Bauman, God's Presence In My Life, Abingdon, Nashville, 1981, p. 23.
Palm Sunday
Pastoral Prayer
Eternal God and Father of all, we enter thy gates with thanksgiving and come into thy courts with praise. As we bow down before thee, accept the worship and allegiance we offer to thee and thy Kingdom.
On this Palm Sunday, O God, we remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem, and we join the unending hymn, ''Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'' We remember today that he went there for all of us. We are thankful, Father, for him, and we know it is because of him that we may live lives of victory and hope. We are thankful for his courage as it led him to face the cross, though it brought suffering to him. His courage combined with thy good will has brought new life to all the earth.
Because of this, we can thank thee for our own times of suffering, though they bring us much anguish, because we know thy love and good will are at work for us even as they were for thy Son. And because of that, we will find our way.
Help us, O God, to be people of steadfast and stalwart faith that we may not be victimized by our circumstances, but the victors over them, even as Jesus was victorious over the cross.
Forgive our sins and enable us to know thy will and do it, for it is in this way that we will do well and thy Kingdom will come for us.
Touch the sick and sorrowful of our church and community and those who suffer everywhere. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Palm Sunday
Children's Message
''Wave The Flag''
Object: a flag and a palm branch
Good morning, boys and girls. Isn't it great to be here on Palm Sunday? I am so glad you came today, and that all of you were able to come in with the choir and wave your palm branches. You did a really good job with that. Today on Palm Sunday we think about Jesus entering Jerusalem. When he did that everyone in town came out to see him.
You know, they say everyone loves a parade. When we go to a parade, we like to wave the flag. See this flag. At parades many people have them, and some carry large flags.
When Jesus came into Jerusalem it was a big parade because some were calling him the new king of the Jews. They were welcoming him into the city. Of course, they did not wave flags like ours. What they waved were palm branches like this palm branch and the ones you brought in today. That was an old custom among those people. It was the way they always received a new king. But we know they did not really mean it, most of them, because they turned against Jesus and refused to let him be the king of their lives.
Today Palm Sunday means for us that we want Jesus to be the king of our lives. We want him to live in us and help us. We want to love him and serve him. We want to belong to him and live for him.
Think about this today. Let Jesus be your king and welcome him into your life, and all of your plans and hopes and dreams for the future.
May we pray. Help us, Father, to open up our lives that the king of glory may come in and live in us. Amen.
Palm Sunday
Order Of Worship
Prelude
Chiming Of The Hour
Introit
The Hymn Of Praise ''All Glory, Laud And Honor''
Affirmation Of FaithaaaaaaThe Apostles' Creed
Invocation
Moments Of Fellowship
Pastoral Prayer And The Lord's Prayer
The Children's Message ''Wave The Flag''
The Anthem ''Lift Up Your Heads''
The Prayer Of Dedication
The Offertory
The Doxology
The Hymn Of Preparation ''Hosanna, Loud Hosanna''
Scripture Lesson Matthew 21:1-10
Sermon ''Behold The Man Who Tried To Be King''
Invitation To Christian Discipleship
Hymn Of Invitation ''Rejoice, Ye Pure In Heart''
Benediction
The Choral Response
Postlude
Palm Sunday
Discussion Questions
1. Have someone again read the scripture lesson: Matthew 21:1-10.
2. Let several people share what they think the situation in Jerusalem was like as Jesus came to the city.
3. What was the significance of Jesus entering the city riding on a donkey?
4. How did the people in Jerusalem react to Jesus' entry?
5. What does Palm Sunday mean to you today?
6. How might we open our lives to the coming of the King?
7. How can we let Jesus rule our lives?
In closing have someone read Psalm 22. Then, end with sentence prayers.
