JESUS ENTERS IN Matthew 21:1-11 Palm Sunday April 17, 2011
On Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumphant and glory. On Good Friday Jesus exited the city in shame and humiliation. As Jesus entered the city on Palm Sunday Jesus heard shouts of “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.” As Jesus passed out of the city gates on Good Friday they were weeping for him and crying out in anguish. When he came into the city a donkey was carrying him. As he left the city he was carrying a heavy wooden cross. Upon entering the city they hailed him as the Son of David. When leaving the city the soldiers carried a plaque that said “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” that would be nailed to the cross along with him.
You might say that Jesus moved from triumphant to tragedy, from the highest adulation to the lowest condemnation. And all the while, he simply wanted quietly to enter the hearts of people to free them from their sins, their fears, their sorrows, and their suffering.
In the prologue to the Gospel of John (1:11-13) it says, “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”
This was the human tragedy of the life of Jesus. When he was born King Herod tried to trick the wise men and kill Jesus. When he spoke in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth, they were so angry they took him to the brow of the hill and threatened to throw him over. When he told the rich young ruler to give all he had to the poor and follow him, the rich young ruler turned away. As Isaiah 53 says, “he was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief….”
But Isaiah goes on to say that this was all part of God’s great plan of salvation, that his Son should be rejected and become an offering for the sin of the whole world. The suffering and rejection that Jesus experienced was not for nothing. It had a purpose and a meaning that those who rejected him could hardly fathom. In Isaiah 53:5 the prophet says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.”
Just as Jesus entered into Jerusalem so long ago, he wants to enter into our hearts and lives today as our lord and our savior. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Behold, I am standing at the door and knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you, and eat with you, and you with me.” Remember that in John 1 it says, “but to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God….”
This Holy Week, as we remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem and ultimately was rejected, let us open the door to him who is knocking and let him enter into our hearts and lives as the savior who paid the price for our sin on the cross and as the lord who rules our lives. Let us be something more than cultural Christians who go through the ceremonies, but be disciples of Jesus who day by day let him enter into our lives.
A few weeks ago my confirmation class finished watching a movie about the life of Jesus. At the end of the movie there is an evangelistic segment which invites people to welcome Jesus into their lives. Viewers are invited to pray this prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."
One of my bright young students immediately asked “Pastor! did you pray that prayer?” And I said, “I certainly did. And I do it every time I show this film to a class.” Because every day, I want Jesus to enter in. Every day I need forgiveness. Every day I need help to be the kind of person I ought to be. Every day I need the assurance of God’s love. And don’t you, too?
Let us pray. Come into my heart, come into my heart, come into my heart Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. AMEN.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Newsletter April 2011
“Our churches teach that the body and blood of Christ are truly present and are distributed to those who eat in the Supper of the Lord. They disapprove of those who teach otherwise.”
Augsburg Confession Article 10
In 1530 when the Augsburg Confession was adopted as a basic statement of the Lutheran under-standing of things, the article on the Lord’s Supper was short and to the point because there was little disagreement between the Roman Catholics and the Lutherans over the true presence of Christ in the sacrament. It is printed in its entirety above. Later on, as the Reformation progressed, some differences with the Church of Rome emerged involving terms and concepts such as “consubstantiation,” “transub-stantiation,” and “sacramental union” for instance, but they were minor compared to the sharp differences the Lutherans had with the radical wing of the Reformation. When this wing of the Reformation asserted that holy communion was nothing more than remembering what Jesus said and did in obedience to the command of Christ, and they put the whole burden of the efficacy of the sacrament on the heart and mind of the believer instead of on the Word of God, the Lutherans vigorously defended article 10. Luther even once wrote a treatise with the unwieldy title “That These Words of Christ,’“This is My Body,’ etc., Still Stand Firm Against the Fanatics.”
As we come to Holy Week this year, we will be remembering all that Our Lord did for us when he went to the cross. On Maundy Thursday we will be remembering his washing the feet of the disciples, his “new commandment” to love one another, his Last Supper, and the disciples’ first communion. Remembering is a part of Holy Week just as remembering is a part of every communion service. But when the bread is eaten and the wine is drunk, there is more than remembering. Lutherans believe that Christ is truly present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine. This is the doctrine of the Real Presence. His presence does not depend on whether the communicant remembers correctly or sincerely. It depends on the Word of Christ hiumself who said that this bread and this wine is his body and blood sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. Communicants receive Christ whether they know it or not.
All of this ultimately is based on the climax of Holy Week which is Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday the whole church not only remembers that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day, but that he lives today. Easter is not only the commemoration of a distant historical fact, but the celebration of a present reality: “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” as we sing each year.
The witness of the New Testament is that the risen Jesus Christ continued to accompany the disciples through life. On the Emmaus Road, Jesus appeared to two disciples and comforted them as they walked along. (Luke 24:13-35). In the city of Jerusalem, Jesus came and stood among them as they debated among themselves (Luke 24:36-43). By the Sea of Galilee Jesus came appeared on the shore while they fished (John 21:1-14). And the last words he spoke before his ascension into heaven were “And lo, I with you always, even to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).
While it is true that in several instances people such as the Emmaus Road disciples, Mary outside the tomb, and those gathered in Matthew 28 did not immediately recognize that Jesus was present among them, this does not alter the fact that he was bodily present with them. The Emmaus Road disciples had their “hearts burn within them” as he opened to them the scriptures, even though they did not recognize him until he broke bread with them. And the weeping Mary did not know it was Jesus speaking to her outside the tomb until he spoke her name, yet her tears were dried by the comfort he brought. In both instances he was there despite their failure to recognize him.
The heart of the message of Easter is that he is still here. He still comes accompanies his people on the road of life. He still speaks a comforting word to those who weep by a grave. He still is known in the breaking of the bread. He is a present reality, not a distant memory.
This Holy Week, as we remember his entry into Jerusaelm (Palm Sunday), his Last Supper (Maundy Thursday), his death on the cross (Good Friday), and his resurrection (Easter Sunday) in a worship service each of these days, may we read, listen, sing, pray, and commune with Him who is right there with us every step of the way.
Augsburg Confession Article 10
In 1530 when the Augsburg Confession was adopted as a basic statement of the Lutheran under-standing of things, the article on the Lord’s Supper was short and to the point because there was little disagreement between the Roman Catholics and the Lutherans over the true presence of Christ in the sacrament. It is printed in its entirety above. Later on, as the Reformation progressed, some differences with the Church of Rome emerged involving terms and concepts such as “consubstantiation,” “transub-stantiation,” and “sacramental union” for instance, but they were minor compared to the sharp differences the Lutherans had with the radical wing of the Reformation. When this wing of the Reformation asserted that holy communion was nothing more than remembering what Jesus said and did in obedience to the command of Christ, and they put the whole burden of the efficacy of the sacrament on the heart and mind of the believer instead of on the Word of God, the Lutherans vigorously defended article 10. Luther even once wrote a treatise with the unwieldy title “That These Words of Christ,’“This is My Body,’ etc., Still Stand Firm Against the Fanatics.”
As we come to Holy Week this year, we will be remembering all that Our Lord did for us when he went to the cross. On Maundy Thursday we will be remembering his washing the feet of the disciples, his “new commandment” to love one another, his Last Supper, and the disciples’ first communion. Remembering is a part of Holy Week just as remembering is a part of every communion service. But when the bread is eaten and the wine is drunk, there is more than remembering. Lutherans believe that Christ is truly present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine. This is the doctrine of the Real Presence. His presence does not depend on whether the communicant remembers correctly or sincerely. It depends on the Word of Christ hiumself who said that this bread and this wine is his body and blood sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. Communicants receive Christ whether they know it or not.
All of this ultimately is based on the climax of Holy Week which is Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday the whole church not only remembers that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day, but that he lives today. Easter is not only the commemoration of a distant historical fact, but the celebration of a present reality: “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” as we sing each year.
The witness of the New Testament is that the risen Jesus Christ continued to accompany the disciples through life. On the Emmaus Road, Jesus appeared to two disciples and comforted them as they walked along. (Luke 24:13-35). In the city of Jerusalem, Jesus came and stood among them as they debated among themselves (Luke 24:36-43). By the Sea of Galilee Jesus came appeared on the shore while they fished (John 21:1-14). And the last words he spoke before his ascension into heaven were “And lo, I with you always, even to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).
While it is true that in several instances people such as the Emmaus Road disciples, Mary outside the tomb, and those gathered in Matthew 28 did not immediately recognize that Jesus was present among them, this does not alter the fact that he was bodily present with them. The Emmaus Road disciples had their “hearts burn within them” as he opened to them the scriptures, even though they did not recognize him until he broke bread with them. And the weeping Mary did not know it was Jesus speaking to her outside the tomb until he spoke her name, yet her tears were dried by the comfort he brought. In both instances he was there despite their failure to recognize him.
The heart of the message of Easter is that he is still here. He still comes accompanies his people on the road of life. He still speaks a comforting word to those who weep by a grave. He still is known in the breaking of the bread. He is a present reality, not a distant memory.
This Holy Week, as we remember his entry into Jerusaelm (Palm Sunday), his Last Supper (Maundy Thursday), his death on the cross (Good Friday), and his resurrection (Easter Sunday) in a worship service each of these days, may we read, listen, sing, pray, and commune with Him who is right there with us every step of the way.
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