κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

[Introduction] The Palm Sunday parade for our Lord Jesus is one of the more vibrant scenes in the Bible, and it gets people excited. Today we see and hear Jesus coming. And THAT’s exciting. Like the Greeks who went up for worship in our Gospel reading, we also long to see Jesus (Jn 12:21).  Now picture this: the streets of Jerusalem are packed with people, ten times more than normal, all for one of the most important celebrations of the year, Passover. Many of those people had heard about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 12:1). As Jesus entered the city, all but a handful of them began singing ... Hosanna to the Son of David ... that is, Save us, please, Jesus!  While Roman leaders typically entered Jerusalem from the north on war horses to display their pride and power, Jesus has come riding a donkey from the east in humility. By identifying Jesus as the Son of David, the people are acknowledging that he is in fact the Messiah ... the Prophet like Moses. And by paving...

Sebastian Gambill, Ian Bergman, Liam Harding ... dear brothers and sisters in Christ ... Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Hear the Word of the Lord for you this confirmation day. From Jeremiah 29:11 ... I myself know the plans I have devised for you, declares YHWH, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a latter time and a hope . And from Philippians 4:13: I have all strength in the one strengthening me. [Introduction] We need to begin with this reminder, something you should never forget: You are baptized.  That’s what today is all about ... You are baptized. It’s not that you were baptized ... perhaps in this font. You are baptized. Baptism is a present reality. Baptism is an on-going reality. Baptism is a gift of God. He has baptized you. And he keeps you in baptism. There is one faith, one hope, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and in all (Php 4:5-6). Today is a day to remember this. Confirma...

Behold, your king is coming to you: Righteous and having salvation is He. [Introduction] Our text from Zechariah is sharper than a two-edged sword. When you actually listen to this Word of the Lord, it brings both great joy and shame. It certainly did this for the people of Jerusalem when they beheld Jesus coming to them, riding on a donkey. They rejoiced when they beheld the king of kings coming to them. But they quickly realized his righteousness was not their own. He had salvation, and they did not. Within days, they were calling for his crucifixion. 3. Behold, you remember your shame, too, don’t you?  You remember that awful moment you realized that you weren’t fit for the king, don’t you? ... the first time you knew he was able to see what you’ve done to your temple, your very being. You had thought you had it covered, didn’t you? You thought no one knew what you had done or have left undone, didn’t you? And suddenly, you realize: Your sin is out in the open. And you are lef...

2. I have our word of the day taped to my lampstand. It serves a constant reminder. It reads: Κύριε, θέλομεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἰδεῖν . ... Sir, we wish to see Jesus . This word comes to us from a conversation that immediately followed our first Gospel reading in John 12. It was spoken by Gentiles who had gone to Jerusalem in order to worship during the feast. They realized Jesus was here. He had entered Jerusalem to the songs, praises, and cheers of tens of thousands of people. So these Gentiles wanted to know more. Sir, we wish to see Jesus . The Pharisees didn’t get it. They didn’t understand why people were so excited to see Jesus. The Pharisees thought it was foolish to pay attention to Jesus ... to what he was teaching and preaching and doing. That is most certainly one reason they said to one another, You see: You are gaining nothing in your effort to see Jesus.   But the Gentiles persisted. There were some Gentiles , John wrote, who went to Philip and said to him: Sir, we wish to ...

The next day, the large crowd that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem, took the branches of palms and went out to meet him and began crying out: Hosanna! Blessed is the one coming in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel (Jn 12:12-13). No story has ever had a bigger buildup to a greater letdown than this one. The Jews were all of the same mind: They had been looking forward to this day for more than a millennia. And here he came! Jesus of Nazareth in Galilee (Mi 5:2)! The prophet like Moses (Dt 18:15)! The son of David (2 Sm 7:12)! Our Messiah (Is 61:1) ... Here he came, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zec 9:9), fulfilling the scriptures. Zechariah, Micah, Isaiah, Deuteronomy, Samuel, the Psalms. This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Ps 118:24). ... These things are written so that you will believe Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God and that by believing you will have life in his name (Jn 20:31...