Hosanna: Save Now - We Pray
 

Sermon by Manfred Schreyer

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John 12:12 (NIV) The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! " "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" {14} Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, {15} "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." {16} At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. {17} Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. {18} Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. {19} So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"

"Hosanna: Save Now - We Pray"

Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethany, just two miles east of Jerusalem, six days before Passover, which would have been a Sabbath. After sunset he was invited to the home of Simon the leper, where he met with the risen Lazarus and was served a meal by his sisters. After supper Mary anointed his feet with expensive burial oil, although she did not realize all that God would accomplish in the life and death of his Son during his final Passover feast. At the same time many of his disciples from Galilee were arriving in Jerusalem a week early in order to prepare for the Passover feast.

      Jesus was entering the city of Jerusalem. The city of King David. All things were prophesied before hand:

Psalm 118:19-29: Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. 20This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. 21I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 22The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; 23the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25O Lord, save us [Hosanna]; O Lord, grant us success. 26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. 27The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. 28You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 29Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

      I want you to picture the scene: (1) Jesus arrives at Jerusalem with a donkey [the symbol of peace] (2) The crowd is enthusiastic, they had heard of His miracles and His sayings. They expected a King, a ruler rather then a Savior, who would free them from the Romans (3) Jesus knew what would lie ahead of Him, and He had choices to make.

      Our God placed this fully human Jesus among our midst, who was tempted by the evil one, who was fully capable of escaping the will of God, who faced daily opposition among us.

      Are we willing to go anywhere God wants us to go? Are we willing to do anything God wants you to do? Are we more focused on your own personal desires and dreams? Are we willing to let those desires and dreams die?

      What do we do, when we hear the will of God for us?

      Are we willing to leave the things behind that we think are important in life?

       

THE BARE ESSENTIALS

Steve Lawson tells the story of a group of mountain climbers in the Alps preparing to ascend to the summit of Mount Blanc. The night before, their guide made one thing very clear. They were not to carry along equipment or personal items that were not absolutely necessary to the climb. In order to reach the top, they would have to leave all unnecessary accessories behind.

One young man from England didn't like the guide's instructions. He proceeded to pack an extra blanket, a cap, and a heavy notebook.

As they made their way up to the summit the next day, the guide noticed that certain items were being left behind in the snow. First, the blanket, then the notebook, and finally the cap-- all jettisoned by the Englishman.

This is the way it is in our spiritual lives as well. If we want to reach the peak, we have to let go of all those unnecessary things in our lives, no matter how good they might be in themselves. Every hindrance must be left behind.

[Men Who Win by Steven Lawson. , 1992. Page 102.]

      The reason I am telling you the story is because of the Pharisees in this story. Read the very last sentence of the biblical text above.

      Why did they never agree with Jesus and the message He proclaimed to the Jews?

http://cedar.evansville.edu/~ecoleweb/articles/pharisees.html ( this link tells you more about Pharisees)

Because they were afraid, they would lose in the spiritual world. They had chosen themselves as separatists after the Maccabean revolt. They were clergy rather then statesmen and laymen and followed a strict Levitical interpretation of the Law.

Jesus never excluded that Law of God, but what Jesus told us, is not to seek an interpretation for the Law, but to seek God in our heart, then follow the Law.

Their understanding was that follow the Law and then God will come into our heart.

      WRONG! We must receive God and then seek God’s will for us and not trying to interpret God’s will for us and then hope God will seek us out.

      When you interpret God and God’s love then you are starting to exclude people. You do not allow them to ever find God in their life.

      You see Jesus was on the side of everyone . . . He did not choose sides against the Romans, against Gentiles, against the sick, against gender . . . he was there for everyone . . .

      And people misunderstood Jesus. They waived the sign of Jewish nationalism "the palms." The palms were the expectations of a better time ahead, a remembrance of a better time behind.

      When Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, you will remember that he had asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" And then more directly, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter had told Jesus, "You are the Messiah." At the gates of Jerusalem the crowds took up Peter's confession, "You are the Messiah, Hosanna in the highest." And yet all along that long and arduous walk to Jerusalem the disciples had bickered and argued about who among them would have the best seat in God's coming kingdom. Jesus trod the road weary and disillusioned, he was about to leave God's work in the hands of a few who displayed no understanding of the teaching he had given them over the last three years.

      Palm Sunday is more then just standing in the crowd and expecting "the thing for me"

      It is not the moment where we expect Jesus to fulfill our personal agenda.

      Palm Sunday is really the day where we step aside from the crowd lay don the palm leaf, and ask ourselves: "What have I done, why is Jesus in our coming my way? What possible can I do to understand the upcoming crucifixion?"

      What does God expect as our response?

      As we come together this coming Maundy Thursday for our foot washing and communion, may we step aside and look at ourselves and those around us and ask and give forgiveness as our Lord proclaimed in the three years of His ministry on earth.

"Hosanna: Save Now - We Pray"

 

 

Let us pray:

Almighty and ever living God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

From the Book of Common Prayer (contemporary version)

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