St. Luke 19:28-40, 19-29
Divine Service
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Today is the beginning of a new Church Year – the first Sunday in Advent.  We begin the season of preparation today, because the King is coming.  As Jesus comes to us through the Word during Advent, our hearts are prepared to be cradles.  We are made ready to receive and meet the Lord Jesus.

Many of you recognize this reading as the regular reading from Palm Sunday, the day when Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a donkey.  He entered into Jerusalem on that Sunday to the cheering of crowds and by the end of the week, our Lord had been crucified and buried.  Now, the idea of the Palm Sunday Gospel text at the beginning of Advent might ring a bit strange.  But is it really?  After all, Advent is the time of preparation for the coming of the Savior, and the Palm Sunday text so poignantly communicates the reality that the King of grace comes in lowly ways.  Jesus is the Savior who wants to come to us and be a part of our lives and bring us the peace and joy and hope that only He can offer.

I share in common with you the tendency to look for peace and joy and hope in places apart from the Savior.  It is so easy to look for tranquility in the things of this life.  The old saying goes, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”  Perhaps we actualize that saying in our living a bit more than we think.  You see, it is easy to look for comfort and peace and joy in the things of this world.  It is easy to look at the material blessings that God has given and think of them as the ends rather than as gifts from the One who is our true blessing.  Looking for calm and peace in these things – things of this world, things we can possess, things we can control, things we can manage – will end in frustration.

Advent is the season of preparation.  Not in preparation for our typical celebration of Christmas, but in the preparation for our coming King.  When we are not prepared, it is easy to miss the King.  After all, what king submits to the humility that we see in our Gospel lesson?  What king gives up the throne to take the place of the subjects?  What King chooses a donkey instead of a mighty steed or a fancy chariot?  What King enters into the capital city to die – as this King will less than one week from the date of our lesson?  This isn’t the way of the world.  And so the world did not – and still does not – recognize Him.  In fact, the world rejects Him.  Jesus deserves our praise, as well.  If we will not give it, now, as then, “the very stones would cry out.”

The first temptation held forth the promise to Adam and Eve, that they would “be like God.” (Genesis 3:5)  Every sin and temptation since then holds forth the same empty promise: “if you do this, you will be like God.  YOU will have the control, YOU will have the power, YOU will have the glory.  YOU will have the praise that YOU deserve.”  Whether it’s a temptation to pride, to selfishness, to greed, immorality, rage, slander, or whatever: that is still the same empty promise.  The devil knows that  it works.  People have bought into it since the beginning.  Interesting isn’t it – dogs are happy with their dogginess, sheep with their sheepiness, but humans always want to be something else – something more.

That something more for us men and women – in our sinfulness – is that we want to be like God: and we can’t even get being human right.  God made us in His image.  He made us caretakers of His creation.  He wants us to be like Him in this respect: that we care for others, and have mercy on others, and be faithful in the work He has given us.  But we can’t even get that down right, and the devil comes along and gets us to think that somehow, we can be more: we can be like God.  We can barely take care of ourselves half the time, let alone a family, or even a pet.  And we think we’ll be capable of ruling the universe.  Sin turned the tables, and has us falsely try to become our own God.  And ruins us all the more for it.

Salvation, then, had to turn the tables one more time. For our salvation, God had to humble Himself and become a MAN.  He had to be born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law.  But unlike us, Jesus succeeded in being human.  The Son of God was born of the virgin Mary to make here His home, and became fully human.  Like us in every way, but without sin.  He relied entirely on His heavenly Father, with unshakable faith.  He obeyed every commandment.  He showed every mercy.  He was in every way what we were supposed to be.  The image of God, content and satisfied in God, and in doing His Father’s will.  And so, beloved, God has called you and me – by grace, through faith – to recognize the King.  He has prepared our hearts through the waters of Baptism to receive that King as He enters.  He nourishes the faith that gives us sight with the very body and blood of his Son.  He illuminates our vision with his Word so that we can see and recognize the King.

And notice how He goes about getting the praise that is due Him.  You’d think when the Son of God became man, and came to live an earthly existence, it would be in great glory and power and such.  You might even think He’d come with condemnation, showing us by His every deed, “you stupid sinners!  This is how it’s done!  Now feel my wrath!”  But “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17)  And so Jesus came, humbly, gently, quietly, lovingly, with peace, forgiveness, healing, and help for all.  On this day, He rode into town on a young donkey.  As we look at Jesus, we see that He is so very different from what the world offers.  He rules not by force or coercion, but by grace.  He rules not through use of power but through his death and resurrection.  He doesn’t choose the palace but the way of the Cross.  He doesn’t come to us in signs of glory nor in a Santa suit, but in the forgiveness that He offers to us.

What a contrast between what the world offers and what the King offers.  The world rushes to create a perfect moment of nostalgia and find contentment with gifts and glitter.  The King of the universe, the Prince of Peace, is put to death for crimes He did not commit.  The world looks for bigger and plusher quarters, while the King at His birth was laid in an animal’s feeding trough because there was no room for them in the inn.  The world relishes the feasts associated with the celebrations of the season, while the King went hungry in the desert and thirsty on the Cross.

We can understand praising someone because of his person – because he’s a good guy – humble, talented, etc.  But we also are to praise him for the simple fact that He holds an office that demands respect – as King.  That’s difficult to grasp – to praise someone just because of his office.  Take for instance the United States President.  When Presidents Clinton and Nixon lied to our faces, it was hard to show them much respect.  We say, “why should I show respect to someone who lies to me? How can I?”  When President Bush didn’t win the popular vote, some may think, “how can I respect someone who didn’t win the majority of the votes?”  Yet the concept that God says is “respect them because of the OFFICE they have been given.”  David RESPECTED Saul even though he had no reason to – simply because of he was the king – because of his office.  That’s what God tells children to do with their parents.  That’s what God tells members to do with their Pastor.  This becomes difficult when the Pastor doesn’t have the personality that you like or the President doesn’t have the morality that God requires.  But when your parents or pastors or leaders are worthy of praise – it becomes much easier.

Kings are worthy of praise.  The disciples of Jesus also weren’t ashamed to praise Jesus on that Palm Sunday.  “The whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  Why did the disciples praise him?  The disciples had seen some of those miracles, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind.  Even raising the dead!  A dead little girl, He brought back to life for her sorrowing parents.  A dead son, He brought back to life for the sorrowing and widowed mother.  A dead friend, He brought back to life, for the sorrowing sisters.  This king - instead of abusing them and making many demands of them - was GIVING them joy, health and life.  More importantly, this King, Jesus, brought blessing and peace in the name of the Lord - peace between God and man.  Therefore, it was EASY for them to praise their King.  And why did Jesus choose this way?  So that we might be free!  So that He could turn our eyes from the entanglements of this world and point them toward Him.  So that we might have a real and lasting peace – a peace that passes all understanding.

Advent is about preparation – preparation to receive the King.  His time to return as the all-powerful Messiah is in the near future.  But He has come already as Savior.  As God draws near to you, beloved, let his peace come over you.  Let his grace and the forgiveness give you hope.  Let his mercy bring you joy.  With Jesus, there isn’t any middle room either.  When the Pharisees heard Jesus praised as the Messiah - they hated it.  They said to Him: “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"”.  But not us!  When we hear Jesus’ name be praised - we love it, for we know it is well deserved - because of His person and because He is the merciful and almighty King.  Therefore we can sing -

Savior of the nations, come! 

Virgin’s Son, make HERE thy home

Marvel now, O heaven and earth

That the Lord chose such a birth! (LSB 332:1)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen