Worship Helps for Palm Sunday
Worship Theme: Hail
the King who humbly comes to save us! For 1700 years the Church has celebrated
with Hosannas and palm branches this festival that opens Holy Week. The time
for Christ’s glory had come. He would not, however, gain glory in the manner of
other kings. Rather, he would humble himself in great acts of love for us, and
then the Father would exalt him to the highest place, because he had fulfilled
God’s mission to save mankind.
Old Testament: Zechariah 9:9,10 Rejoice greatly, O
Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the
foal of a donkey. 10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and
the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will
proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from
the River to the ends of the earth.
1. How is Christ “your king”?
2. How would this king be different than other earthly
kings?
Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who,
being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be
grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a
servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even
death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.
3. What quality of Christ is stressed as a model for us?
4. Where was Christ’s humility most obvious?
5. What was the end result of Jesus’ humility?
Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village
ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by
her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to
you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5
"Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and
riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" 6 The
disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought
the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" 10 When
Jesus entered Jerusalem , the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who
is this?" 11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the
prophet from Nazareth in Galilee ."
6. Of what significance is the fact that Jesus is the Son
of David?
1. Though he was more than qualified, Jesus never claimed
an earthly kingdom like we normally think with the word “king.” Instead,
Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. We often consider him ruling in three
kingdoms: the Kingdom of Power Kingdom
of Grace Kingdom
of Glory
2. Zechariah tells Jerusalem
to rejoice when the messianic King comes to her, because he will have with him
the righteousness she needs and the salvation she craves. This King would
surpass the glory and power of all Israel ’s
kings before him. King David’s rule extended to the River Euphrates at its
farthest—but this King’s rule would extend from the Euphrates
to the very ends of the earth, from sea to sea. His worldwide kingdom would
mean the end of war and the advent of peace. All this he would do not with an
army, but with his person—not with violence, but with gentleness. Rejoice,
daughter of Zion ! Your King comes
to you. Hail him!
3. His humility which caused him willingly to lay aside
the honor and majesty that were his as God.
4. In the death he died, a form reserved for the worst of
criminals, “death on a tree.”
5. “God exalted him to the highest place,” and at his
name, “every knee should bow.” Jesus extends the same promise to us when he
says that the last shall be first (Mark 10:31 ).
Jesus is our King, but he came humbly to save us. Though
true God, he became man. Though all powerful, he became a servant. Though
immortal and eternal, he died. He not only laid aside his glory, but he took
our shame upon him. He not only humbled himself, but he died as one who was
cursed. Yet in this great humility, he won the peace of forgiveness for us. The
King came humbly because he wasn’t on the way to a throne in Jerusalem ,
but to a hill called Golgotha where he would fulfill
God’s mission and save his people. Therefore, God would give him glory greater
than his humiliation—every creature will bow the knee and hail him: Jesus
Christ is Lord!
6. The Messiah was foretold to be of David’s family (2
Samuel 7:16 ), and Jesus could trace
his line back to King David through both his mother and his earthly father. The
Jewish people knew well that the Messiah must have these credentials.
The great King comes to his city and to his temple! He
could have come with all the power and glory of the Son of God. He could have
ridden a thunderstorm as his chariot with legions of angels striding beside him
and creation itself singing forth the praise of its Maker. But look how he
comes: Not on the storm, but on a donkey; not accompanied by heavenly warriors,
but by fishermen with a spotty record of faith; not to the sound of creation
singing, but to the shouts of fickle pilgrims who cheered him on Sunday but
would desert him by Friday. Why did he come so humbly? Because he came not to
rule us, but to save us. He came, not to command us, but to invite us. He came
not to demand anything from us, but to give everything for us. He comes in the
name of the Lord to save us.
Putting your faith
into action
“Jesus is a peculiar king. You do not seek him, he seeks
you; you do not find him, he finds you; your faith comes from him, not from
you; and all your faith works in you come from him, not from you” (Martin
Luther). As we see Jesus come humbly to Jerusalem
on a colt, may we be reminded of this peculiar nature of our king who serves so
that we might live for him.
12] We believe, teach,
and confess also that the assumed human nature in Christ not only has and
retains its natural, essential properties, but that over and above these,
through the personal union with the Deity, and afterwards through
glorification, it has been exalted to the right hand of majesty, power, and
might, over everything that can be named, not only in this world, but also in
that which is to come [Eph. 1:21].
13] Now
as regards this majesty, to which Christ has been exalted according to His
humanity, He did not first receive it when He arose from the dead and ascended
into heaven, but when He was conceived in His mother's womb and became man, and
the divine and human natures were personally united with one another. 14] However, this personal union is not to be understood,
as some incorrectly explain it, as though the two natures, the divine and the human,
were united with one another, as two boards are glued together, so that they
realiter, that is, in deed and truth, have no communion whatever with one
another. – Solid Declaration of the Formula of
Concord, Article VIII, The Person of Christ (paragraphs 12-14)
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