The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
Mark 11:1-10
Save Us Now, Lord Jesus
First Sunday in Advent, 27
November 2011
Immanuel Lutheran Church,
Sheridan, Wyoming
For a Lay Reader
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
What caught your attention first when you arrived at Immanuel
this morning? The blue paraments and bulletin cover to match? Maybe you were
preoccupied with your own life. That’s a lot to hold together in your mind. The
appointed Holy Gospel for this day ties everything together. Blessed is He who
comes in the name of the Lord! Save Us Now, Lord Jesus! Hosanna in the highest!
1Now
when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of
Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2and said to them, “Go
into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find
a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3
If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it
and will send it back here immediately.’” 4And they went
away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.
5And
some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the
colt?” 6And
they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7And
they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8And
many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that
they had cut from the fields. 9And those who went
before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord! 10Blessed is the coming
kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
Yes, this is the Palm Sunday account according to St. Mark
the Evangelist. The Gospel lessons we will hear for the next year will be
primarily from the Gospel according to St. Mark. That is the blessing of the
Three-Year lectionary. Each year focuses upon Matthew, Mark, or Luke, with
John’s Gospel account to supplement every Easter season and St. Mark’s year,
since his account is shorter.
This week, please read the whole Gospel according to Mark as
a short story. You will find that the first ten chapters prepare you for Holy
Week and the Resurrection in the last six chapters. You may be surprised to
find nothing of the Christmas story in Mark. You’ll have to go to Matthew and
Luke for that. Mark begins with John the Baptizer preparing the way of the
Lord, the way that leads Him to Jerusalem and the cross.
Why a Palm Sunday reading on Advent One? As you may know,
Advent means coming. What better way to start out another Advent season than
with a reading about Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, His coming as the
King of the Jews, heir of King David?
Why blue? Blue is a royal color, like purple. We celebrate
the coming of He who is the heir to King David: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord! 10Blessed
is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
(Lutheran Worship:
History and Practice states,) “The liturgical colors are both a teaching
device and a way of marking days and seasons. They [developed] among Christians
without conscious planning and have existed since the middle ages. Some colors
were adjusted in the revised Church Year. Most notably, there is a new option
for Advent: blue—to distinguish Advent from Lent…Blue represents hope,
anticipation… [Blue comes] From a Swedish Lutheran tradition and from the
ancient Mozarabic (Spanish) liturgy…” (164) Blue was also used for Advent in
England in the diocese of Bath and Wells.
Advent remains a season of preparation, repentance, and
hope. We prepare to celebrate Christ’s first advent (coming) on Christmas, His
Second Coming on the Last Day, and as He comes to us in His Body and Blood in,
with, and under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins. Blue
teaches us about the little baby Boy who is coming, He who comes to us in His
Body and Blood for our forgiveness, and He who will return at the end of time.
The Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem announces why Jesus
came in the first place. He came to die. Jesus came to Jerusalem for a
coronation, but His crown would be one of thorns, not gold. His throne would
not be one of polished wood and precious metal, but one of heavy, rough wood
and iron nails. No herald would publicly announce: “His Majesty, the King.” No,
soldiers and the masses would mock him. Only Pontius Pilate would be left to
proclaim in writing above Jesus’ head: “The King of the Jews.”
What a strange coming! What a strange first Advent! The baby
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, was born to die in your place.
The Advent season has much in common with the end of the
church year. As we approached the Last Sunday in the Church year last week, we
were reminded to be watchful, prayerful, and repentant because Jesus could
return at any time. The Second Coming could also be called the Second Advent.
We carry with us that repentant, prayerful, watchfulness into this season of
Advent and add to it hopeful joy as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, Jesus’
First Advent.
Each week, Christians recognize another coming, another
Advent of our Lord in Word and Sacrament. Jesus says that He is present where
two or three are gathered in His name. He is also present for our good in His
Holy Supper.
Please turn with me to p. 208 in the front of LSB. Each Divine Service we sing the
Sanctus. Sanctus simply means “Holy,” the first word of this angel song from Isaiah
6: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth adored; Heav’n and earth with full acclaim
shout the glory of Your Name.”
This Sanctus also includes a portion of Psalm 118. What does
this have to do with today? Psalm 118:25-26 are the words the people shout at
the end of our Gospel reading as they wave their palms.
We sing with them: “Sing hosanna in the highest, sing
hosanna to the Lord; Truly blest is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
What does this mean? Save us now. Hosanna. Save us now, O
God, You who are in the highest heaven, You who come in the name of the Lord.
Save us, Jesus, from our worries, fears, frustrations, troubles, and from
everything that plagues us within.. You are the only one who can save us from
sin, death, and the power of the devil. We pray. And then we pray as He taught
us: “Our Father who art in heaven…Thy kingdom come…” For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Again, we hear Jesus’
words: “This is My Body…This cup is the New Testament in My blood. “
What is going on here next Sunday? In the Divine Service we
confess that He who came on Christmas, He who triumphantly came into Jerusalem
as King David’s heir, and He who will come again with glory to judge both the
living and the dead is He who comes to us in His Body and Blood in the
Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus came, comes, and is coming for your benefit. His
first Advent was so that He could be born in the flesh in order to suffer, die,
and rise again for you. His advent in the Supper He instituted delivers to you the
salvation won on the cross for you. No wonder we cry out, Hosanna. Save us now!
We need it! And the salvation His Spirit delivers has begun a good work in you
that will be brought to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, His
Second Advent.
Jesus comes to His people in Word and Sacrament. We
celebrate His advent every week of the year, wherever the Lord gathers His people
to receive His gifts from His servant.
CPH
Bulletin Cover: We don’t like to wait. Patience is hard for us. Christians have
been waiting for the joy of the Lord’s revelation for nearly two thousand
years. We wait in certain hope, though, for we know that He keeps His promises.
He kept His promise to die for our sin. He kept His promise to rise from the
dead to destroy our death. He will keep His promise to return. Hosanna!
“Save Us Now, Lord Jesus,” is also our prayer. Please come
each Wednesday until Christmas at 7pm for Evening Prayer.
1Now
when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of
Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2and
said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you
enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and
bring it. 3 If anyone says
to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send
it back here immediately.’” 4And
they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they
untied it. 5And some of
those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6And they told them what
Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7And
they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8And many spread their
cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the
fields. 9And those who
went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord! 10Blessed
is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
Save Us Now, Lord Jesus. Amen.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
