1st Sunday in Advent (C)
Luke 19:28-40
December 1, 2024
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The text I have chosen for this morning’s sermon is the Gospel from St. Luke.
The global sales of sports merchandising for 2024 are estimated to be thirty-five billion dollars. That’s a ton of jerseys, caps, and foam fingers! That doesn’t include all the high school t-shirts that we encounter every day. Those who don’t like sports are still fanatical for the United States of America, charities like Walk for a Cure, the community center, kids and grandkids. We show off jerseys and T-shirts, contribute to charities, and brag about our families because we’re proud of them and want everyone to know that we support them.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, a cheering and adoring crowd supported Him. What’s curious was the contrast between the crowds and Jesus’ mode of transportation. A king rides in a chariot or on a noble steed while leading his troops in full pomp and circumstance. This is the kind of king of the people are cheering. But here comes Jesus riding on a humble colt with no intention to show military power or a desire to depose Herod as king. And yet at the same time, Jesus won’t quiet the crowds or dissuade them from cheering.
I’m not so sure the crowd would’ve listened to Him anyway. Luke writes, “The whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.” They had heard about the healing miracles, the feeding miracles. They had witnessed and heard about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. How could they be silent? Saint John says there were two groups: one which accompanied Jesus into the city, and another which streamed out of the city to meet Him. What a crowd! If there were such things as foam fingers or “I love Jesus” t-shirts, the crowd would’ve been sporting them. Instead, they cheered, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Whether anyone truly comprehended the meaning of these words, we’ll never know. We do though.
When our Savior was born the angels sang glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth. The week before our Savior died, the people sang the same thing. There’s a reason for these words! Because of Jesus, we’re no longer at war with God! We have peace with God because Jesus went to Jerusalem to die, not to reign. God isn’t our enemy. He’s the Father who sent His Son so that we are His sons and daughters too! As Jesus told the woman who was so broken that she washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” All she wanted was forgiveness, and Jesus gave it to her. All you and I need, really need, is the forgiveness of sins and Jesus gives it to you. What’s the last thing you hear during the Divine Service on Sundays? “The Lord look upon you with favor and give you…what? Peace! Go in peace, I tell you, your sins are forgiven!
The crowd on Palm Sunday was undoubtedly confused about Jesus. Some may have had the right idea, but most didn’t. We don’t know for sure, except that Luke tells us that they’re praising God for the mighty works they had seen, not what they had heard Jesus say. Unsurprisingly, that Pharisees didn’t get it either. They push through the crowd to get to Jesus and tell Him to tell the crowds to knock it off. To which Jesus replies, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
So why, why, do we not cheerly loudly for what Jesus has done for us? We have the benefit of hindsight. We read the Gospels, we have the Word of God, we have the resurrection, we know why Jesus went to Jerusalem. Do you really want to leave the praise of God to the stones! In the Psalm 98, we hear, “Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together.” If nature praises God for all He has done, shouldn’t we? If only we had the same zeal for Jesus as we have for our presidential candidates or the other things we get so worked up about. Our zeal is often misplaced. Is yours? What lights your fire? What gets your blood pumping? If it’s not Jesus, that says something, right?
I know that some of you do your part to share His mighty works. You wear Christian t-shirts and carry tumblers. You pray with others. You encourage others in their Christian walk. You’re vocal about your faith. Those of you who do such things are true treasures. But I think we can do better. We should strive to make sure that Jesus comes out of our mouths far more than anything else.
Let us cry out with the stones, rivers, and trees about what God has done! He created us in His image, to be the pinnacle of His creation. When Sin and Death mangled his creation, He sent His Son to make it right again, to make us right. And then He sent the Holy Spirit who brings us to faith and keeps us in the faith, who makes us good and holy. What’s coming up? Christmas, right? Let’s open our mouths to sing the praises of Jesus who was born to save this fallen world and let everyone know what Christmas really is about because so much of this world doesn’t have a clue.
Now, I’m not asking you to paint your face like a fanatic. I don’t want you men to worship while twirling your shirt over your head while baring your chest. But shouldn’t we be a little more excited about what God has done for us? Do our “amens” have to sound so bored? We should be vocal! You need to take every opportunity to talk about Jesus – to your families, friends, and even strangers! I don’t want you to be obnoxious, you have to read the temperature in the room. Paul gives us great advice when he tells us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
You are forgiven! You are a child of God! You are spared hellish punishment! You have a merciful God who will never abandon you or forsake you. You have a compassionate God who promises that everything that happens in life is for the good of those who love Him. It’s His promises that we find the motivation to praise God the way we should. Don’t we want everyone to know what we know? Jesus says, “I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Wouldn’t it be great to know that sharing Jesus with someone could lead to the choir of angels praising God?
And what’s the worst thing that can happen if they don’t want to hear about Jesus? Some mocking? An argument? An insult? They ignore you? Maybe some embarrassment? So what? The disciples were beheaded, crucified, stoned, stabbed, burned at the stake, and faced the lions. In third world nations you can be arrested, tortured, and killed. In some parts of the so-called civilized west, you can be imprisoned for what you say and do. I’d say we have it pretty easy, and even if we don’t, how can we keep what Jesus has done for us, for all people, to ourselves? If only we had the same excitement for Jesus as we do everything else.
We look forward to big games – do we look forward to Sunday morning service? We look forward to seeing our children and grandchildren – do we look forward to seeing Jesus (both here in Word and Sacrament) and in His second coming? We look forward to Christmas – do we look forward to Jesus as much as we do food, family, and presents? I can’t answer these questions for you. Only you know by looking into your heart and seeing what it reveals. If you look and don’t like what you see, if your zeal is misplaced, then look to Christ who forgives even your silence and wooden praise. This is why He came, right? Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
You are forgiven! Shout it out! Praise God for all He has done. Praise Him for your things, your life, your blessings, your salvation. Praise Him for the Son who didn’t do what the crowds wanted Him to do and instead did what needed to be done. Sing His praise, tell of His mighty works! Don’t leave it to the stones to sing, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” That’s your song!
Amen
Now the peace which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen