SERMON
“Palm Sunday”
March 29, 2026
- INVOCATION
- PRAYER
- I WISH PALM SUNDAY WAS AS EASY AS THE PEOPLE IN OUR GOSPEL READY MAKE IT LOOK AND SOUND.
- I WISH WE COULD WALK IN THE JESUS PARADE…WAVING PALMS…THROWING OUR COATS DOWN ON THE GROUND BEFORE JESUS…SINGING “HOSANNAS”…ETC. ETC…AND THEN JUST GO OUT TO LUNCH.
- THAT’S HOW PALM SUNDAY USED TO BE FOR ME….FOR MOST OF MY LIFE…I CAME TO PALM SUNDAY WITH JOY…EXCITEMENT…ANTICIPATION…IT WAS LITERALLY A PARADE…WE WOULD GATHER OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH…WITH OUR PALMS…AND WE WOULD SING AND PARADE THE PARKING LOT AND THEN GO INTO CHURCH…WE CELEBRATED JESUS’ ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM AND THEN WENT HOME WITH OUR PALMS IN HAND TO HAVE A GREAT MEAL…AND LIFE WENT ON!
- SO DIFFERENT FROM LENT….GLOOMY…LENTEN SERVICES AT NIGHT WHERE THEY DIMMED THE LIGHTS…FEW REALLY JOYOUS SONGS…
- I’M NOT SURE WHEN OR HOW IT HAPPENED BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY MY EXPERIENCE OF PALM SUNDAY CHANGED.
- MAYBE IT WAS I BEGAN TO GROW UP AND EXPERIENCE LIFE…WHEN I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE LOSS AND GRIEF AND PAIN IN MY LIFE..THE LOSS OF LOVED ONES…PEOPLE AROUND ME WITH LIFE THREATENING ILLNESSES…FEAR OF WARS AND THREATS OF WAR…AND THE LIST…MY LIST GOES ON
- MAYBE IT WAS ALL THOSE THINGS AND A THOUSANDS LIKE THEM
- SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY…I RECOGNIZED THAT MY LIFE AND FAITH WERE NO LONGER AS SIMPLE AND EASY OR AS CERTAIN AND SECURE AS I WANTED THEM TO BE…AS I EXPECTED THEM TO BE…OR AS I TOLD MYSELF THEY WERE AND NEITHER WAS PALM SUNDAY
- SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY I DISCOVERED THE FRAGILITY AND VULNERABILITY THAT UNDERLINE LIFE…FAITH AS WELL AS PALM SUNDAY.
- I THINK MY PALM SUNDAY EXPERIENCE CHANGED BECAUSE MY EXPERIENCE OF LIFE CHANGED.
- I’VE COME TO THIS DAY WITH SOME HESITATION..
- PALM SUNDAY ASKS US TO LOOK AROUND AT EVERYTHING…
- IT HOLDS BEFORE US TRUTHS AND REALITIES ABOUT OURSEVLES…OUR LIVES AND THE WORLD THAT WE DON’T WANT TO FACE…WE OFTEN DENY AND FROM WHICH WE TURN AWAY.
- WE ALL KNOW THE STORY…WE LEARNED IT IN SUNDAY SCHOOL AND BEYOND…YOU’VE HEARD THE STORY MANY…MANY TIMES
- JESUS ARRIVES IN JERUSALEM LIKE A CONQUERING GENERAL OR KING
- THEN HE GOES TO THE TEMPLE…LOOKS AROUND AT EVERYTHING AND THEN LEAVES…ACCORDING TO MARK…HE LOOKS AROUND AND LEAVES
- IT’S A STRANGE AND ANTICLIMATIC ENDING TO WHAT WE CALL WHAT?
- THE “TRIUMPHAL ENTRY”
- IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE A “DRIVE BY RATHER THAN AN ENTRY.”
- SO WHAT IF THAT’S THE KEY TO THIS DAY?
- MAYBE TODAY IS LESS ABOUT THE COLT OF A DONKEY…THE PALMS..THE HOSANNAS..AND MORE ABOUT LOOKING AROUND AT “EVERYTHING” AND SEEING THE TRUTH THAT IS RIGHT BEFORE US.
- MAYBE PALM SUNDAY IS ABOUT TAKING THE TIME TO “LOOK AROUND AT EVERYTHING BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER THIS WEEK…THIS HOLY WEEK!
- LOOK AROUND AT EVERYTHING…LOOK AT YOURSELF…YOUR LIFE…YOUR RELATIONSHIPS…LOOK AT OUR NATION AND THE WORLD
- LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED AND IS HAPPENING…
- WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND AT YOURSELF AND EVERYTHING?
- DO YOU SEE PAIN AND SUFFERING…LOSS AND GRIEF…GUILT AND ANGER…RELATIONSHIPS
- WHAT IS IN NEED OF REPAIR AND HEALING?
- WHAT TRUTH OR TRUTHS ARE YOU DENYING AND CLOSING YOUR EYES TO AND NOT WILLING TO FACE?
- YOU HAVE THEM…WE ALL HAVE THEM
- WHAT PALM SUNDAY IS ASKING US TO DO IS TO NAME THOSE TRUTHS THAT ARE HOLDING US BACK FROM BEING THE PERSON…THE CREATION THAT GOD CREATED YOU TO BE…
- I’M ASKING YOU TO CARRY THAT TRUTH OR TRUTHS WITH YOU THROUGH THIS HOLY WEEK…IT’S WHAT JESUS WILL DO.
- ALL WEEK…MAUNDY THURSDAY WHEN WE WILL GATHER TO LISTEN AND EXPERIENCE HIS SERVANT HOOD AS HE WASHES THE DIRTY FEET OF HIS DISCIPLES…
- AS HE GIVES THEM A NEW AND THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT…THE “MANDATUM”… THAT WE ARE TO “LOVE ONE ANOTHER JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU…YOU ARE TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER!”
- THEN HE DOES WHAT…TAKES A PASSOVER MEAL THAT HAS BEEN REMEMERD FOR OVER 1300 YEARS AT THE TIME OF JESUS…AND TAKES THAT UNLEAVENED BREAD…BLESSES IT…BREAKS IT AND GIVES TO THE DISCIPLES WHO DON’T HAVE A CLUE OF WHAT HE IS DOING AND SAYS…”TAKE AND EAT…” DOES THE SAME WITH THE CUP OF WINE…”TAKE AND DRINK…”
- THEN ON GOOD FRIDAY…WE WILL GATHER ONCE AGAIN…THE MOST SOLEMN DAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR…TO NOT JUST REMEMBER HIS DEATH…BUT TO ASK OURSELVES…DOES JESUS’ DEATH REALLY MAKE IT DIFFERENCE IN MY LIFE?
- THEN OF COURSE…WE WILL GATHER ON EASTER SUNDAY…THE DAY WE REMEMBER AND CELEBRATE CHRIST’S RESURRECTION AND WE WILL SHOUT, “HE IS RISEN..HE IS RISEN INDEED…ALLELUIA!”…MEANS “PRAISE THE LORD!”
- YOU SEE…IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TO CARRY PALMS THAN THE TRUTH.
- DON’T SETTLE TODAY FOR A CHURCH SOUVENIR LIKE A PALM..
- THE PALMS MAY GET US TO JERUSALEM…THE START OF HOLY WEEK
- BUT IT IS THE “TRUTH” THAT WILL GET US TO EASTER AND NEW LIFE
- THE PROMISE OF PALM SUNDAY AND HOLY WEEK IS THIS..
- ALL THE PLACES WHERE OUR TRUTHS ARE HOLDING US BACK IS ALSO THE PLACE WHERE WE CAN EXPERIENCE HEALING…GROWTH…AND NEW LIFE
- I WONDER WHAT THOSE PLACES WILL BE FOR YOU AS WELL AS FOR ME?
- IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THOSE PLACES ARE…IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THOSE PLACES…JUST PUT DOWN YOUR PALMS AND PICK UP THE TRUTH
- (BLACK STONES AND PLACE AT THE CROSS…THE BLACK STONES TODAY REMIND US OF ALL THAT IS HOLDING US BACK FROM BEING WHAT GOD CREATED AND INTENDED US TO BE)
(ABLE STAND AND WE SING #____________________________________)
