Sermon for Palmarum, the Sixth Sunday in Lent: April 10, 2022 jj
Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝
Rejoice, Daughter of Zion, your king comes to you! Cheer loudly and wave your palms to greet Him as He marches in solemn procession on a colt, the foal of a donkey. But be aware of what it means for you to be called the daughter of Zion. This name does not give you much to be proud of. In fact, the unbelieving and overachieving world, the world you know that is drunk with its out-of-control self-esteem fetish, they would take it as nothing else but a slap in the face or backhanded compliment, as if someone were to tell you, “You know you’d be so pretty if you just lost a little weight.” Or “That job may not pay well, but at least you’re able to handle it.” Thanks but no thanks, right? Comments like that can get really humiliating and make you upset. Daughter of Zion refers to the church whenever the Bible uses that name, but it is certainly not a flattering title.
In the Old Testament, the names daughter of Zion and daughter of Jerusalem were used more to announce bad stuff happening to the church rather than good. The prophet Jeremiah witnessed the destruction of God’s city at the hands of an oppressive, terrorist Middle Eastern regime known as the Babylonian Empire. He lamented after this devastating event, and as the dust was still floating over this Ground Zero wasteland, Jeremiah cried, “Oh, how the Lord in His anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!” (Lam. 2:1) He knew the reason why Jerusalem was destroyed. The Lord did it because the daughter of Zion rejected Him. The daughter of Zion was always in trouble. She was the sheep that always loved to stray, looking for better pasture in the fields of another master besides her God. Even to this day, she struggles against her own unbelief and gets bogged down in the sin that so easily entangles, so that she is often not completely free to run the race with perseverance, the way God intended for her.
The daughter of Zion is sometimes full of doubts. She wants to believe and to do what’s right, to stand right up and publicly make her statement of faith right along with all of you, but the trials, the temptations, the everyday life that swirls around her head push her down again. The daughter of Zion has often been brought down low, even forced down to her knees, in order for her to confess and admit she can do nothing to save herself. For her whole life, this struggling child of God has fallen to the temptation to rely on herself, to declare her independence from Christ, her loving Husband, and dictate to Him how He would best serve her. And then, almost invariably, she runs into trouble and she falls flat on her face. She finally realizes that she can’t make any more vows and promises to do better, because she’s going to go right ahead and break her word yet again.
The more the daughter of Zion would read and study the Bible, trying to follow its principles for a better life, the more that same Bible would accuse her and condemn her for the hypocrite that she is. She might have been sucked in by the televangelists, with their high-flying promises to achieve the glorious Christian life—all you have to do is really give your life to Jesus and pray more often. Follow Jesus’ example, she hears from popular preachers, everything will be all right in your life if you could just be a more dedicated believer. But where are those preachers and their great promises when the daughter of Zion faces sickness, the death of loved ones, and persecution because of the Christian faith? She is often led to think that there’s something wrong with her, that God is punishing her and her family for not being as committed to Him as she should. The daughter of Zion must come to terms with her own sin and doubt of God because deep down, in her sinful human heart that she inherited from Adam, there is nothing that could give her cause for any joy. If there is any hope for her, if there is any peace, it cannot come from her heart, but only from the outside.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, you are that stumbling, confused and broken daughter of Zion. Some of you may have tried to convince yourself that because of all your years in church and Sunday School, and perhaps even Lutheran Day School, that you are well on your way past all these things that those infants in the faith struggle with. You think you’re ready for the solid food, that you’re set in position to grasp the baton for the great spiritual relay race, yet really inside you are starving for the milk of God’s Word and the forgiveness that wipes the mud off of you after you’ve tumbled face-down yet again. You have every reason to be proud of the faithful people whom God used in the past to make this church possible, but now you throw your arms up in disgust at the changes going on. You are attacked, not only by the full frontal assault of the devil, but also with his favorite, sneaky, back-door approach, using your own sinful flesh and evil desires against you. Those whom you know who stay away from church are attacked the same way, and yet you find yourself too busy to reach out and help them in some way. Remember, I your pastor am just as much the struggling daughter of Zion as you are.
As I said, the hope for the daughter of Zion is outside, not coming from within your heart. There is no source of divine potential in yourself for you to tap in to. But that hope, and help and peace from outside of you does exist and it is perfect, because it is sent from God. Daughter of Zion, your help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth! He is your King, you are His privileged subjects because you are born into His kingdom through Baptism. What you could never do for yourself, your King Jesus has already done for you. He was born without sin and lived a perfect life, just so God the Father could look at you and no longer see the sin that would condemn you. When He was crucified just a few days after Palm Sunday, you were joined in Baptism together with Him in His death. The sinful flesh you still have is crucified with your King every day as you confess your sins to Him, to each other, to your pastor and then receive absolution, that is, forgiveness from God Himself. You are together with Him in His death, but also you are together with Him in His resurrection, and the new man within you is Jesus Himself, making His home within your heart, feeding your body and soul with His precious body and blood.
Therefore, rejoice O Daughter of Zion! This name of scorn is now your greatest pride, for Christ said, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” Your hardships have turned into badges of honor, for you have been counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus. Behold, daughter of Zion, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation. He comes to you today not with judgment and condemnation because of your sins and broken promises to Him, but rather He is full of forgiveness, life and salvation because of His sacrifice and victory, and because His promises to you will never fail. He comes to you humble and lowly, though now not riding through on a donkey, but He’s humble all the same and hidden for your benefit in His lowly gifts of water, Word, bread and wine. Though you have often fallen, your righteous King will lift you up and heal you, taking away all your sin. He has the power to restore your broken relationships with the forgiveness and peace that is unknown to our fallen world. He alone can lift our church to remain faithful to His Word and stay strong as a beacon of true saving light, shining forth to our spiritually dark society.
And the suffering, broken, beaten down daughter of Zion will not remain that way for long. In fact, the saints of God who have died believing in Christ and are safe in the arms of the Lord, they are no longer discouraged, they no longer taste the curse of death. Since you are baptized in Christ, and they have died in Christ, you are one together with them, too! You are never closer to this invisible cloud of witnesses than you are at this communion rail. There is true hope for you, the daughter of Zion, for you are one Church together with the blessed citizens of the heavenly Zion, the redeemed children of God who still pray for you and surround you along with the angels and archangels, even though you cannot yet see them.
Rejoice in the presence of your King, O Daughter of Zion! Receive Him in your mouth and drink Him down your throat in a joyful procession. Wave your palms and sing Hosanna for joy, though this week, take to heart the dark, subdued and solemn observance of His death for your sake that we will commemorate as we do each year. Only then on Easter, burst forth with singing and shouts of joyful Alleluia, for your King who comes to you now humble and lowly, will be the same King who will come again in great power to take you to your rightful home in His kingdom. Your Jesus who once was crucified, died and was buried, now lives. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. A blessed Holy Week to you all!
In the Name of the Father and of the ✝ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Readings:
Zechariah 9:9–12 your King is coming to you … Lowly and riding on a donkey
Philippians 2:5–11 He humbled Himself … at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … every tongue confess
John 12:20–43 We wish to see Jesus