*St. Matthew 21:1-11* Dearly beloved,
We listen to St. Paul’s words and we are reminded how we are to live as Jesus’ beloved church. In fact, we listen to his words and we are convicted by his preaching. St. Paul is weaving the commandments around love, but we hear even the injunction to love as law. Do we really do it? This love is a divine love, not one that we can fashion on our own. This love comes from God to us, and makes its home within us. We, in turn, look to others and the light of Christ is manifested in and amongst people. It is impossible to know how to love as God would have us love if this divine love has not come to a person. There are many loves in the world but this love trumps them all and cannot be obtained apart from holy baptism. Those who love only in the ways of the world often find themselves in and amidst sin. Mankind has a tendency (thanks to original sin) to seek to fulfill the flesh through pleasure and self-fulfilling behaviors. St. Paul even warns Timothy concerning widows: “But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives”(1 Timothy 5:6). This can be said of all who live in pleasures and the lust of the flesh. So, St. Paul reminds the church at Rome: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts”(Romans 13:14). This is easier said than done. This very topic is a hinge that either opens the door or closes it, depending on how one understands the Holy Scriptures. As people we hear these words and we either refuse to believe or admit that we indulge the sinful flesh, or we acknowledge our sin and seek help. This whole discussion of sin, flesh, and lust is predicated on something more fundamental. Advent is about the coming of Jesus. As we embark we will hear themes that will beckon us to ponder the ways in which Jesus comes to us. The prophet Isaiah speaks of creation’s longing for redemption. “Indeed the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the world: ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him”(Isaiah 62:11). Then Isaiah adds commentary to this by saying: “And they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken”(Isaiah 62:12). The people of Israel heard these words and thought one thing. They believed their nation to be that which was Sought Out and Jerusalem to be A City Not Forsaken, but as we know, Jesus, before His death, prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah speaks of a people whose sins shall be redeemed. There before Jesus lies Jerusalem, a city to be destroyed. Within that city were people whose sins condemned them. Living for themselves and gratifying the flesh, they were dead while they lived. Here rides the Savior of the nations from the Kidron Valley into Jerusalem. Before the people even understand how they need a Savior our Lord comes riding into the holy city. The king rides and the people shout with joy “Hosanna!,” “Save us!”. But what they are to be saved from they don’t even know. The very crowd who shouts “Hosanna” will later shout words of cursing. But the Advent of the King is such that He rides into the Father’s creation with a gift that mankind didn’t even know that it needed. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the love of God toward us: “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear”(Isaiah 65:24). This is a Savior Who comes riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey. This is a God who loves so much that He descends into our world to impart to mankind this divine love of which St. Paul speaks in Romans 13. The faith that moves mountains is formed by the divine love of Christ that can do things that defy nature. The things that we think impossible are the very things that can come to pass because of the incarnation of Jesus. A faith that can move mountains, a love that does not envy, a hope that is not shattered are all attributes that speak more of Christ than they do us. What is impossible with man is possible with God. These things speak of us as things that have first been done by Jesus. We cannot move mountains, but Jesus can. We cannot love in spite of ourselves, but Jesus does. We cannot hope on our own, but Jesus gives us hope through His redemption. Those who at first appear far off from anything godly suddenly find themselves Sought Out and holy. Advent and the Christian faith as a whole is more about Jesus seeking us than our seeking of Jesus. Luther speaks well concerning this: “Jesus is a peculiar King: you do not seek Him, He seeks you; You do not find Him; He finds you; for the preachers comes from Him not from you; their preaching comes from Him not from you. “Your faith comes from Him, not from you, and all that your faith works in you comes from Him and not from you.” Christianity, therefore, is about Jesus coming to you. This is the fundamental doctrine. We must put away from our minds the modern thought of Jesus that we only need Jesus once at the beginning of our journey and then the rest is up to us. No. We need Jesus to come to us continually. We need Jesus more each day, and whether you were baptized last week or ninety years ago you need Jesus to continually seek you out and impart His love to you. This is why Isaiah calls the holy people of God the “Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.” This is what God calls the people whom He redeems. You are a part of this holy city. You are sought out over and over again. When Jesus rides into Jerusalem He is the salvation that comes to the people of the world. Jesus rides into your midst even today. A festal procession with a crucifix coming down the aisle is the symbolic statement to all gathered that Jesus rides into our midst in the liturgy. He comes to a people in order to bring redemption. The pastor processes behind the cross because he is the mouth of Jesus who speaks to you words of this redemption. The pastor is the herald who cries out for all to hear that your redemption draws near. You watch your redemption drawing near when the pastor consecrates the bread and wine, lifting it up for all to see because today Jesus rides into our midst under bread and wine, and we respond with loud hosannas. The life of God’s holy people is and remains centered on Jesus’ coming to us. The love of Christ of which St. Paul writes to the Romans is among you. Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed and Jesus is closer to us than we can ever imagine, as we behold His entrance into our midst in the liturgy, in the sacrament, in the preaching, and in your lives. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org
