Sermon 1 Peter 1:10-25 “Living Holy Lives”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon  1 Peter 1:10-25  “Living Holy Lives”
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
April 26, 2020

Order of Worship for the Third Sunday of Easter

Zoom Bible Study - Tuesdays at 7 pm

Pittsgrove Choir - "I Have a Song" Jan. 27, 2019

Mission Sunday - Cornerstore Women's Resource Center

Watch a video this sermon.

This is the second in a series of sermons focused on the implications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Last week we saw that as a result of the resurrection we now have a new life.   Even if we still experience problems, we can rejoice because of all that Christ has done for us.   We have hope for a glorious future.  Today we will be looking at how we get this new life and how that new life changes us in important ways.  We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.

Holy Father, we ask that you allow us to be in your presence this morning as we worship.  Help us to hear your word through my preaching today.  Transform us by that word into holy people who truly love one another.  We pray this in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

1 Peter 1:10-25  10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry,  11 inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory.  12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look!

13 Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.  14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance.  15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct;  16 for it is written, "You shall
be holy, for I am holy."

17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.  18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,  19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.  20 He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.  21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

 22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.  23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.  24 For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,  25 but the word of the Lord endures forever." That word is the good news that was announced to you.

A prophet is someone who sees clearly what is happening in the world and discerns what God thinks about it.  They are not future tellers or psychics although what they say does have an element of timeless truth.  Rather they are truth-tellers who understand what is going on in the world around them.   They are connected to God’s Spirit through prayer to discern what God wants to be done in the world.

Moses saw the oppression of the Israelites and he discerned God’s desire for their freedom.  Amos saw the injustice to the poor and needy in his society and he discerned God’s warning that the destruction of the nation was near if they did not repent and change their ways.  Prophets are needed whenever the world we live in diverges from the Creator’s intent.  God sends prophets to bring us back to obedience.

The Apostles of Jesus Christ, who witnessed his resurrection, were prophets.  They clearly saw what was happening in the world around them and they knew what God wanted through the Holy Spirit.  As prophets, they spoke in synagogues, homes, and later churches proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

As the church grew, Apostles trained other preachers teaching them the message that God wanted to be proclaimed about the grace of Jesus Christ.  So long as these new preachers proclaimed a message consistent with the teaching of the Apostles their words were considered to be the word of God.  This was made possible by the Holy Spirit who speaks through the faithful words of the preacher to the attentive hearts of the congregation.  According to Peter, the angels, God’s own messengers, are so interested in what is being proclaimed by faithful preachers, they bend over to listen to what is going on.

And so we can believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead because in the New Testament and in faithful preaching the teaching, the testimonies of the Apostolic witnesses are preserved.  So long as my preaching is based on teachings of the Apostles who witnessed the event, and is carried from my mouth to your ears by the Holy Spirit then you are hearing God’s holy word.

When we hear and understand the word of God proclaimed we are filled with the hope of receiving the grace of Jesus Christ revealed in his resurrection.  That is what brings us to new life in Jesus Christ.  As you sit at home watching or reading this sermon, you are being transformed by God’s word into God’s obedient children.  That is why, as we listen to the word of God more and more, we find ourselves leaving our old lives behind, our lives of dishonesty, drunkenness, promiscuity, violence, and anger.  We begin to realize that these things are in our pasts and were washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Recently I heard a story from a woman working in the entertainment industry.  She had been a talented singer at one point, but her lifestyle eventually caught up with her and the hope of a promising career turned into a night of darkness and desperation.  She contemplated suicide as the only solution to her problems.  But then she looked at the calendar and saw that it was Christmas Eve.  She did not know Jesus, but he seemed like the only alternative for someone in her situation.  So she prayed that Jesus would send his spirit to help her.  And that night she received new life in Jesus Christ.  I can’t say that a story as dramatic as this one will happen to everyone who accepts Christ in their lives.  But I can say that Christ is offering new lives to anyone who comes to him.

In worship, we have the opportunity to ask Christ for new life.  We come into the presence of God.  We hear the word of God read and proclaimed.   Christ’s work of transformation has already begun. 

This should terrify us and scare us to death.  Approaching God in this way should fill us with fear, awe, reverence, and wonder.  We should be amazed at what is happening.  Coming into the presence of God to hear his word in worship can’t help but be transforming.  A new life can’t help but be terrifying to someone who is comfortable in his old life.  But if the word of God is faithfully preached and heard then we will come into the presence of God and our lives will never be the same.

When this happens and we find ourselves with new lives.  We just can’t stop giving glory to God for all he has done for us.  God has given us new lives, the forgiveness of our sin, and for the promise of eternal life.  Coming into the presence of God has the effect of purifying our lives. We become holy just as God is holy.

And this allows us to do what God really wants us to do.  God gives us new lives so that we will love each other, genuinely, truly, love one another.  This is an intense, fervent concern for the well being of the people in the church, in our community, and around the world.  We are to love each other as much as God loved his own son.  And this love will burn in us forever because it is indivisible from the new life we have in Christ.

There is an old story about a man named William Beeterwolf.  Dr. Beeterwolf lived around a hundred years ago.  One day he was working on a scaffold three stories above the ground. Dr. Beeterwolf tripped and plunged to the ground for what appeared to be certain death.  But a workman below saw Dr. Beeterwolf falling to the ground directly above him so he braced himself breaking Dr. Beeterwolf’s fall and saving his life.  But as a result of breaking Dr. Beeterwolf’s fall nearly every bone in his own body was broken.
The crippled man was asked how Dr. Beeterwolf had treated him since the fall.  He replied saying, “Well he gave me half of everything he owns.  I also have a share in his business.  He never lets me want for a thing.  He is constantly concerned about me and hardly a day passes that I don't receive from him some little token of remembrance.”

This is a wonderful story of gratitude and love.  Remember that Jesus died for you so that you could live a new life.  Like Dr. Beeterwolf we should be grateful to Jesus for giving us new life.  And our response to Christ’s sacrifice for us should be to love one another as much as God loves us.

So, the word of God, preached and heard, is what God uses to transform our lives into people who love one another.  That is why it is so important to immerse yourselves regularly in the Bible.  That is why it is so important to worship at home and in church.  Through this, you take on a new life and become more holy, hopeful, and loving.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, speak to us through the preaching and hearing of the word of God. Through this transform us into the children of God so that we can love others as fully as you love us.  Continue to speak to us your transformative word through the Bible and my preaching.  We pray this in your glorious name. Amen.

Sermon – 1 Peter 1:3-9 “New Life in Christ”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – 1 Peter 1:3-9 “New Life in Christ”
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church - Home Worship
April 19, 2020

Order of Worship for the Second Sunday of Easter

Open the Eyes of My Heart - Nick

How Great Thou Art - YouTube

Be Still My Heart - YouTube

Watch a video of this sermon.

This morning I am beginning a series of sermons on the implications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  As we saw last week, Jesus’ resurrection was a historical event that gives us a glimpse of a glorious future reality when all of God's people will be resurrected into God’s re-creation of the world.  Today we will look at one of the implications of the resurrection for the followers of Jesus, now that we have new life in Christ.  Will you pray with me?

Lord Jesus, we know that you now sit on the right hand of God ready to rule this earth.  We come to you as your people and pray that you will transform us into God’s children.  Mold us into the lives that you would have us live.  And we pray this in your strong name.  Amen.

1 Peter 1:3-9   3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,  7 so that the genuineness of your faith-- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,  9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Although I grew up going to church with my parents, I stopped almost as soon as I went to college.  This is common as many people find this transition difficult.  There are many people in their 20s and 30s who have stopped going to church.  Many of these will return when life events occur: a parent dies, a marriage starts, a child is born.  I went back to church after my mother died because I needed something that was old and familiar.  Church seemed like the right thing.  And I assumed that if I went back to church many of my problems would be solved.  My business would grow.  I would have more friends and find a wife.  I would be happier.

     Although I came closer to God as I attended worship, the problems I had experienced continued.  Christianity, I found was not something that solves all your problems like a good luck charm.  And when we find that our problems remain we are tempted to conclude that church is worthless and it is time to leave.  It was to a group of people in a similar situation, who believed in Christ but their problems continued, to whom Peter wrote his letter.

     The Apostle Peter wrote what we now call First Peter from Rome near the end of his long and important career.  Originally he was known as Cephas, a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee.  He lived in Capernaum, a city on the shore of the lake and on the main highway leading from Egypt to Damascus.  So he grew up meeting people from different ethnic groups, cultures, and languages.  One day he was asked by a rabbi from Nazareth to follow him as a disciple, which he did.  And his life was never the same after that.

     Cephas knew better than anyone else what it means to follow Jesus.  He knew that it was not easy.  He knew that following Jesus might not turn out as he expected. But he also knew of Jesus’ love, grace, and forgiveness.   Jesus knew that Cephas, though not perfect, was stable and strong so he renamed him “Petros” or Peter, which means “rock”.  Jesus used Peter as the bedrock upon which he would build his church.

In the first thirty years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the church experienced spectacular growth.  Peter was partially responsible as an evangelist who went out from Jerusalem to other communities.  His activities are not as well known as Paul’s because they are not covered as well in the Book of Acts, and the only writings we have from Peter are two short letters in the New Testament.

In the Book of 1 Peter we have a circular letter that was sent to a group of churches in Asia Minor.  A messenger would arrive at one church, read the letter to the congregation and then move on to the next church.  The people in these churches were experiencing the cost of following Jesus and needed encouragement.  So Peter was encouraging them to maintain their faith even in the midst of their hardships.

The Christians in these churches had experienced difficulty in their lives.  Many of them, before accepting Christ, participated in the debauchery of popular culture.  They would get drunk; have sex outside of marriage and so forth.  But once they encountered Jesus they stopped drinking and were faithful to their spouses.  This strained the relationships they had with friends who continued in their old type of behavior.  Christians were considered asocial.

These Christians also had problems politically.  By following Christ they would necessarily stop worshiping the pagan god of their city.  Now the city leaders had no problem with Christians worshiping their own god because in pagan culture there were many gods to worship.  But by not worshiping the god or goddess of the city they were risking the displeasure of that god.  And if misfortune happened to the city, then the Christians would be blamed.  Christians who did not worship the god of the city were called atheists.

     Another problem was that by calling Jesus Christ “Lord” Christians were denying the lordship of Caesar thus opening themselves up to charges of treason.  So Christians were considered asocial, atheistic, and treasonous and thus were ostracized by their culture.

In this letter, Peter begins by assuring them that the new life they have experienced in Jesus Christ is not their choice but an act of God.  Just as God raised Jesus from the dead to new life so too does God raise us, through the waters of baptism, into our new lives.  In our new lives, we have a new way of looking at our problems. The world we live in suggests that we should despair over these problems.  But Peter wants us to focus not on the problems of today but on our present new lives in Christ and our future hope of resurrection through faith in Jesus Christ.  Just as the Israelites were promised land by God centuries ago so too does God promise us an inheritance of forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  And God also promises protection in this life through our faith and the promised salvation.

Peter points out that Christian faith is not permanent.  He should know.  When Jesus needed him most Peter denied ever knowing him.  Three times Peter denied him as Jesus was on trial for his life.  This memory must have haunted Peter his entire life.  And it was a story, the church knew well.  Peter eventually realized that the faith he now has is far stronger because of this experience, just as gold is refined in a fire so too was his faith refined by sin and suffering.  So Peter is urging the congregations to persevere in the faith even in the midst of their suffering because the faith that survives suffering is much stronger.

So if you are lonely because of the coronavirus, or wondering where the money will come from to make your next mortgage payment, or if you worrying if it is time to go into a retirement home, or if you have lost a job, or if a loved one is suffering from the virus, remember to maintain your faith in Jesus Christ and God will sustain you and comfort you.  And in the end, your faith will be even stronger than it is now.

Of course, it is difficult keeping faith when troubles befall us.  When the world looks bleak it is hard to see Jesus at work.  When a loved one dies, or home is lost to foreclosure, it is tempting to wonder where Jesus is.  But if we keep the faith through these times the promise of scripture is that Jesus will be revealed to us.  When we see Jesus in the midst of our pain, our response turns from gloom to joy, praise, glory, and honor because we experience the great love of Jesus in our lives.  And this allows us to love Jesus even though we have never seen him in person.

So rejoice in the Lord because of all the benefits you have received.  Rejoice for the steadfast love that God has given you.  Rejoice for the salvation of your life from sin and death.  Rejoice for your hope in a future resurrection.  And rejoice in the new life that has been given to you through your faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Let’s pray.

  Father in heaven, we thank you for the wonderful gifts of salvation and eternal life that you have provided us.  Help us to deal with the difficulties of our lives.  And help us to keep our faith by revealing to us Jesus Christ in the world around us.  In this, we rejoice and offer praise, glory, and honor to you. Amen. 

Sermon John 20: 1-18 "Coming to Belief"

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon John 20: 1-18 "Coming to Belief" 
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Easter Sunday
April 12, 2020

Home Worship

The following songs are performed by Nick, Jennifer, and Samatha.   They recorded their voices at home and their voices were brought together for this virtual performance.

Man of Sorrows

He Lives

Raise a Hallelujah

The Day of Resurrection



Easter Order of Worship

Bulletin Insert

One Great Hour of Sharing

Watch a video of this sermon


Good morning and welcome to Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church this Easter morning.   We are still worshiping at home because of the virus.  So please use this for home worship with your families.

John 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Today is the day we remember the greatest event in all of history.  Numerous people of impeccable character testified to the undeniable fact that Jesus was raised from the dead.  The only question left is whether or not we believe it.  We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

The Gospel of John is about belief.  The key text in this important book comes from the third chapter and the sixteenth verse “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” The promise of Easter is that you will have eternal life.  You will live forever in the presence of God.   But before we receive this promise we must first do something.  We must believe.  But believe in what?  What are we supposed to believe to receive this wonderful gift of eternal life?  The content of our belief is what we celebrate on Easter.  We believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.  But how does someone come to this belief?  What is the process of conversion from unbelief to belief? The twentieth chapter of John gives us two examples of people coming out of the darkness of unbelief into the light of faith.

You heard, in the first line of today’s scripture these words.  “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark”.  On that Easter morning, the world was shrouded in darkness; belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ had not yet started.  Then after a missing stone and a foot race the disciple that Jesus loved looked into an empty tomb.  This disciple became the first person to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He came to believe because of what he saw, or in his case what he didn't see.

Sometimes we come to believe in Jesus by seeing God in the world around us.  We see God in the beauty of our forests and streams and rivers and coastlines.  We see God in the faces of believers as they volunteer in church, or in other non-profits.  We see God in the stories shared by seniors in nursing homes.  We see God in the children as they learn Bible stories.  We see God as we share bread and wine in the Lord's Supper.  God has blessed us with eyes with which we can see him in the world he created.  The disciple Jesus loved saw an empty tomb, he remembered Jesus' teachings and he knew that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead.  He believed in Jesus Christ and was promised eternal life.

So I urge you this Easter to look for Jesus in the world around you.  Look for Jesus when the children enjoy their chocolate bunnies and jelly beans.  Look for Jesus when your family sits down for a meal.   Look for Jesus in the loving eyes of those caring for children or for aging parents.  Use your eyes to look for Jesus in the world and you will be blessed with belief that he was truly resurrected from the dead with the promise for you of eternal life.

But seeing with our eyes is only one of the two ways we have of coming to belief.  The other is contained in the twentieth chapter of John, verses 11-18.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her,“Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her,

“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”, and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary Magdalene saw Jesus with her own eyes, but even though she saw she still did not believe.  For some of us, we need more than just seeing God at work in the world around us for us to come to belief.  Sometimes we just don't believe what we see.  Like Mary, we need something more.  Mary turned away from Jesus and was not looking at him when the following happened.  Jesus spoke to her and said her name.  Mary Magdalene came to belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ not with her eyes but with her ears.  She believed in Jesus Christ when she heard Jesus say her name, and she received the promise of eternal life.

We can hear God's voice calling us through the scripture we read and hear proclaimed.  We come to belief in Jesus Christ by allowing God's voice to speak to us through the Bible.  That's why it is so important to start every day with God's word and prayer.  That's why it is so important to study God's word.  That's why it is so important to hear God's voice through the proclamation of the Gospel each Sunday morning.  Through all of these things we can hear God call our names and like Mary Magdalene come to belief with the promise of eternal life.

Once Mary Magdalene heard Jesus call her name, her eyes were opened and she could see him in the world.  This is what happens to us.  After we hear God's voice in our meditations, study, and worship we then begin to see God in the world around us.  The Bible was written by people who had heard God's voice and saw God doing things.  They wrote these things down and the church has preserved them for us.  So as we are immersed in the Scripture we are better able to see God in our world.  Our study of the word of God helps us to see God in the world.  So our eyes and our ears work together to bring us to belief in Jesus Christ.  With our ears, we hear God speak to us in the church through the pages of the Bible.  This helps to recognize God in the world we see with our eyes.  Though hearing and seeing we come to belief.

Later that night the disciples gathered back in the upper room.  They heard Mary Magdalene's report of her encounter with the risen Jesus.  Then they saw Jesus in the room with them.  They heard with their ears and saw with their eyes and came to belief.  Like these disciples, we are a people who have heard God speaking to us through the scripture.  We are also a people who can see God at work in the world around us.  So we are a people who believe.  And on this Easter Sunday, we believe with the disciple that Jesus loved and with Mary Magdalene and with the other disciples that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.  This belief comes with a promise.  Because we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has promised us eternal life.  This is what we celebrate at Easter.

And like Mary Magdalene and the disciples we just can't wait to proclaim to the world what we have heard and seen.  “I have seen the Lord”, said Mary to the disciples.   What will you say to the people you meet about what you have seen and heard?  I urge you to go and tell everyone the good news that Jesus Christ has been resurrected from dead.  All who believe this receive the gift of eternal life.  This may sound like something too good to be true.  But it is true, we have heard it and seen it.  So proclaim it as the truth to everyone you meet so they will hear it too and come to belief.

The Easter story in John begins with the darkness of unbelief.  But then through hearing and seeing belief comes into the world.  This belief is that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, has been resurrected from the dead.  He lives!  Believe in your heart what others have heard and seen that Jesus conquered death.  As believers, you will now receive the gift of eternal life.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the gift of faith.  Through your voice in scripture and through your work in the world we have heard you and seen you.  So we believe in your resurrection from the dead and anticipate our own resurrections when we will live forever with you, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit. Help us to proclaim this good news to everyone we know.  This we pray in your holy name.  Amen.

Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 “Something Big”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Matthew 21:1-11 “Something Big”
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
April 5, 2020

All Glory Laud and Honor - Jennifer Harbison

Hosanna Loud Hosanna - Jennifer Harbison

Palm Sunday Order of Worship

Watch a Video of this Sermon

The Sacrifice Lamb by Joel Chernoff - Anita Elwell

Who Killed Jesus by Mickey Holiday - Anita Elwell

Oregon Sacred Festival Chorale (The Palms)

Good morning and welcome to Home Worship for Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church.   We are at home because of the coronavirus plague that is sweeping the world.   Hopefully, we will be back to church soon.   But right now we are obeying our government who has asked us to help slow the spread of the virus.  So we are worshiping at home with our families.   I have provided you a worship service that you may follow with your family.   And I have provided a sermon in video and text.   But the important thing is that Jesus is with you as your worship wherever you are.

Today is Palm Sunday.   Jesus is coming to Jerusalem.   A big crowd has come.  Something big is about to happen.   We will get to this, but first, let’s pray.

Father in Heaven we come to home worship today with great hope.  Although we may be disappointed with the events of this week, keep in us in faith that will sustain us through whatever happens.  We pray this in the name of our, crucified and risen, Lord. Amen.

MATTHEW 21:1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
5   “Tell the daughter of Zion,
     Look, your king is coming to you,
          humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
     “Hosanna to the Son of David!
          Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
     Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

A great crowd has assembled on the Mount of Olives.  People from Galilee who had been healed, freed from demons, and fed when hungry followed Jesus as disciples.  Others had witnessed the signs during the journey, the healings of blind men and the teachings of a great rabbi.  The crowd grew larger and larger as it approached Jerusalem.  Something big was about to happen.

In Jerusalem, another crowd had assembled.  It was the great feast of Passover.  Pilgrims had come from all over the world to worship God as they and their ancestors had done for thousands of years.  They gathered to remember the defining events of their nation when Moses parted the Red Sea, freed them from slavery in Egypt, and led them to the Promised Land.  Something big was about to happen.

The Roman Legions, stationed just outside of town, had also assembled.  They were worried that something big was about to happen.

Jesus sent two of his disciples to a nearby village to find and bring back a donkey.  Jesus had decided that his hour had come.  There was no longer any need to hide who he really was or what he had come to do.  By sitting on the donkey Jesus proclaimed to the crowd that he was the Messiah, the Christ.  The prophecy of Zechariah was fulfilled.  Something big was about to happen.

The crowd saw what Jesus had done.  He was sitting on the donkey.  The King, the son of David, had come and was entering triumphantly into Jerusalem. So they broke branches off the olive trees and placed them on the ground in front of Jesus.  Others covered the branches with their cloaks and prepared the way for the King to enter his city.  And they cried out:  “Hosanna”, “Save Us”, to the son of David.

Jesus had come as the savior.  Something big was about to happen.  The blessed one was coming in the name of the Lord.  O Save Us! Hosanna.

As the great crowd with Jesus approached Jerusalem the whole city was shaken.  The confusion, the excitement, the fear, the turmoil registered 7.0 on the Richter scale.  Something really big was happening.  They asked, who is this?  And the crowd responded this is a prophet like Moses with his miraculous signs, and a king like David who will throw off the oppressors. The Messiah of God has arrived, Jesus of Nazareth.

But within a few days, all of the excitement had faded as the Messiah, the son of David, the great prophet like Moses was arrested, tried and executed on a cross like a common criminal.  Something big had happened, but what was it?

Today is Palm Sunday.  It is the beginning of Holy Week.  Today a great prophet and king has come into Jerusalem.  By the end of this week, our savior will be nailed to a cross to die.  So this week is one of contrasts, a tragedy starting with a coronation and ending with humiliation and death.  How do we make sense of all of this?  What is the meaning of the cross?

Why did Jesus die on a cross?  A variety of voices have been heard attempting to make sense of the cross and death of Jesus.  An early Christian hymn said that Jesus died as an example for us so that we who are powerful will humble ourselves, as Jesus did, to serve the powerless.  Others said that the death of Jesus was a ransom paid to redeem us from slavery to sin.  And still, others said that Jesus was sacrificed on a cross in payment for our sins.  All of these things are true.  But there is another way of thinking about the meaning of the cross.  Listen to these words of Paul in the book of Romans.

Romans 5:10-11   10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.  11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The reason Jesus went to the cross was to reconcile us to God.  We now have a new relationship with God.  No longer are we enemies, but through Christ, we now enjoy fellowship with God.  Our new relationship with God is central to our understanding of what Jesus has done for us.

The death of Jesus on the cross was the cost to God of repairing his relationship with us.  It requires a response from us.  Jesus’ death is of no value to us unless we respond in faith.  Our anger, stubbornness, and disobedience must stop for us to receive the benefits of God who desires to be reconciled with us.

Through this self-giving act, Jesus did away with anything that would limit our ability to do God’s will in this world.  Guilt cannot, any longer, bar us from participating in God.  We are no longer bound by sin.  The devil no longer has any authority over us.  Not even the consequences of fear and death separate from the love of God.  The pain of broken relationships is born on Christ’s body.  Through Christ’s death, we are guided to a new way of life.  We become friends with God and friends with each other. 

But, on the cross, Jesus did far more than just renewing our relationship with God. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians.

Colossians 1:19-20   19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,  20 and through him, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Jesus’ death on the cross results not only with our reconciliation with God but also our reconciliation with each other and all of creation.  The reason God desires reconciliation with us and desires for us to be reconciled with each other is that God wants us to be in a community of believers.  Just as God forms a holy community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so too are the faithful to be formed by Jesus into churches.  The cross symbolizes that God wants our participation in communities of faith.  This participation is to be sacrificial.  We are to give our lives for the fullness of our communities.  So the meaning of the cross is that Jesus, by dying, was instituting a sacrificial community of the faithful called church.

The church is called by the cross to be a ministry of reconciliation.  We are sent into the world to heal all that separates people from each other and from God.  Our ministry is to work for the end of suffering and need and the well being of all people.  The suffering of Jesus makes us sensitive to the sufferings of women and men all over the world.

God wants us to reconcile humanity by working to break down the walls of race and ethnicity and work for reconciliation in employment, housing, education, family, community and church.  God wants us to be grounded in the peace, justice, and freedom of Jesus Christ.  We are to be a people of forgiveness searching for peaceful ways to settle our differences.  God wants us to work for the end of enslaving poverty around the world.  Jesus himself identified with the needy and exploited.  The cause of the world’s poor is the Church’s cause as well.  And God wants the church to work to end the anarchy in relationships by promoting marriage, commitment, and good parenting.

So the meaning of the cross is that through the death of Jesus Christ we are reconciled with God and with each other.  The church is called to be a reconciling community with a mission to reconcile all of humanity with God and with each other in the name of the Prince of Peace.

We will from time to time be discouraged from fulfilling the mission God has given us.  It will seem from time to time that we are all alone and that God has forsaken us.  We may experience persecution or even death as we do our work of reconciling the world to God.  All of our hopes may be buried in a tomb.  We may wander away saddened by the way things turned out.  If all we had was Christ’s death then the church and its mission of reconciliation would have ended a long time ago.

But no matter the depth of our pain we must remember that we are not a crucified people.  We are not a people of death.  Rather we are a people of life and because we are filled by the Spirit with an Easter hope of new life.

The disciples of Jesus watched his suffering and death not knowing what was happening.  Their fear caused them to abandon Jesus when Jesus needed them most. All of Jesus’ teachings, trying to prepare them for the events of this week, were forgotten in the midst of their grief and sorrow.

As we approach this final week of Jesus’ life we are blessed with the sure knowledge and hope in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  So be sustained in that hope as we go through this week.  And next Sunday, everyone who has experienced a broken relationship with God and broken relationships with others may experience reconciliation and hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, we will be with you in the coming week.  We will be with you that last night as you broke the bread and poured the wine.  We will be with you when you are arrested and tried.  And we will be there at the foot of the cross.  We will never abandon you in your time of need because of our gratitude for your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Amen