Mark 11:1–11

¹Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples

²and said to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.

³If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'"

⁴And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.

⁵And some of those standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"

⁶And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.

⁷And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.

⁸And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.

⁹And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!"

¹¹And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

"O Lord, how shall I meet You, How welcome You aright?" (LSB 334:1) poses the question of the season. Advent is more than a preparation for Christmas. It is that time of the Christian year that presses home the question of the hymn which we will be singing in a matter of minutes as the Lord comes to us in his Holy Sacrament. How shall we meet him and welcome him aright—this Lord who comes to us?

Advent is not a convenient season, tucked as it is between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are acutely aware of the busyness of this season as these few weeks speed away ever so quickly. With preparations for holiday celebrations, the pace of an already hectic life tends to accelerate as we rush from one thing to the next. There are projects to complete, appointments to keep, and commitments to honor. There are parties to plan, gifts to buy, and cards to send. We need Advent as something of a liturgical speed bump to slow us down so that we do not neglect the real question,

"O Lord, How Shall I Meet You, How Welcome You Aright?"

The whole church year begins flowing toward Good Friday and Easter and then from the cross it turns to flow back out to us throughout our life in this world until the return of Jesus. This movement is initiated in the gospel reading for today; the triumphal entry of Jesus on Palm Sunday. This First Sunday in Advent marks the beginning of a new Church Year; and in its beginning, it points the church toward Calvary. The whole season of Advent has to do with the Lord's coming. The theme today testifies to the truth that Jesus comes to save sinners by offering his life as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. No wonder that the church has for centuries designated the Palm Sunday narrative for this First Sunday in Advent. The Lord who comes to save will do so by dying.

"Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down," we pray. He has rent asunder the heavens and "Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation." "O Lord, How shall I meet you, how welcome you aright?"

To welcome Jesus, we recognize the interruption that he brings. Jerusalem was poised for the celebration of Passover. Not much different from our Christmas preparations, the annual remembrance of God's act of deliverance of his children from Egypt meant that the streets of Jerusalem we filled with holiday crowds. People were gathered with family and friends and preparing for the feast. The markets were filled with the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers The day was fast approaching and there was so much to do to get ready.

But when the King arrived in Jerusalem it interrupted the sort of celebration that the people were expecting. Not unlike today. If Jesus were to show up at most of our Christmas parties he would be quite out of place; an unlikely and sometimes even unwanted quest. The people were expecting a powerful King coming with his armies to free Jerusalem for Roman bondage.

But that is not how He came. Luther says of Jesus that he comes as a "beggar king," for he comes on a borrowed donkey. He comes in humility and meekness and yet he is King. Jesus now embodies the announcement of Zechariah: "Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation."

Jesus came into Jerusalem, the city of the temple. The temple was the place of sacrifice. Here Jesus came to be the sacrifice; to suffer and die as God's ultimate Passover Lamb. His sacrifice interrupted the monotonous routines of sin and death. Jesus as Jesus would be an interruption in many of today's Christmas gatherings. Here was a King like no other, for this King did not come in royal splendor or with military might, but in the humility of a Servant who embraces the cross for you and me. He came to establish his rule, but he chose as his throne a cross. He came not to punish and destroy his people for their sin and rebellion, but to offer the sacrifice for sin in the temple. Moreover, he himself was the sacrifice. His coming into Jerusalem at the time of the Passover was an interruption in the celebration; all Jerusalem stopped their celebrations for just a moment; the slaughter of lambs halted briefly; the roasting of lamb at home interrupted just long enough to gaze upon the Lamb who was slain on a cross.

To welcome Jesus, we acclaim him as the Blessed One who brings us the kingdom. As Jesus entered into Jerusalem, praises were on the lips of every person, and branches were in their hands. Jesus was greeted as the Blessed One; the King bringing his kingdom.

Just before Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was greeted by a blind man named Bartimaeus: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" he cried. The blind man implored the Son of David, King of Israel, for mercy. Then, with his vision restored, he followed Jesus into town. Now the citizens of Jerusalem behold their Messiah, and bless him as "Great David's greater Son." Blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David. Hosanna in the highest!" sang out their praises. The kingdom of God was finally here; his rule was not to be established in the hearts of men; his would restore his creation and undo the death and corruption of Satan's kingdom. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" they cried, confessing Jesus as Lord even as they cry out for him with their glad hosannas, imploring him to "save now." The salvation for which they yearn comes only with Jesus and the shedding of his blood.

Just as we confess Jesus as Lord in the Apostles' Creed, "I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord." He is Lord! He is the Blessed One, for in his saving death, he brings all the blessings of heaven—forgiveness of sins and peace with God—down to earth. In Advent we often hear that Jesus is called Emmanuel: God with us. As Jesus entered into Jerusalem to be with them, they sang "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" In just a few minutes in the Sanctus at the beginning of the Service of the Sacrament we will join in that song of praise singing; "Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Where the king comes, there comes his kingdom. Jesus' kingdom is not a dominion that we attain. It is pure gift. We pray, "Thy kingdom come." The Catechism teaches us that "The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also."

So what is Jesus' kingdom? It was not some past event that happened and is now over. It was established by his death and resurrection and is here today and forever. It is an eternal kingdom.

But what is it? Is it a place where people dwell; a country; a land; a citizenry? None of the above. The reign of God is his rule; his lordship; his governance. It is his lordship over our lives, in our hearts, over the creation established by his death and resurrection.

We do not come to the kingdom; it comes to us. He begins his reign in our lives at our baptism. His reign is freedom from sin and death. His reign is restoration of the image of God in us. He reign is restoration of the creation as he wipes away death and the results of sin which enslave the world. His reign is freedom as he frees us from sin and frees the creation from the corruption caused by sin. As the hymn by Gerhardt states, "I lay in fetters, groaning; you came to set me free. I stood, my shame bemoaning; you came to honor me. A glorious crown you give me, a treasure safe on high that will not fail or leave me as earthly riches fly."

God has brought us into his kingdom by the faith-creating gospel in our baptism. Recall again the words of the Catechism: "God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity." Christ came to establish his kingdom on a cross. He will come again to consummate that kingdom and complete it, for when he comes again he will come as a mighty king with armies of angels and appear as the judge. The old will be completely done away with; sin, death, corruption, disease, decay and sorrow. All will become new. His reign will be complete. We will sin no more. We will be raised to eternal life to die no more. Our corruption will be gone and we will be incorruption. And he will make a new heaven and a new earth for us where there will be no tears or pain or sorrow.

He is coming! So, how shall we meet our Lord and welcome him aright? We receive him by faith, trusting his merciful words of pardon and promise. See, your king comes to you, no longer on a borrowed donkey, but with his word and with his body and blood under bread and wine. He comes to claim you as his very own. He comes to take away your shame and to restore to you the joy of salvation. "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"