Preparing for Worship - April 13, 2025

The Old Testament lesson is Deuteronomy 32:36-39. Even Moses must speak God’s Word, warning of judgment coming even for God’s chosen people when they are trusting in false gods, who can provide them no help or protection, or in themselves and their supposed goodness. It is the same warning we heard Jesus give His own people in the parable of the evil tenants in the vineyard last week (Luke 20:9-20). There is no god but the One true Triune God, Who can both kill and make alive.

Amazingly, we hear in the Epistle lesson, Philippians 2:5-11, that God the Son was willing to “empty Himself” and become a true man, sent from His Heavenly Father, a servant who gave his life on the cross to pay for the sins of his own people and the whole world. He was killed and made alive for us. Some of that suffering and rejection of Jesus is predicted in Psalm 31:9-16, with His sorrow and grief, as His enemies and persecutors plotted to take His life. Yet Jesus entrusted Himself into His Father’s hands and knew that the Father and the Holy Spirit would save Him, with everlasting love, in His Easter resurrection. That victory is described in Philippians 2:9-11, as Jesus is raised from the dead and exalted to heaven again. On the last day, everyone will have to recognize that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, and by the Spirit of God (Philippians 3:3).

The Passion readings (the shorter versions in Luke 23:1-56 and John 12:20-43 and the longer version in Luke 22:1-23:56) tell us of the road of Jesus to the cross. The suffering and punishment we deserve, Jesus took upon Himself, in our place, in His saving work. (We heard that described a few weeks ago in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, especially in v. 21: “For our sake, God made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God,” forgiven and counted righteous through Jesus. See the sermon from March 30, 2025.) Just read through as much as you can of this Passion History, and if you are able, attend special Holy Week services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and maybe an Easter vigil on Saturday for more detail on all this.

Some churches will also have a Palm Sunday processional or Palm Sunday emphasis, with the reading of John 12:12-19, as Jesus came into Jerusalem, with people carrying palm branches and saying, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” Some of the crowd had heard of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and wanted to see Him. This Palm Sunday event was in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, Isaiah 35:4 and 40:9, and Zephaniah 3:14ff. Though it was a glorious day, Jesus came to Jerusalem humbly, riding on a donkey, and words of praise did not last long. The Pharisees and other religious  leaders were even more eager to get rid of Jesus, and by Good Friday, they had stirred people up to cry out: “Crucify Jesus!” Our own sins also helped send Him there. (Look also at Psalm 118:19-29, an alternative Psalm for this day, which is prophetic of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, with some of the words used to describe Him that day. Jesus came through the gate of Jerusalem as the true Gate through whom people will enter for salvation. He is the Stone on which salvation is built, the Cornerstone, though many people would reject Him. All of Holy Week is a time to give thanks for the Lord, for He is good, and His steadfast love shines upon us so clearly in Jesus and what he does for us. “This is the Lord’s doing,” from beginning to end, and “it is marvelous in our eyes,” as we see again what our Triune God has done for us, in and through Christ, for our eternal life and salvation.