An Unlikely Palm Sunday
This is the sermon I prepared for the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church for Sunday, 4/5/20. The text is Matthew 21:1-11 . I loved living in the Holy Land during Palm Sunday. There was a procession from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. All the churches of all languages along with visiting pilgrims participated in this. Throngs of people walked the way of Jesus into the city. This year we celebrate a Palm Sunday, unlike any we have ever experienced. Where are the palms? Where is the parade from the fellowship hall into the sanctuary? Can we celebrate the Palm Sunday procession without these elements? Open your hands and look at them. What do you see? You have palms on your hands. We may not have palm branches, but we certainly have our palms with us that can be lifted high in cries of praise and pleas for help, as well as being used to help those around us. Everything in this gospel story illuminates the identity of Jesus Christ. We see various aspects of Christ’s cha