“Christ, A King Like No Other.”
By James Wiese on March 22, 2024
The Sixth Sunday in Lent – Palmarum March 24, 2024
Text: Psalm 45 Free Text 24:2438
Theme: Christ, a King Like No Other
I had forgotten this phrase from my childhood until I read it again a few days ago. It’s a phrase the comes from a poem in Alice in Wonderland. It’s spoken by the Walrus and goes like this: “The time has come to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing wax – of cabbages and kings.”
“Of cabbages and kings….” I’m not sure what that means. I’ve read people’s comments on it. But I’m still not sure what it means.
Maybe Lewis Carroll was making a silly contrast between extreme opposites. What do cabbages and kings have in common? One is a vegetable; the other is a man. What could be humbler than a cabbage, and what could be nobler than a king? Such a contrast!
But maybe Lewis Carroll didn’t have a high opinion of kings. Maybe he implied that kings are no better than cabbages?
Let’s change the phrase and see how it strikes you. Instead of “of cabbages and kings” what if we said: “of cabbages and Christ”? Now that sounds bad, doesn’t it? Blasphemous! It won’t due at all to compare Christ to cabbages. Christ cannot be compared to anything. But, perhaps, we are no better than cabbages before Him.
He is “the most excellent of men” writes the psalmist. Just thinking about Him stirs the poet’s heart to “noble themes.” Christ is one of a kind. He is beyond compare.
Of course! He is our God, our Savior. This psalm offers one of the most spectacular and beautiful descriptions of Him as heaven’s King and our place under Him. On Palm Sunday we see this King coming to us. It’s no mystery what believers think of Him – never to be confused with cabbages nor earthly kings because Christ is A King Like No Other, as He I. speaks to us with grace; II. fights for us in majesty; and III. clothes us with His glory.
I. He speaks to us with grace.
“My heart is stirred by a noble theme…You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace.” The King James Version says, “fairer than all the children of men.” Maybe we would say “You are the best looking and speaking king.”
You know, if you went back to the Old Testament, which king of Israel was considered to be the best-looking king? You might be inclined to say David or Solomon because we know the most about them and their splendor. But the man who cut the most dashing figure as a ruler of Israel was its first king – Saul. The Bible describes him as “an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites.” He was a full head taller than everybody else. Tall, dark, and handsome, young Saul looked every inch a king. People were drawn to him. He was brave, cultured. He had a pedigree, a noble ancestry (1 Sm.9), mankind’s version of the ideal king.
But beware. Saul quickly fell from such lofty heights. Of him it was true as Martin Luther once said, “A king fair of form, yet stupid, he is like a gilded nut.” What good is a nut that’s covered with gold? It looks pretty on the outside, but it can’t serve its purpose. A nut is made to be eaten and enjoyed. Likewise, a king must do more than look the part of a king. He must act and function as a king for his people. Outward appearance is not good enough.
Sometimes that’s the way people seem to want to picture Christ, according to His outward appearance. How many painters haven’t taken a stab at portraying the Lord Jesus in their paintings. And they always portray Him the way they want to see Him, in the culture that they favor. It’s the kind of thing that humans get hung up on. Not the Holy Spirit and His writers.
There is not one word in all of the Scriptures how Jesus looked on the outside, not even in this psalm. But the psalmist portrays the Christ for us to remember as “the most excellent of men.” And what makes Him most excellent is the following phrase: “because His lips have been anointed with grace.”
Grace – one word paints what Christ is like and makes Him A King Like No Other – grace. He is a King whose lips have been anointed from on high to speak to us with grace.
This noble King wants to have a word with us – He longs to have a word with us, with creatures fallen in sin. Can you beat that. Very few kings want anything to do with the lowly, the outcast, the despicable in their kingdom. That’s what we are because of sin. Bad people are not allowed in a throne room. Yet, that’s exactly what Christ wants to do, to draw us to Him so that He might speak gracious words to us.
A word of grace – the gospel. Where He should curse and damn us for our sin and failure to worship Him aright in all that we do, He instead wants to speak to us with grace. He whispers pardon and peace for His sake through the redemption He has brought us.
Oh, this is too good to be true, this pronouncement of grace (undeserved love and forgiveness) that comes to us in Word and Sacrament. This is His most beautiful and enduring feature. This is what makes Him “the most excellent of men” – grace. Forgiving grace makes Christ look every inch a king – our heavenly King.
II. Along with the words of grace He speaks goes what He does. He fights for us in heavenly majesty.
The royalty of our 21st Century only serve as figureheads today. What real ruling role does King Charles have in England? None. Long gone are the days when kings and queens and emperors ruled by right and with power. And still further in the past are the times when kings personally led their armies into battle and risked their own lives for the sake of the people they ruled.
The psalmist recalls such an age for us when kings fought for their subjects, like David did. But it’s not David that’s portrayed here; it’s the Messiah who is ready to battle for us. The psalmist writes, “Gird Your sword upon Your side, O Mighty One.”
How about that? The Savior portrayed as a swashbuckler. Doesn’t that take you back to the movies that portrayed sword fights between the good guys and the bad guys. But do the Scriptures really portray our heavenly King that way – as the daring, the dashing, the dreamy swashbuckling hero? Hardly.
What will this King look like to you come Good Friday? Daring and dashing? In no way did Jesus resemble an earthly king, gloriously fighting in majesty. He stood before the crowd, bloodied, a crown of thorns pressed down on His brow because “He came to destroy the works of the devil.” “He came to save sinners.” It was a battle to win forgiveness which meant that He had to play the role of the sacrifice in our place. On the cross, that’s where He put on His sword by which He engaged in the bravest, most serious battle of history against sin, death, and the devil – a battle in which He would willingly give up His life for us. It’s truly remarkable! What king would do that for you? Christ would; Christ did. The King who didn’t seem to be a king went beyond all others.
And now He’s ascended to His throne on high, promising to help us always, promising to make things good for us, promising to return someday soon for us who are still here. Until then His kingdom in which we live will bear the humble marks of lowliness as He once did. But don’t let that bother you. Remember, outward appearances can be deceiving, whether for heaven’s King or for those for whom He did battle. The psalmist describes them this way: “The King is enthralled by your beauty…All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments she is led to the king.”
III. He clothes us with His glory.
How many times don’t the Scriptures portray the Lord Jesus as the Bridegroom and believers, His Church, as the Bride whom He has beautifully adorned? In one of the last chapters of the Bible we read, “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Rv.21:1f).
Of course, that is a portrayal of the final picture of glory in heaven in which this King clothes all who believe. But this is not just something, dear friends, that our Christ will give in the future. The fullness of it all will only be a reality when we are finally there with the saints above. But it is a glory that you have even now in your possession through faith for all those who have been baptized into Christ and believe in Him are clothed with Christ in His garments of righteousness (Ga.3:27). So it is that even now this description of the glorious bride of heaven’s King fits you in faith, and one day shall reach its perfection above.
So, on this day in which we watch Jesus ride into Jerusalem to die for us, see Him as A King Like No Other, who speaks to you with grace; who fights for you in heavenly majesty; and who clothes you with His glory. To Him be all honor and glory now and forevermore. Amen.
Zion Lutheran Church of Springfield
(A member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
4717 S Farm Rd 135 (Golden Avenue)
Church phone: 417.887.0886 Pastor’s cell phone: 417.693.3244
www.zionluthchurch.com email: revelehmann@gmail.com
You can also find us on Facebook
The Sixth Sunday in Lent – Palmarum March 24, 2024
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes.” Matthew 21:9
Welcome: The family of Zion welcomes you as we worship the Lord today. We encourage children to worship with us. However, if you need to leave with your child, there is a nursery room to the right as you exit the sanctuary. The rest rooms are located in the hallway between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. Visitors, please sign our guest book to the right, just outside the sanctuary. We’re glad that you are here and pray that through our worship the Lord grants you peace.
U p o n E n t e r i n g G o d’ s H o u s e
“I recite my works for the King. You are the most beautiful of the sons of Adam. Grace is poured out on Your lips. Therefore, God has blessed You forever. In Your majesty, advance successfully” (Psalm 45).
W h a t T h i s S u n d a y i s A b o u t
Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord. Palm Sunday marks the gateway to Holy Week, the climax of the Lenten Season. From the earliest of times, it has been observed within the Church with great joy. Although Jesus’ outward appearance is not of royalty and His kingdom is not of earthly splendor, we praise Him today as heaven’s King.
We recall His entrance into Jerusalem. He came like no ordinary king and the people received Him as no ordinary king. But the crown He will wear will not be made of gold or precious jewels. It will be plaited with thorns. The throne He ascends will be a cross. Yet, from that cross He rules as the Church’s King, the One who conquers sin, death, and the devil for us. That is the cause of our great joy this day.
To that end we pray: Almighty and everlasting God, You sent Your Son, our Savior, to take upon Himself our flesh and suffer death upon the cross. Grant that in faith we may be made partakers of His resurrection; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
– T h e W o r d o f G o d f o r T o d a y –
(The Lessons of the Day are from the Historic Pericope Series of the Christian Church.)
The Old Testament Lesson: Zechariah 9:9-12
Discouraged by their captivity in a foreign land, God gives new hope and encouragement to His people. He foretells the coming of the Savior-King in whom they will rejoice.
The Epistle Lesson: Philippians 2:5-11
Paul describes in a simple yet profound way the person and work of Christ Jesus. Although He came in humility to be our Savior, God exalted Him above all things. He is heaven’s King.
The Gospel Lesson: Matthew 21:1-9
Jesus makes His entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week. He rides into the city on a young donkey, the transportation of the poor and lowly. But He rides to the shouts of praise from His disciples who spread palms before Him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Organist: Jane Rips
The Preacher: Pastor Edwin Lehmann
Point to Ponder: It should be a source of endless comfort and joy to us that in the week before His crucifixion, with the agonies of Gethsemane and Calvary only a matter of days away, our Savior did not turn aside from that which lay ahead. Rather, He willingly, humbly, resolutely rode into the jaws of death to give us life.
With Gethsemane and Calvary ahead, the Savior sought again and again to assure us of His love: “As my Father has loved me, so have I loved You. Remain in my love…Greater love has no man than this, that a man should lay down His life for His friends” (Jn.15:9f).
It was love, pure love, that brought Him from His heavenly throne. It was love, unsearchable love, that impelled Him to ride into Jerusalem where His enemies awaited Him. It was love, supreme love, that drove Him to the altar of the cross, there to atone for the sins of the world. “Having loved His own, He loved them to the end” (Jn.13:1)
In the presence of such love this Holy Week, we bow our heads and rejoice with the hymn writer: “Amazing pity, grace unknown, And love beyond degree!” — adapted from Herman Gockel: “He Loved Them to the End”
Outline of Our Worship
Lord, Hear Us
Opening Thoughts on the Service
The Entrance Hymn: #412
The Order of Service Morning Prayer: Hymnal pg.207
Lord, Feed Us
Psalm of the Day: #45
Zechariah 9:9-12
Philippians 2:5-11
Hymn Response: #546
Matthew 21:1-9
Sermon Hymn: #413
Sermon Text: Psalm 45: “Christ, A King Like No Other.”
Lord, Accept Our Response
The Te Deum Laudamus Hymnal page 210
The Offering
Hymnal pg.213-214 “Lord, Have Mercy”
Prayers, Lord’s Prayer
Lord, Bless Us
The Benediction Hymnal page 214
Closing Hymn: #411
WELS Connection:
Silent Prayer
Lent 6 – Palm Sunday – Historic Series
Old Testament Lesson: Zechariah 9:9-12 – Your King Is Coming to You.
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your King is coming to you. He is righteous and brings salvation. He is humble and is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow will be taken away, and he will proclaim peace to the nations. His kingdom will extend from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. 12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners who have hope. This very day I declare that I will restore double to you.
Epistle Lesson: Philippians 2:5-11 – Jesus Humbled, But Now Exalted.
5 Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. 6 Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, 7 but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 21:1-9 – Jesus Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Immediately you will find a donkey tied there along with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 Tell the daughter of Zion: Look, your King comes to you,
humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their outer clothing on them, and he sat on it. 8 A very large crowd spread their outer clothing on the road. Others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them out on the road. 9 The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed kept shouting,
Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2019
Calendar & Announcements for Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
| Today
March 24 |
Monday
March 25 |
Tuesday
March 26 |
Wednesday
March 27 |
Thursday
March 28 |
Friday
March 29 |
Saturday
March 30 |
Next Sun.
March 31 |
| 9:00 am
Divine Worship Service online -Facebook 10:15 am Fellowship & Bible Study
Lent 6 – Palm Sunday |
11 am
Midweek Bible Class
7 pm Maundy Thursday/Good Friday Tenebrae Service at Peace |
7 pm
Maundy Thursday/Good Friday Tenebrae Service at Zion
|
9:00 am
Divine Worship Service online – Facebook 10:15 am Easter Brunch
Resurrection of Our Lord |
A Brief Bible Study on God’s Word for Today
Nearly two thousand years ago Jesus entered Jerusalem to the praise and adoration of the people. Laying palm branches and their cloaks in the road, the people honored this prophet from Nazareth as the Savior. As the songs of exultation rose, some surely saw their Savior from sin. Others, sadly, may have only seen an earthly savior from the Romans’ foreign rule over them. As our eternal Savior we join with believers to say, “Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He that comes!”
The Old Testament Lesson: Zechariah 9:8-12 (answers are found on the back side)
- How is Christ “your King”?
- How would this King be different than other earthly kings?
Those We Remember In Our Prayers: Greg Miller; William & Laurie Moon; Pauline Jaeger; Kirsten Jaster (Laurie Moon’s sister); Greg Pierson (Long’s son-in-law); Libya, (Jodi Milam’s granddaughter); Barbara Long; Robbie Woessner; Kay Schmidt at Quail Creek Rehab; Liz Lisenby; Norine Richardson; Lois Wiese.
Easter Lilies If you would like to help decorate the church for Easter with lilies, envelopes are found in the narthex. On the envelope, please write the name(s) of those whom you would like to remember, who through faith now live with Christ above.
Holy Week Services at Zion and at Peace will be the same service – worship around the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Holy Communion is celebrated in the first half of the service and a Tenebrae Service of Darkness in the second half takes our thoughts to the crucifixion. Join us at either or both congregations. Following the Easter Festival Service next Sunday, we hope you can stay for our traditional Easter Brunch. There is a meal sign-up list in the fellowship hall.
Divine Call Sent Pastor Steven Bauer has received our call to be pastor here in southwest MO. He presently serves Immanuel Lutheran Church, Gibbon, MN. He and wife Karin have two older children, 20 and 17 years old. On the bulletin board in the hallway, you will find biographical, educational, and ministry information about him. Please keep Pastor Bauer and family in your prayers as he considers the Call to serve as our next pastor.
Upcoming Services and Events
Sunday, March 24, 4 pm – Dedication service of newly constructed church building at Grace LC, Columbia, MO
Friday, March 29, 7 pm – Maundy Thursday/Good Friday Worship at Zion (at Peace on Thursday, March 28)
Sunday, March 31 – Easter Festival Service followed by Easter Brunch
Sunday, April 14 – Spring Cleaning at Zion, mostly inside, following Fellowship and Bible Study
Saturday, April 23 – LWMS Spring Rally at Grace, Columbia, MO; Mission Speaker: Pastor Nixon Vivar from Ecuador
Next Sunday’s Lessons:
The Resurrection of Our Lord: Isaiah 25:1-8; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Mark 16:1-8 (Historic Pericope Series)
Answers to Today’s Old Testament Lesson Brief Study:
- Jesus never claimed an earthly kingdom like we normally think with the word “king.” Instead, Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. We often consider Him ruling in three kingdoms: the Kingdom of Power (places Him above all things in heaven and earth), the Kingdom of Grace (His rule in the hearts of believers), and the Kingdom of Glory (His rule in heaven that continues into all eternity).
- This king is gentle and humble, not the ruthless, power-hungry despot of earthly kingdoms. He also extends peace, contrasting the bloody kingdoms of worldly empires.
This week I am praying for……