What Does Palm Sunday Mean to Me?

Palm Sunday, 4/14/19
Philippians 2:5-11


What Does Palm Sunday Mean to Me?
I. It means my eternal glory is certain.
II. It means my attitude is changed through Christ.


If you were to make a list of the Christian festivals, what observances would be on your list? Well, I’m sure Christmas and Easter—the two most observed days among Christians—would be at the top of your list. Epiphany is also a very ancient, and widely celebrated festival. The Ascension of Jesus and the Day of Pentecost are also familiar Christian celebrations. And how can you observe Easter without observing Good Friday? And while we’re celebrating Good Friday, you might as well add the prior day to your list, Maundy Thursday.

But what about Palm Sunday? Perhaps some of you included it on your mental list already, but is that only due to the fact that we’re celebrating it today and so you were reminded of it? Perhaps a better way of evaluating just how important Palm Sunday is to you is to ask, “Were you looking forward to celebrating this day already weeks ago? Did you spring out of bed this morning with a heart full of joy over the anticipation of observing Palm Sunday? Or, were you only reminded that today is Palm Sunday when you arrived at church this morning and took in the visual arts and read it in your worship folder?

Let’s be honest. We tend to slide into and right out of Palm Sunday so that we can get to some weighty Christian celebrations in a few days—Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

So, are we simply here this morning to prepare ourselves to celebrate something better in the near future, or are we really celebrating something this morning? Maybe a better way to ask that question is with this one—a much more personal question: What does Palm Sunday mean to me?

The text before us this morning from Philippians 2 helps us arrive at a God-pleasing answer. May God send us his Holy Spirit through his word to enlighten and encourage us this morning.

Part I.

Are you familiar with a product named Cliffs Notes? I’m guessing many of you are. Think back to your days in high school and college, especially back to your English literature courses. Cliffs Notes are condensed versions of popular literary works. The covers of each volume are colored yellow and black and remind me of roadway caution signs. Some would argue that Cliffs Notes are simply a way for students to avoid reading the entire assigned literary work. Others would say they assist the student in understanding the plot and other essential elements of the same.

Did Cliffs Notes come to mind when you heard me read these words from Philippians 2 just a few minutes ago? Probably not, but perhaps it dawned on you that what we have before us in these seven verses is a condensed version of the entire New Testament. In fact, if you consider that the Old Testament is the promise of salvation and the New Testament is the fulfillment of that promise, then these words from Philippians 2 are actually a condensed version of the entire Bible.

And I wouldn’t argue with you. In a nutshell Paul presents the work of Jesus.

He begins with what theologians call Christ’s State of Humiliation. Are you familiar with that term? In other words, what Jesus needed to do in order to redeem the whole world full of sinners was to humble himself. And Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does an outstanding job of presenting that truth. The Son of God, who always existed as true God, humbles himself at a point in history and takes on human flesh and blood. As we state in the Apostles’ Creed, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. View each of those six events as steps going down. Jesus humbled himself all the way to death on Calvary’s cross. He did that work in order to redeem us from Satan’s kingdom to his kingdom. He suffered and died as our substitute.

And now he’s exalted—his State of Exaltation. It’s the exact opposite of his State of Humiliation. He rose from the dead on Easter, descended into hell to proclaim his victory over Satan, ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection, and now sits at God’s right hand in all power and glory. On the Last Day he will return to judge all people. His exaltation assures us that he is true God and, if he is true God, then he certainly died for my sins, for the world’s sins.

And nothing can change that. Nothing can undo what Christ has done for you.

I’ve never served in the US military, but I’ve been told that one of the most frustrating military situations is to fight a war not to lose it, rather than fighting a war to win it. It’s frustrating for a solider to take over some enemy territory, then retreat slightly, only to have to re-take that enemy position.

So, what does Palm Sunday mean to me? It means that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey in order to wage war with Satan one last time. And this was a war he intended to win once and for all. He didn’t come into Jerusalem to show us how to win our own victories over Satan and temptation. He came to win them for us. And he came to win so thoroughly, so decisively, that he will never have to wage that battle again and neither do we. Neither do we! That’s what Palm Sunday means to me. Jesus rides into Jerusalem amid shouts of “Hosanna!” He could have made himself an earthly king on that day without any resistance. But he emptied himself of all that in order to be our eternal, heavenly King. And that meant he came to suffer and die for the sins of the world, for my sins. But he rose again and now lives and rules over all things and nothing can change that. No matter how dark and evil things become, no matter how uncertain my life may get, one thing is certain—my eternal glory. That’s what Palm Sunday means to me.

Part II.

“I don’t like your attitude, young man!” I’m sure just about every parent has spoken those or similar words during their parenting years. We’re all sinful by nature, including our beloved children, and therefore you don’t have to teach a child to how to have a selfish or sinfully stubborn attitude. They know it by nature. And loving parents will point it out when they see it to correct it.

I wonder how often my God has said about me, “I don’t like your attitude!” Maybe I don’t want to know. That could get ugly fast for me. Can you relate?

Instead of getting ugly, God keeps it positive as he caused Paul to write these words, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Paul then goes on to explain that Jesus willingly set aside the full use of his power and glory when he took on human flesh and blood to become one of us. I’m sure that being a human being doesn’t sound so humbling to us, but imagine what it means if you’re God. In fact, he humbled himself all the way to death on Calvary’s cross. He didn’t suffer for his own sins; he suffered for mine, and yours.

With these words our God is calling on us to have a Christ-like attitude in everything. But just what does that mean, practically speaking? It means that there isn’t even a hint of selfishness in our motivation, not to mention our words and actions. It means we always consider how we can best serve others. It means dying to ourselves and living for Christ.

Do you realize what a tall order that is in this “Me First” world? And we can justify our concerns for our well-being. If you don’t watch out for yourself, others are sure to pounce on you and take advantage of you. That sounds just like what happened to Jesus, doesn’t it? “He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.” He hadn’t committed a single sin and yet he suffered for every sin or every sinner. And he did it willingly, lovingly.

So how can we have that same attitude? We can because we are certain of what God has in store for us. Jesus didn’t humble himself so that he could enjoy eternal glory all by himself. He humbled himself so that he could bring us into eternal glory with him. Our glorious outcome is absolutely sure!

And that’s what Palm Sunday is all about. It beckons us to follow Jesus through the gates of Jerusalem, adding our own “Hosannas!” to those of the crowds in front and behind him. Palm Sunday encourages us to see beyond the cheers of “Hosanna” to the shouts of “Crucify him! Crucify him!” on Good Friday. But most of all, Palm Sunday beckons us to go with the women and see the empty tomb and to shout with Christian joy, “Christ is risen!”

And since he is risen and exalted and rules over all things, I know that now I possess Christian humility because that’s who Jesus has made me and he empowers me through my baptism which connects me to his resurrection to have the same attitude as my Savior. And what he’s done for me, he’s done for you.

So, this Holy Week, probably more than another other week in the church year, calls on you to believe what Jesus has done for you. And then it empowers you to live each day of your life with the same humble attitude as Jesus. That’s what Palm Sunday means to me. I pray that’s what it means to you as well. Amen.