Sermon text: Matthew 21:1–9
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Today is the First Sunday in Advent. Advent is the season of preparation — not just for Christmas, but for the coming of our Lord in all the ways He comes: in His word and sacraments now, at His birth in Bethlehem then, and in glory on the Last Day.
Our gospel text this morning is the Palm Sunday account: Matthew chapter 21, verses 1 through 9. “Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.’”
“This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
Behold, your King is coming to you. That is the Advent message. That is the promise. Your King is coming — not in wrath, not in judgment (not yet), but in humility, mounted on a donkey, coming to save.
The crowds that day understood something of this. They spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Hosanna means “save us, we pray.” It is a cry for salvation. And the One they cried to was the One who could answer: Jesus, the Son of David, the King of Israel, the Savior of the world.
But notice how He comes: humble, mounted on a donkey. Not on a warhorse. Not with an army. Not with pomp and circumstance. Humble. Lowly. Riding the colt of a donkey. This is how your King comes to you: in humility, in lowliness, in love.
And He still comes this way. He comes to you in the humble water of Holy Baptism. He comes to you in the humble bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. He comes to you in the humble words of absolution: “I forgive you all your sins.” He does not come to you in thunder and lightning, but in the still, small voice of the gospel.
This is the Advent King. This is your King. Behold, He is coming to you.
So how do we prepare? We prepare by repenting of our sins. We prepare by hearing His word. We prepare by receiving His gifts. We prepare by watching and praying, for we do not know the day or the hour when He will come again.
But we do know this: He is coming. And when He comes, He will come as He came before: to save. “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey.” And on the Last Day, He will come in glory — and we, who have been washed in His blood, will be ready.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.