Palm Sunday

Text: Philippians 2:5-10 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:1-11 ESV) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and particularly today, to our confirmation class, Your moms and dads are proud of you. I can just imagine the scene in your house this morning. Getting all dressed up, looking your best, I bet mom and dad had a special little moment of nostalgia. A moment of recognition that you are growing up, getting older and more mature, especially as today you make a very grown up and a very mature and even adult promise to be faithful to Christ and His Church even onto death. Your parents must be very proud. Nostalgia has a way of making us look forward. Certainly we look back and "remember when"… first day of school, first time riding a bicycle, different milestones like that. It also has a way of making us look forward. Where you have gone sets the stage for where you have still to go. Parents look at where you have come from and what you have accomplished and from there will dream about your future. Talents or character traits will move them to picture you in some role on into the future. And Parents have a way of dreaming big. Hoping for and expecting big things from their children. Wanting them to go far and accomplish great things. Interestingly enough, we are told by the Gospel writers that when Mary observed the attention given to her baby boy by shepherds at the stable and the prophets at the temple and then later by the wise men that she "Treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart." I wonder if her pondering was not similar to the same sorts of things your parents ponder about you? Perhaps she was wondering what would her son accomplish. If this was his beginning, what might his future hold? How great was her son to become? And here's the real question: in all her hopes and dreams, in all her motherly ponderings, do you suppose she saw her Son on a cross? Do you suppose she saw him with nails in his hands and feet and a crown of thorns on his head? Do you suppose she anticipated his execution hanging between two criminals? Was this what Mary hoped for? I can't imagine it. Jesus died a criminals death. And what's more, Jesus died a sinners death. He died on the cross and he died for you. He died as a servant and as a slave, but he died as your servant and your slave so that you could live. Dear parents, as you consider the life and the future and possibilities of these confirmands; Austin, Brandon, Hannah and Joni, as you consider your own life and future, consider that life and that future as one that is lived with and under the cross of Christ. That cross is a cross of suffering. Remember the path that the life of Jesus took. Jesus was born to great acclaim with angels and shepherds and wise men and prophets; he did great things like changing water to wine, but he also suffered. Stricken smitten by God and afflicted by him. He was scorned and rejected by men. Hated and despised. Turned away by those he came to save. When we ponder what the future holds for our children we always ponder greatness, don't we? We don't ever ponder their suffering. We see their names in lights, as the star of the team, as the star of the show. America's next idol. We see them winning competitions, scholarships, all conference all state all American all world. We see them as beauty queens and kings, as Mensa candidates, as the brightest and best. What would we think if one of our own wound up dying a criminals death? We would probably be ashamed. But just as Jesus was born to greatness and his greatness included suffering and even a cross, we are called upon by God to live our lives bearing that cross in mind. Remember the words of our text. But have this mind among you, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Have the mind of Jesus. A mind of service and sacrifice. And even a mind of death. Parents for all you envision and desire for your children, be proud for their accomplishments, but be proud when these children are found to be under the cross, when they take up their cross to follow Jesus. Be proud, celebrate the mind of Christ that is a mind of service and self sacrifice. Be proud when they set aside personal glory, when they empty themselves in service to God and their neighbor. And know that they cross of Christ that they claim as their own on this day is a cross that will follow them throughout the rest of their lives. That cross will involve their suffering. And that cross will call upon them to serve. Our text says: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Our vision for our children and our hopes for their future always involves them in positions of honor and power. We want to see them on top with earthly indications of success, respect or wealth or high positions. The cross of Jesus moves us to set aside the self, selfish ambition, conceit, personal gain, but instead to suffer loss for the sake of our neighbor. View others as more important than yourself. Other opinions as more significant than your own , other needs as greater than yours. This is the mind of Jesus "who though being in very nature God did not consider equality with God a thin to be grasped." But he humbled himself in to death and even death on a cross. Dear parents, foster that and encourage that in your children. Foster that in yourself. What would change in your relationship if you were put others as better than yourself? If you saw yourself as servant, if you put others and their needs their opinions, their position, their agenda as better, as more important as more significant than your own? If you showed up not to make them listen but so that you could understand, if you came not to be served but to serve and to give even your life for many. How would that change? Imagine if we all acted that way. How would that change our families or how would that change our church? Confirmands, Christians see your life under the cross of Christ and live your life as those who have been called not to be served but to serve. That is after all what Jesus did. Jesus came as the friend of sinners. He came to die in the place of sinners. He came to die in the place of me and you. Jesus came to die for our sins of vain ambition and selfish conceit. He baptized us to wash that sin out of us and he gave us his Spirit to change our hearts and our minds and our lives. He would have us not be kings but be servants of the one true king. He would have us be servants of one another, to die to ourselves and to be raised to a new life in him. We have talked about how proud parents are when they see the achievements of their children. That they beam with pride when they see what their sons and daughters have done. We have mentioned the pride and hope and expectation of Mary the mother of Jesus, but what about his Father? And no not Joseph. What about his heavenly Father. The gospel writers tell us of the pride felt not just by Mary but also of God the Father. On the day that Jesus began his earthly ministry the Lord looked down from heaven and he saw his son. He saw the work he was doing and he commended him for it. It was beside a river with a man named John. Jesus went down into the river where he was baptized with a baptism of repentance. John tried to stop him. No you should be baptizing me. And he was right. Jesus was the Son of God, as our text says Jesus set aside his heavenly glory to take on human flesh. Jesus was the prince of heaven. Yet he did not consider his heavenly glory something to be grasped – something to be held on to at all costs. Instead he emptied himself of that glory. And what’s more, beside that river in Palestine he submitted himself to repentance. The sinless one made himself as a sinner. He took our baptism of repentance and his Father looked on in approval. "This is my beloved son whom I love.” Said the Father. But he said that again. When Jesus was transfigured before Peter and James and John. They saw Jesus revealed in his glory and they heard a voice from heaven say, "This is my son who I love. Listen to him." They went down from that mountain and Jesus, who they were just commanded to listen to, said, "The Son of Man should suffer many things and be treated with contempt." (Mark 9:12) Immediately before that Jesus had said that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31) God the Father was proud of His Son. His Son came to die. But there is hope in our text. Because Jesus who came to die, came to die for us. And Jesus who calls upon us to die is the one who died first in our place. And that Jesus is Lord. Yes, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped and he set aside his power and glory to be a servant and to die a sinners death. But he has been raised from the dead. And He sits enthroned in Heaven in glory. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. As we kneel before the Lord in worship and in faith and as we humble ourselves and serve one another we have God's promise that he will hear our confession and see our faith and that he who sits on heaven's throne will honor that confession. And just as Christ served and suffered but was raised to glory, the Heavenly Father will honor that with us. With you. "Be faithful unto death," says Jesus, "and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10) Today our confirmation class makes a confession of faith, a promise to be faithful to Jesus. They make this promise in light of the promise that God made to them when they were baptized. God promised them faith, he promised them life, he promised them salvation. He gave them his Spirit to enlighten them and keep them with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. And so they promise faithfulness to him. Do that. Be faithful. Even to death and the Lord will give you the crown of life. Amen. And now may the peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen