This sermon was preached on Palm Sunday, 13th April 2025.
Bible Reading: Luke 19:28-40
What will you do when the King comes in?
It was going to come out sooner or later, so I might as well just tell you now, I am a huge royalist. I just love the King and Queen. I remember that, whilst at vicar school, we were asked to do a research piece on some of our personal heroes of the Christian faith, and I wanted to write about the late Queen Elizabeth the Second. I loved how the Queen lived out her faith so openly and spoke about it proudly in her public messages. Sadly, the Queen’s Christmas Messages weren’t quite the theological reading our teachers were hoping for us to read, so instead, I wrote about Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, author of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. But I do wish I could have written about the Queen.
There is something about Kings and Queens that fascinates me. Now, I recognise that not everyone likes the King and Queen or even the idea of monarchy. Now, I have nothing against those who identify as Republicans. However, I do think that whatever you think about the monarchy, you cannot deny that there is something spectacular about the monarchy.
Think back to the coronation a couple of years ago. Think of how the crowds came out in their thousands to line the streets of London. People were dressed up, waving flags, and shouting in the streets. They cheered as King Charles arrived at Westminster Abbey in the royal carriage and entered the hallowed church. The organ bellowed, the choir sang, and trumpets burst brightly for the arrival of the king. And regardless of whether you think we should have a monarchy or not, no one can deny that the coronation was absolutely magnificent, glorious and breathtaking. It truly was an incredible sight.
I recount the King’s arrival on his coronation day not as a mere self-indulgence in my love of the monarchy, but I do so to point to the arrival of King Jesus on Palm Sunday. Jesus’ arrival might not have had the same extravagance as King Charles’ arrival at the coronation, but it definitely had all the hallmarks of a kingly arrival. The crowds line the streets, just hoping to catch a glimpse of the coming king. They are cheering and waving palm leaves as Jesus comes into Jerusalem. They don’t have a red carpet to welcome him, so instead, they lay down their coats to create their own red carpet to usher him in. As Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, ‘the large crowd of his disciples began to thank God and praise him in loud voices for all the great things that they had seen: “God bless the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to God!”’[1]
The people were excited about the arrival of the king, Jesus. They were celebrating and rejoice that their new king had arrived. They were feeling ecstatic; the air was electric. However, unlike the coronation of King Charles, these celebrations were unplanned. There was no welcome committee or a planning meeting. So, how did these celebrations come together? They happened because that is how the people felt. They felt so overwhelmed with excitement as their King Jesus arrived that they had to cheer and shout. Have you ever been so excited about something that you scream or shout involuntarily with excitement? Most of us have done this at some point in our lives. It’s a normal way people respond to such excitement, and these crowds were no exception. They felt a compelling urge to cheer and welcome their king. They found whatever they could to wave as a welcome banner for Jesus as he arrived. The crowds happened to find palm leaves to wave as Jesus arrived, which is why we call today Palm Sunday, as we remember the Sunday when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to a grand reception of palm trees. The crowd wanted to honour the arrival of their new king, and without a red carpet to roll out, they took off the coats from their back, for a lot of them probably their only coat, and laid it down for the donkey carrying Jesus to walk upon. It was a humble and sacrificial offering. It reflects the sheer awe they feel as the King Jesus comes into Jerusalem.
At the start, I asked the question, ‘What will you do when the King comes in?’ More specifically, what will you do when King Jesus comes in? On Palm Sunday, we remember how the crowds welcomed and glorified Jesus as he came to them in Jerusalem, and each year, it makes me ask: would I do the same? Would I pull out the stops to welcome Jesus when he comes to me? Would I cheer and shout and wave my hands in the air? Would I be praising and thanking God for his arrival? Would I take the coat off my back and lay it down to welcome a King who is too great to dirty his feet with the dust of the road?
I want to say yes, but if I am honest, I’m not sure. The reason being is that Jesus is present in our lives every day. He comes in glory and majesty to me, yet I can go about life acting like nothing has happened. Like there isn’t a king, the King of Kings, present with me in my life. Why is my heart not bursting with an overwhelming sense of excitement that the King is here like the crowds on Palm Sunday? I think the honest truth is that with all the things going on in our lives and all around us, we forget to look for the coming of the King. We stop jumping up and down in the crowded streets, trying to catch a glimpse, waiting for the moment when you can say, ‘I see him. The king is here.’ But I don’t want to forget that Jesus is coming. More importantly, I don’t want to forget that Jesus is here. What will you do when the King comes in?
This Palm Sunday, I want us to think about what first brought us to faith, and I don’t just mean my mum dragged me along as a child, but think about the first time you realised something about who Jesus was for you in your life. Do you remember when you discovered he was a king, that he came to serve, not to be served, and to give his life to save us and bring us to him because of his overwhelming love for us? Do you remember that it was good news, something to celebrate and be excited about? It’s the same feeling the crowds on Palm Sunday had when they welcomed him as their new King. If you have never known that for yourself, I pray that you will discover it today. I hope that as we think about the joy and excitement that we have for Jesus in our lives, we may find our hearts growing with the same overwhelming feelings that Palm Sunday crowds had.
Jesus, the King, has come to us and is with us. What will you do when the King comes in?
Amen.
[1] Luke 19:37-38 [GNB].
Shakeel Nurmahi 