Psalm 24:7-10, Antiphon, Psalm 118:26 – Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless You from the house of the Lord. The one who with God’s help defeated the enemies “in the name of the Lord” from God’s very presence. The plural is used as a reference to God alone who deserves worship and praise. The crowd that gathered around Jesus when He rode into Jerusalem on His triumphal entry sang verses 25-26 of this famous psalm.
Psalm 24 - The
Great and Supreme God
This psalm is simply titled A Psalm of David. Many think this psalm was written upon the occasion of the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem during the reign of David (2 Samuel 6). Here, the eye of the Psalmist looked, however, beyond the typical up-going of the ark to the sublime ascension of the King of glory.
We can make several connections to this idea that
the King of glory shall come in.
· This was fulfilled when the Ark of the Covenant
came to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:11-18).
· This was fulfilled when the ascended Jesus
entered into heaven (Acts 1:9-10; Ephesians 1:20).
· This is fulfilled when an individual heart
opens to Jesus as King.
And the
King of glory shall come in: The idea is plain; it is assumed that when God
is welcomed with open gates and doors, He is pleased to come in. The King of
glory will meet with His people when approached correctly and the doors are
opened unto Him.
The idea that the doors or gates might be opened
unto God, but He would not come unto man, isn’t even considered. When we draw
near to Him, He draws near to us (James 4:8).
“For the Church is Christ’s temple; and every faithful soul is a gate thereof to let him in, as in Revelation 3:20.”[2]
The Theme for Palm Sunday is “The Nature of God’s Love.” In the Old Testament lesson (Deuteronomy 32:36-39), love is seen as compassion. God has compassion on His people in their extremity. In the Epistle lesson (Philippians 2:5-11), love is shown in humble service. Christ humbled Himself and God exalted Him. In the Gospel lesson (Luke 23:1-49), love as sacrifice is seen as Christ goes to the cross and we observe the trials and death of Jesus. If the church observes Palm Sunday, the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-40) is traditionally read. As has been our tradition and practice we will re-affirm confirmation vows this Sunday.
Collect for
Psalm 24: Lord God, ruler and guide
of heaven and earth, you made your Son a priest and brought him into your
everlasting temple, Open our hearts that the King of glory may enter, and bring
us rejoicing to your holy mountain, where you live and reign, one God, now and
forever. [4]
04 April, 2022
[1] Palm Sunday, Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use
[3] Hosanna, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[4] Collect for Psalm 24, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. I © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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