Palm Sunday calls believers to unashamed worship

Air Force One, a Rolls-Royce or a diamond-studded horse-drawn coach. Just how is a king supposed to arrive?

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the day King Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey and was greeted with shouts of “Hosanna,” or “God save us,” by an adoring public. Less than a week later, after being betrayed by an insider, the adoring public was nowhere to be found and had been replaced by an accusing public that chose to release a murderer instead of embracing God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, and then mocked Him as He was crucified.

In the days leading up to Palm Sunday, an act of worship was performed by Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha, as she poured perfume on Jesus. That perfume amounted to a year’s wages for the average working man. Her worship inspired her to give what was of greatest value in her possession. Unfortunately, Mary’s love for Jesus was met with phony, self-righteous indignation from the traitor Judas and others in the house because this act was, in their opinion, not practical but wasteful. Jesus told us that the Father seeks worshippers who worship in spirit and truth, worshipping Him for who He is and not what our earthly nature wants Him to be.

Mary’s worship came from a heart of gratitude that had no conditions. The jubilant crowd on Palm Sunday laid down their coats and palm branches for Jesus because they perceived Him to be their meal ticket out of Roman oppression. No one likes to be conquered by another country and occupied by brutal soldiers; everyone understands that. But when it became clear to the masses that Jesus’ mission was to deliver them from the sin that separated them from God, and that no political freedom was forthcoming, the worship ended. Their superficial, conditional worship existed only for a material relationship with Jesus. They loved the healings, the bread-and-wine multiplication and the hope of national sovereignty, but their worship could not endure disappointment.

Mary’s worship was deep and pure-hearted worship that said, “I don’t care what anybody in this room thinks, I’m going to worship out of my love for who Jesus is.” Her worship was so intense that she knelt and washed Jesus’ feet, something only a slave would perform, and then dried His feet with her hair. The value of her gift was the measure of her worship. What valuable gift do you and I have that we can give?

The New Testament letter of Romans gives us the answer: “Considering God’s mercy, offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” Your best gift to the Lord in worship is all of you, all the time.

As we gather for worship and lay down our palm branches this Palm Sunday, let’s be unashamed, pure-hearted worshippers who put no conditions on the Lord for our devotion and loyalty. Unashamed, unconditional and pure-hearted. Hosanna!

Ken Staley is pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove at 9:30 a.m. and Harrisville Methodist Church at 11 a.m. Both are Global Methodist congregations. He can be emailed at PastorKenStaley@gmail.com.