"Your King is Coming"

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a king who was gifted, wealthy, and wise. The king made music on his harp and sang songs of praise to God. He won battles and conquered his enemies; he everything anyone could ever want, and more. But the king also had a son. Actually, he had several sons, but this particular son stood out from all the rest.

This son was handsome beyond all the young men of the land. From the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, there was not as much as a blemish on him. The hair on his head was full and thick, but the thoughts inside that head were devious and wicked. He murdered one of his brothers. He ran from that trouble, and his father the king wept over the pain in his family.

Yet the king loved his son and in time, called for his son to return to the royal city. The son came home, but now his thoughts were even more evil than before. He camped at the gates of the capital city for four years, playing the politician. He listened to the peoples complaints and promised solutions.

In time, he won the hearts of the people, and at the end of the four years, he revealed his secret plan. That plan was to overthrow his father and become king himself. The plan was: "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron.’ "

Word got back to his father David. "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom." David said to his servants, "Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom."

So out of Jerusalem went David, the king, along with his servants, and some of his loyal followers. In time, they came to the Mount of Olives, across the valley from the city, and David went up the Mount, with his head covered, barefoot, and weeping as he went.

Does that story sound familiar? Even of you had forgotten the exact details of Absalom’s rebellion against his father David; the story has a familiar ring to it. The reason that it sounds familiar, is because it’s our story too.

We, like David, experience the brokenness of sin. We see it in the world around us. We see it in our families. There’s nothing like the Christmas season to make us more acutely aware of the hurts that exist in our own homes. We see it in our lives. Right among our dreams of that "perfect Christmas" lies the awareness of our own deep imperfections and our sin.

Like David, we have wept and tasted the bitterness of our tears. We flee in terror from our sin and its consequences, or at least we try. The punishment we deserve for our sin is to be exiled and driven out from the presence of God.

In the weeks before Christmas, the world will offer us its answer to our sin. This particular season does it quite vigorously, dangling new toys, stuff that promises to take our minds off of our sin and make us happier. But let me offer you an alternative;

For all who have experienced the brokenness of sin, for all who have been driven from comfort by their failures and cried out to God for deliverance, there is good news. Your King comes to you. It is in this King and in him alone we find our comfort and peace.

Absalom was not David’s only son. Jesus is the Son of David who came to be the king that none of David’s other sons could be. Jesus is the royal Son of David. Our text sees Jesus riding into Jerusalem triumphantly, coming there from the Mount of Olives. From the place where David went in shame, Jesus comes to the holy city to renew the kingdom of God.

In stark contrast to some of David’s other sons, Jesus is humble and gentle. Even though he is very popular with the crowds, he doesn’t come to cultivate their favor. The fact of the matter is that in a few days, the crowds will reject him. He will be driven out of the city, not for his sins, but for the sins of all humanity. He will die, rejected by his heavenly Father. He will share the curse of Absalom; "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree."

Behold, your king, the Son of David, is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. The humble King who rode into Jerusalem in humility comes to us. It is in repentance that we meet him. In the humble forms of Word, water, bread, and wine, he comes to us, personally and individually, to forgive our sins and renew our places in the family of God.

So, behold, your king, the Son of David, coming to you. We join with the people of long ago, and shout out hosannas to the King. Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. We are joined by faith to the hope of God’s people long ago. Like them, we wait for the King to return and establish the house of the Lord as the highest of the mountains, to turn our swords into plowshares, and to lead us to walk in the light of the Lord.

The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is a time full of parades. Between the Thanksgiving Day parades and Rose Bowl parade are all kinds of other processions. Santa will come to the mall and be escorted to his throne. Christmas carolers will patrol the streets. Harried shoppers will march from store to store, looking for the best deals on the right gifts.

But the parade that captures our attention is the one that happened one Sunday in Jerusalem, long, long ago. The Son of David returned to the city, and also comes to us in humility and forgiveness, to give us the comfort the world can never give. "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.