Look Up to See Your King

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Palm Sunday

Zechariah 9:9-10

The Israelites’ heads must have hung toward their feet much of the time.  They must have felt defeated.  Sure, they had returned from exile in the East.  But the temple was still in ruins.  They were really just a remnant of what they once were – now struggling to find identity as a people.  But behold the prophet’s words, “Look up!  Here comes your King!”

Fast-forward five centuries . . .The heads of the people are still hanging toward their feet much of the time.  Still feeling defeated.  Sure, the temple was now rebuilt, and Herod had even done some impressive renovations.  But they still didn’t have real freedom.  They were subject to the Romans, who told them what to do and how to do it.  They longed for the glory that was once Israel’s.  But someone shouted, “Look up!  Here comes your King!”

Fast-forward two millennia . . .Our heads hang toward our feet much of the time.  We often feel defeated.  Sure, we have freedom; we’re not subject to another country’s king.  But we are subject to sin and to its sad effects.  We long for the days of glory.  But today we hear, “Look up!  Here comes your King!”  We look up to see our hero—our Conqueror.  And for the next 7 days, the inspired Holy Week Prophet, Zechariah, helps us look up to see our King on the back of a donkey, on a cross, and coming on the clouds.  And it all starts this Palm Sunday.

Often with heroes we do look up…“in the sky! (you may know the phrase)  It’s a bird!  It’s a plane!  No . . . it’s Superman!”  And the hero emerges.  The Jerusalem Jews didn’t need to strain their eyes to the skies.  Jesus was there, on the back of a donkey, and they were excited.  Here he was, they assumed, their long-promised Messiah.  Here was their conquering hero!  Here he was, their salvation from the Romans, from poverty, from sickness, and from suffering.  Here was Jesus!  Look up and see him.  Then bring the family out!  Spread your coats and palms to welcome him!  Shout loud hosannas to honor him!

When Zechariah told the people to shout, he chose a word that was used as a battle cry.  How hopeful the Jews must have been: their king had finally arrived to wage war on Rome!  This superhero could raise fallen troops

back to life.  He could end the need for supply lines as he multiplied loaves and fish.  And if he could do all that – He could conquer the world!”  Even Zechariah said, “His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”  “Hosanna!” they cried, which means “Save now!”  Conquer the enemy for us!  Conquer the world for us!  And do it today!

But look how he arrives…on a donkey.  Can you picture Superman meandering up to the fight on such an animal?  With donkey noises as the soundtrack?  There was no display of superhuman strength, no lasers shooting from his eyes.  He didn’t drive a golden chariot pulled by white stallions.  He was coming gently, peacefully, and humbly.  “See, your king comes to you, . . . lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  In many ways, the opposite of what one might expect.  Power and glory is what people then, and still today, demand and expect from the Christ.  How strange to see him enter the city in such a way.  

How strange to watch him throughout the week on his walk to of all things: a cross.  The people would see their hope for his herohood be tortured and executed as well.  So much for the Superman who would be broken and extinguished under a Roman fist.  But why?  Why did he who once walked through an angry mob allow himself to be arrested?  Why did he who raised the dead allow himself to die?   

We also often look up to Jesus and wonder: Why?  Why does the omnipotent God allow my body to break down?  Why does he allow my relationships to fall apart, leaving me feeling so lonely?  Why does he let me struggle with my finances that I so often worry about?  Why doesn’t he instantly sweep in and save me from all the suffering and pain?  Why doesn’t my Superman-Savior save me from all my troubles?

Because he’s not that kind of king – he’s better.  He didn’t come to wage war on poverty or disease or unhappiness.  He didn’t come to take away problems or pain or to make this life easy.  He didn’t even come to snap his finger and remove all war and rumors of war in this fallen world.  When you get disappointed in what Jesus doesn’t do for you, are you tempted to reject him as the inhabitants of Jerusalem did?  Does he need to be the kind of Savior you want right now?  Or else what?  You then have no need for him, at least not right at this moment.  Oh, we figure, I can always turn to him later, when I think he’ll then give me what I think I need.  But if we’re so bold (as we so sinfully are) to demand Jesus be what we want right now or we’ll leave him…we should not be surprised if he stops this parade to the cross altogether, walks away, abandons us, and leaves us without a saving hero!  Should he really make every effort to rescue people who aren’t interested in his kind of salvation?  But you know what kind of king he is, the Word of God makes that clear: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See, (today) your king comes to you, righteous and victorious.”

Look up to see your Hero, who never sinned, who always does what is in line with the will of God.  Look up to see your Conqueror, who is victorious, who brings you salvation from your soul’s enemies.  Look up to see your King, who arrived in a glorious Palm Sunday entrance, that would end alone on a cross for you and for me.  Look up to see him at his lowest.  Look up to see him waging war against Satan, against death, against hell.  Look up to see him fighting the ultimate battle for your freedom!  Don’t hang your head in shame.  Look up!  He won and proclaimed peace!  He stayed faithful for every time you forsook him, for every time you went AWOL on God.  His righteous record is now credited to you, making you perfect in God’s sight.  He is the humble, gentle, obedient hero we need.

“Wait a minute,” we might wonder…“if King Jesus proclaimed peace to the nations, why doesn’t the world look more peaceful?  Why do we still have so much strife?  Why do we still hear of conflict, of crashed planes, of scandal, and of countless murder documentaries?  Why are our lives still in turmoil because of broken relationships, broken homes, and broken promises?  Because he’s still not that kind of king.  We need to understand what Zechariah meant when he prophesied, “I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken.  He will proclaim peace to the nations.  His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”  

In 1949, the US Air Force unveiled its newest bomber, the Convair B-36.  Its wingspan was 230 feet (nearly long enough to play a football game).  Beneath those mighty wings were four bomb compartments capable of carrying 86,000 pounds of bombs (ten times more than the World War II B-17 Flying Fortress).  It was given a surprising nickname for an aircraft carrying so much destructive power; it was called the Peacemaker.  Every enemy knew that it was better to make peace, rather than war, with a nation that flew such a plane.

Such weapons are needed because there will always be wars and rumors of war.  Jesus said that would be true until he returns.  So the promise of “peace to the nations . . . from the River to the ends of the earth” must mean something else – something more profound.  Jesus is the real Peacemaker.  His atoning death for us established peace in our relationship with God.  He rode on in majesty to deliver us from guilt and shame, from the fear of death and hell.  And one day, we will have peace from all our problems, from all wars and conflicts, from all suffering and pain, from all frustration and heartache.  A day is coming when he will end wars of every size and type, when he will save us from all the effects of sin and give us perfect, eternal peace. 
So we look up to the skies and eagerly await the day when our King will return, no longer humble and gentle but coming in power, no longer riding a donkey but riding on the clouds.  We look up with confidence that he is coming to bring us perfect, permanent peace.  Dear friends, look up to see your King on a donkey, on a cross, paying with his blood for our peace with God, and one day coming on the clouds, when he will put an end to all conflict.  In the meantime, shout his praises: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you”!  In the name of Jesus our Savior and King. Amen.

March Newsletter

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Pastor Walther

Psalm 103

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103)

Aristotle was still 600 years away from hypothesizing that the earth was round, and Galileo 2,200 years away from discovering that the earth revolved around the sun.  It would be three millennia before mankind finally left earth’s atmosphere and took to the stars.  And so, when David poetically spoke of east and west, he knew of no place where they ever met.  When he marveled at the heavens hanging over the earth, they would have forever seemed unreachable.  It led David to understand God’s love in a personal way.  Though his past was tainted by covetousness, theft, adultery, even murder!… still he lived with joy and not just guilt.  That’s because David saw he was still loved by God.  It’s what David expresses in Psalm 103:  God had removed his sin from him so completely that it was in a place that was literally impossible for David to get to.

It’s really no different today even when mankind has made it to space.  Our universe only stretches farther with every new invention that enables us to measure farther.  When the James Webb Telescope first went into operation to replace the Hubble Space Telescope, it famously fixed its eye on the deepest, darkest, most distant corner of the universe.  What did it find?  In a patch of sky that covers approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length, there were thousands of galaxies.  Each with millions of stars. 

Now take those most distant galaxies floating 13.5 billion light years away.  It would take approximately 200 billion human lifetimes strung one after the other to travel there!  Oh, and that’s assuming we discover a way to travel at the speed of light.  With our most powerful rockets right now?  Increase that number to 200 trillion human lifetimes.  And when the next telescope discovers things even more distant?  Yeah, you get the picture… and we haven’t even discussed going in the opposite direction!

God does the same for you and me also.  He places our sins in a place that is literally impossible for us to get to.  Jesus carried our sins to that distant place through his work on the cross as our scapegoat.  Then he returned back across that infinite void of death when he rose from the grave to restore life to us.  It’s why you can be certain God loves you.  He has removed every sin from you.  As far as the east from the west and the heavens above the earth.  

“Only the Best”

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“Only the Best” (Romans 4:1-5,13-17)

Series: Exactly What I Needed

by Pastor Nate Walther

The 2nd Sunday of Lent (3/1/2026)

            ONLY THE BEST.  It’s kind of a motto for our lives.  As Americans, we expect our country to have the best standard of living, the best military, and the best medical care.  Professionally, we want to be the best at what we do, get the best pay, and receive the best benefits.  For our kids, we look for the best schools, the best dental care, the best sports opportunities.  In our homes, we want the best materials: that nice hardwood furniture, those striking stone countertops, or those energy-efficient windows & appliances…

            If we think that way everywhere elsewhere in our lives, we don’t easily “turn it off” when it comes to our faith.  And that’s OK. God wants us to have the best for our faith too!  The problem comes when we make faith about what we do, choose, or think.  Like so many other things in my life, it’s easy to take matters into my own hands to ensure that I get the best! But if we want the best for our faith, God paints a dramatically different picture for us today in his Word. 

            As we look again to our sermon text from Romans 5, it intersects so well with our theme today. Abraham is the father of the Jewish faith & a great paradigm for faith in general.  What we heard at the beginning of verse 2 only makes sense, if anyone had reason to boast it was Abraham!  Yet that only makes what we heard at the end of verse 2 even more striking, “But not before God…” As God expects “only the best,” this is him telling us in his Word that not even Abraham could cut it — Abraham, who moved a month’s journey away from his family to some place he had never seen before, all because God told him so.  Abraham, who washed the feet of random strangers that showed up on his tent-step and served them with the finest meat from his flock & produce from his field. Abraham, who risked life and limb not just to rescue his nephew Lot from powerful kings who had captured him, but he also rescued many other unworthy, evil citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah (whom God would later destroy!).

            Granted, God does commend Abraham, but did you notice it was for a completely different reason? Verse 3, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Abraham did have something going for him, but that something was faith.  Which is interesting when you consider that faith is always contrasted to works in the Bible.  Here and in verse 4, God doesn’t say he credits righteousness to people for what they do, as something they earn; rather, he credits it for the opposite reason: for faith.  And the thing about faith in the Bible is that it’s not just some abstract, “you’ve just got to believe.” Faith always has an object, it always relies on something else.  In particular, Abraham’s faith was about what someone else did.  “Abraham believed God” That’s what was “credited (or calculated) to him as righteousness.” 

I’m sure Abraham wanted the best in his life just like us, and there was plenty a guy like him could earn for himself. But what about all the things he couldn’t earn for himself?  For all his accolades, Abraham had sin.  He questioned God at times, one time even sleeping with his own maidservant (Hagar) to try to fulfill God’s promise about having a child that would lead to blessing for the world.  It didn’t work.  The world’s Savior from sin did not come from that child born to him (Ishmael).  Abraham and all nations were still in their sin… But give Abraham credit for one thing: he didn’t settle for what he could do, and he continued to live by faith that God could do something better.  That’s what God eventually did give him “credit” for, since God eventually would provide a child for him & his wife (Sarah) in their old age (Isaac) who would lead to a Savior for the world.

So also, dear brothers & sisters of Jesus, do you want the best?  Good!  God has wired that into your heart and mine.  Don’t settle for anything less. So every time we’re tempted to think more highly of ourselves because we go to church when others don’t, or we go about our career in a godly and respectable way even when our coworkers don’t, or we are being honest in our classes when classmates are cheating and trying to us AI… stop!  Don’t settle for that!  Because what good is a gold star before the one who made the stars?  And every time we’re tempted to make faith about how much more we know than others, or how committed we are in our convictions, or the fact that we go to the right church when others don’t… stop!  Don’t settle for that!  God knows more than us and expects a lot more than that from us.  And every time we’re tempted to minimize our own sin, and we revel in the fact that we haven’t done the bad things that others have, or we pretend those sinful thoughts we have aren’t affecting the way we look at our spouses or at the success of others… stop!  Don’t settle for that!  After all, God is pure holiness and wants us to enjoy such perfection with him, not some cheap, sin-corrupted version of it.

Don’t hear what I’m not saying.  Do those good things too, just realize they won’t cut it. And more than anything, live by faith.  Because we get more by focusing on the object of our faith and what he does.  It’s what this season of Lent is all about.  Last week we began Lent with the traditional reading about how Jesus overcame the devil’s temptations for 40 days in the wilderness – it’s a reminder of how Jesus perfectly overcame every temptation to sin for us as our substitute!  During Holy Week we will end Lent with the traditional readings about how Jesus went on trial and died on the cross– it’s a reminder of how Jesus perfectly suffered the penalty for all sin for us as our sacrifice!  This time of the year is all about focusing on how Jesus can do more for than we can do for ourselves.  And it’s exactly what we need.  When God calculates Christ and his good deeds to our account, he is able to credit so much more to us than if he were to calculate only our deeds (good & bad) to our account. 

Have you ever been there yourself?  You’re trying to solve a problem at work, or maybe you’re just looking at the family budget, and the numbers don’t add up.  But then some extra funds come along, the math changes, and everything works out! One of my favorite real-life examples of something like this is when UPS implemented software that prioritized right-hand turns over left-hand turns.  It seemed extremely minor, but changing that one variable meant that in one year their drivers drove nearly 30 million less miles, they saved 3 million gallons of fuel, and they required 1,000 fewer trucks. Such a seemingly small change made a huge difference… Now take a huge change and apply it to our faith.  If faith were only about what we do, God must add up all our sins and factor them into the equation too.  Then, if you consider two possible outcomes for eternity – one without any imperfection in heaven and one with imperfection in hell – there’s just no way around it, we’re spending eternity with our sin!  But if you add Jesus as Savior from sin to the equation, and the math completely changes.  That’s where God is able to keep all of his promises to us in full. 

Help others see it.  In a world that longs for “only the best,” anything short of it can throw people into a tailspin.  Which is really bad, because it’s rare for anyone truly to be the best at something.  Even if they are the best at one thing, they will usually struggle with other things that relate to what they are trying to accomplish. The world’s best three-point shooter may not be a particularly good defender.  Or the most brilliant scientific mind may not have the best people-skills, which limits what he or she can get done.  Even the best presidents have ton of flaws (anyone would when put under a microscope)…  If only the best will do, then no one will do; which means what everyone really needs at the end of the day is Christ, who was the best at everything for them!  If you love someone, always be thinking about how you can bring Jesus into their lives.

And don’t miss ithist for yourself either, dear Christian.  Whenever you look at yourself and struggle and think, “I’m not the best! I should be a better mom, a better husband, a better person…” – And you and I should be! – or if ever we think, “How could God ever settle for someone like me to spend eternity with him in heaven?”, remember what we heard earlier, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life!” (John 3:16)  That’s not my take on the subject as a pastor, nor is it some inspirational quote AI fashioned for a coffee mug.  The words from our Gospel reading are Jesus himself saying that faith in him will make all the difference.  Christ’s love, forgiveness, and power can make a real difference for you in your God-given callings. Don’t underestimate how everything can change with one variable, especially when that one variable is Jesus. He really does bring “only the best.”

Abraham had a lot going for him humanly-speaking, and he was a wealthy man.  Yet God always kept Abraham looking for more.  For years promising a child, but not giving him that child; and even what God gave Abraham that child, he still promised a great nation from this son that Abraham would never live to see!… It worked.  It kept Abraham looking for something better.  The Book of Hebrews tells us that Abraham lived as a sojourner on earth.  Despite all that he had, he saw that heaven was what he needed all along. His story is our story.  Whenever we find that we’re lacking, and when we are kept waiting, we don’t have to settle for something less than the best or do anything to fix it.  Just live by faith.  Just let God do what he’s promised all along.  That’s when Christ will give us EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED.  Amen.