Palm Sunday 2026

Call to Worship

KiDZ Message

SLIDE - KiDZ message

Hold up the palm: “Today is Palm Sunday.”

Palm Sunday = people waving palms because Jesus was coming.

Jesus enters Jerusalem not on a horse, but on a donkey.

That shows Jesus is a King, but not a violent King.

Palms were like cheering signs: “We welcome you!”

The crowd was saying: “Jesus, we want you to be our King!”

SLIDE - KiDZ Big Idea

On Palm Sunday we say “Jesus, we want you to be our King!”

Palm Sunday is about choosing who we follow.

We choose Jesus by listening, loving, and following Him.

pray

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Sermon

Onramp

SLIDE - Title

When I hear someone claim to be Christian, I am skeptical.

I grew up in churches and have spent most of my life close with other Christians

I have devoted my life to learning how to follow Jesus

Yet, when someone says

We are in the middle of a significant spiritual cultural moment.

People all over our country, and all over the world, particularly younger people, are curious about Jesus.

People are watching church services online, following Christian influencers on social media, and professing faith in large public arenas.

People are deciding to give Jesus a try, to come and see what this Jesus stuff is all about.

At the same time there are powerful voices claiming obedience to Christ that are using the name of Jesus to justify their political ideologies. Using the language of Jesus and the bible, but shaping them into something that doesn’t look like the real Jesus.

Palm Sunday, the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem the week before his death and resurrection, was also a powerful political and cultural moment.

There were curious people, who have been hearing about Jesus

They heard about his miracles and his teachings, and they wanted to know more

At the same time, there were powerful voices claiming obedience to God that were using the fact that the culture associated them with God to justify their political ideologies. Using their expertise around the language of the scriptures, but shaping them into something that doesn't match the real God.

Jesus warned his followers about these people, calling them “wolves in sheep’s clothing”

SCRIPTURE - Matthew 7:15-20

Matthew 7:15–20 NIV

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Jesus’ advice to the curious was simple.

He didn't defend himself

He didn't demand they obey him instead

He said “look at the results” test the fruit.

In other words, Christians, he told the skeptics to look at us.

And this is why I find John’s telling of the Palm Sunday story so fascinating.

SLIDE - Palm Sunday

So whether you are curious or you’ve given you life to Jesus, I want to encourage you to come encounter Jesus with me in the scriptures today and decide for yourself what he is saying...

The Story

There are an insane amount of layers here, every one giving a bit more light to the story. The reality is that the bible is primarily a story, and we are closing in on the season finale here.

I will explain the context as best I can, but I encourage you to read the whole thing for yourself. If you start the story here you have lost a ton of context.

SCRIPTURE - John 12:9-19

v. 9 They came for both jesus AND Lazarus

in short, they came for Jesus and the fruit of his ministry.

They came looking to see if what they heard was real

briefly re-tell the Lazarus story

Jesus performed a lot of miracles like this, and he still is

briefly tell the Senegal story

The chief priests had already been planning to kill Jesus.

They believed that if people kept following Jesus, then Rome would come to kill him AND take out the nation of Israel as well.

They saw the death of Jesus as a small sacrifice for the good of the country.

It was also convenient that with Jesus out of the way, they wouldn’t have someone threatening their authority.

They knew the big Passover festival was coming.

Jesus and his disciples had been in hiding

The priests had functional WANTED posters all over Jerusalem

You can read all this at the end of chapter 11

v. 10-11 Lazarus the target

The plot to kill Jesus was a political conspiracy, and Lazarus was a loose end.

The leaders knew that Lazarus was convincing proof of Jesus’ claims.

They wanted to kill Lazarus in order to undercut the validity of Jesus, so that they could distance themselves from Jesus in the eyes of Rome.

v. 12 But the people showed up curious

Generally speaking, People do not like to be told what to think.

They showed up to see it for themselves

They heard a rumor that Jesus was going to show up

They likely remember the story from 100 years earlier

briefly tell the Judas Maccabeus story

v. 13 The people took on a symbolic action

They assumed Jesus was doing what Judas Maccabeus did

v. 14-15 Jesus instead fulfilled the Prophecy from Zechariah

Jesus’ riding of a young donkey was a symbolic act making three big points

He is claiming to be king (the worst thing someone could do in the eyes of the religious leaders)

He is not here to conquer with violence (donkey not a horse)

He is here to obey his father’s instructions (exactly following the prophecy)

v. 16-18 Not everyone understood what was happening in the moment.

Sometimes we have a tough time seeing what’s happening around us. But when we look back we are blown away.

Sometimes we are silent when we feel we don’t understand well enough.

Yet the crowd wouldn't be silenced. They said what they saw.

Church, our job is not to convince anyone of anything.

Our job is to tell people who are seeing Jesus, that what they are seeing is real

the work of a witness is to say, in the face of skeptics, “i know what I saw”

v. 19 And there was nothing the wolves in sheep’s clothing could do to silence the people

This world is full of people who want to control your opinion for their own gain

Jesus, instead, simply says, come, see, and decide for yourself.

This is an amazing story

This is the beginning of the week that changed the whole world.

SLIDE - Title

in the church, we call the days that run from now until next Sunday “Holy Week”

This story will continue all week.

Prayer

[Invite band up]

but, Before we talk about next steps, and before we respond to this story in song together, I want to give us a moment to do what this story invites us to do.”

Not to agree or disagree Not to obey or disobey

but to decide

Whether we will silence the encounter or pursue more Whether we will go after him, or stay put Whether we will testify to what we’ve seen, or stay silent in fear

I’m going to invite you into a short, guided prayer. You don’t need special words. You don’t need certainty. You don’t even need to say it out loud.

Just be honest.

I will ask you some questions so that you can bring these thoughts before the Lord and come to your own decision.

[enter into prayer...]

What have you actually seen?

What seems like it’s real? What am I yet to be convinced of?

[give space]

What are you currently doing with what you’ve seen?

Are you convinced that Jesus is either a liar or a lunatic? Are you still testing? Are you convinced, but hesitating? Are you following—but quietly from a distance? Are you trying to get as close to Jesus as possible?

[give space]

Now, I invite you to ask Jesus a question.

“Jesus, what are you inviting me into this Holy Week?”

Listen and consider your choice

Will you silence what you’ve heard because you don’t find it credible or will you pursue more?

Will you go after him like the people on Palm Sunday or will you stay put?

Will you testify to what you’ve seen or will you stay silent?

What decision will you make today?

[give space, then say Amen]

Bringing it together

SLIDE - Connect Card

It is good to encounter Christ with you this morning

I hope this time has given you some clarity

If you have made a new decision today,

to give you life to Jesus for the first time

to recommit your life to Jesus

to pursue baptism

to share your testimony

If you made a decision, then know that you are not meant to journey toward Jesus alone.

If you’ve decided that this community appears trustworthy enough, then fill out a connect card.

CONNECT CARD + valleychapel.org/connect

We would love to pray for you and walk toward Jesus with you

The Followers

SLIDE - KEEPING PACE

If you already know this hope. You’ve tested it, and you’ve decided to follow Jesus.

but this morning you have made a new decision to join the chorus of people testifying to what they’ve seen

The crowd saying “ I have seen that it is real.

Then, this morning I invite you to think about the people that God has placed in your life. (your real life, not just who you see posting on social media or commenting on the news). Your friends, neighbors, family, coworkers.

Who seems curious about Jesus?

Who is testing his claims?

Who needs someone to say “i’ve seen it and it’s real”

Who is the Spirit putting on your heart?

Put it on a “Keeping Pace” bookmark

The distance between them and a decision for Jesus may be the length of your story.

How will you seek an opportunity to have a conversation this holiest of weeks?

To pursue opportunities to validate that what people think they are seeing is real.

Will you go after them as they go after him?

Conclusion

I want to invite you to rise for a final song this morning.

As we sing, allow the song to make space for your decision to settle into your heart.

Don’t rush out the door. Give this choice the space it deserves.

Happy Holy Week.

Benediction

Go, now, empowered by the Spirit, to tell the world that you have seen the King!