Celebrating Palm Sunday?

His argument does not make sense. The Apostle Paul wrote, "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.". -- 1 Corinthians 2:5-8. [BTW that day, John 12:12, was not the first day of of the week.]

 

From none other than Mrs. Rhonda Kelley, wife of Dr. Chuck Kelley of the new Southern Baptist faction the 'Conservative Baptist Network':

On Palm Sunday We Proclaim “Hosanna — He Is Coming!”

"On a recent pilgrimage to Israel, our group made a brief stop....near the Mount of Olives....a church commemorates the place where Jesus began His triumphal entry into Jerusalem....A colorful fresco painting behind the altar of the church in Bethphage depicts the joyous processional of Jesus....The artwork is a profound expression of how the early Christians celebrated the Promised King, and is a reminder to Christians today to focus on the fulfillment of those biblical promises, especially as we observe Palm Sunday"

"All four Gospels include an account of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19)....Three themes emerge from these Scriptures offering instruction to Christians today: Prepare for the Savior, Proclaim the message of salvation, and Praise the King of Kings."

"What will you do this year to prepare yourself and your family for Palm Sunday? Personally, I read the four Gospel accounts of the triumphal entry to prepare myself....Christians today should proclaim Jesus to this lost world, especially during Holy Week when hearts may be more open to the truth of the Gospel. What will you do to proclaim Jesus this Palm Sunday?...Just as the followers of Jesus waved palm branches as He entered into the holy city of Jerusalem, Christians today should celebrate the promised return of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

 

"A colorful fresco painting behind the altar of the church in Bethphage depicts the joyous processional of Jesus....The artwork is a profound expression of how the early Christians celebrated the Promised King, and is a reminder to Christians today to focus on the fulfillment of those biblical promises, especially as we observe Palm Sunday" — Mrs. Rhonda Kelley



Church of Bethphage - Wikipedia

"The Church of Bethphage...is a Franciscan church located on the Mount of Olives...Behind the altar is a fresco depicting Jesus riding a donkey to the Temple, accompanied by his disciples....wall frescos portray New Testament era people preparing for the procession."

 

We do not celebrate Palm Sunday. Why? Because scripture does not command it in corporate worship. Scripture also does not command celebrating Christmas or Easter in corporate worship. This is all determined by how you view worship. The Regulative Principle of Worship posits that we are to worship God in the manner by which scripture prescribes. The Normative Principle of Worship posits that we are free to worship God in any manner not prohibited by scripture. So, if you subscribe to the RPW you will be opposed to celebrating Palm Sunday, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, et al. If you subscribe to the NPW you may or may not choose to celebrate those days.

 

John 12:1-2.

 

Do people who hold to the Regulative Principle of Worship celebrate all of the Jewish holidays that God prescribed, since Gentiles have been grafted into the vine of Israel? Or it is simply a guideline used to negate practices not explicitly laid out in the New Testament but places no requirements upon the one who holds the principle?

 

I see nothing wrong with celebrating what is termed Psalm Sunday. It is much like celebrating Christmas. That being said we need to understand the truth about the time frame of the crucifixion week.
http://72.219.6.125:81/CrucifixionWeek.html

 

The RPW is a guideline for New Covenant worship as prescribed in the New Testament. Old Covenant worship has been abrogated. Following the RPW does not make anyone more righteous. It is a matter of obedience. Discussing the RPW will take a very long thread. Suffice to say it is a minority position among Baptists.

 

From the Dean of Reformed Baptist Seminary's explanation of "the significance and meaning of Jesus’ triumphal entry, which we celebrate as Palm Sunday":

"The fact that Christians through the centuries have commemorated this day suggests that it’s a day of great importance and significance. Notably, all four Gospel writers include this event in their Gospel account. Obviously, God intended this event to reveal gospel truth."

"By entering Jerusalem upon a donkey, Jesus presents Himself...as the Prince of Peace!....'God did not send His Son to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him'."

"Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus willingly and deliberately threw himself into the hands of the Jews and Romans in order to become our sacrifice for sin. Why? Because of 'love'!....He so loved you and me that He was willing to do whatever it took to redeem us from our sins."

"Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem...reveals Jesus to be the Messiah, the King of Israel. God promised Israel that He would establish one of David’s sons upon the throne forever. Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. Palm Sunday, therefore, is a day when we acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth to be the promised Messiah."

 

Kevin Bauder, "Shall We Observe Holidays?"

"I affirm the Regulative Principle."

"I do not believe that it rules out holidays that focus upon biblical events....Quite the contrary, I believe that those days are very useful in maintaining a fresh and vibrant Christianity."

"A thing that is lawful to do in any service is certainly lawful to plan to do in one, specific service"

"Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, Good Friday the crucifixion, and Easter Sunday the resurrection. Christians have observed these dates for centuries, along with others such as Palm Sunday (commemorating the Triumphal Entry)"

"Certainly we are not limited to the holidays if we wish to emphasize these truths. Nevertheless, if we place the holidays in our calendar, we are publicly and deliberately disciplining ourselves to heed these wonderful realities."

 

Ok, so the Galileans were shouting Hosanna

the Judeans were shouting Crucify Him


Fire Away

 

BTW, why any church would celebrate Palm Sunday or Lent or whatever is beyond me

it’s like we loose our minds and no one ever heard of the Reformation

 

Baptists are not descending from the Reformation. They are descended from the Radical Reformation. The leaders of the Reformation (Luther, Calvin, etc.) rejected and persecuted our Baptist ancestors.

Moreover, the Reformation and Radical Reformation principles were about rejecting the evil that had come into Christendom, but not a reactionary rejection of every facet of Christian wisdom, doctrine, and teaching of the previous 1200-1400 years.

Lenten teaching can be a spiritual discipline. Palm Sunday is a remembrance and contemplation of the glory of Jesus and the fickle weaknesses of the human heart. Easter is a celebration of the resurrection, the most important event in history up to this time.

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of it. Can it be corrupted? Sure. But everything can be corrupted.

 

Leaving Lent Behind - The Aquila Report

 

Ash Wednesday: Picking and Choosing our Piety - The Aquila Report

 

The Aquila Report folks build a nice straw man and tear it down beautifully. I’m sure it makes their readers feel good. However, it has little to do with the way my own church approaches the Lenten season.

 

The author of this rebuke of Ash Wednesday practices extols the virtue of infant baptism as a better substitute for Ash Wednesday.

I don’t baptize infants (I’m a Baptist) and don’t participate in Ash Wednesday rituals (although I respect how it may be helpful for some), so does that mean I am more virtuous that the writer of the Aquila Report?

Probably not, but the smugness of the article tempts me to think to highly of myself.