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Week of 4-15—21, 2019: “Donkey Sunday” … John 12:14-15

The image of Jesus riding on a donkey on Palm Sunday is so fixed in our minds that we could just as easily call the day of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, “Donkey Sunday.” The donkey, in fact, symbolizes this day in several different ways:

First, the donkey was a symbol of humility. In ancient times, when a conquering king, backed by his armies, wanted to announce to those he was on the verge of conquering, “I have come in peace”, he would do so by riding towards the city not on a white horse, but on a lowly donkey. So too did Jesus enter Jerusalem—to bring to us, by His cross and resurrection, true and lasting peace with God (John 14:27, Romans 5:1-2). This He did by humbling Himself even unto death itself (Philippians 2:6-8).

Secondly, the donkey is a creature that we often think of as being stubborn and foolish. In a way, this animal points to who we are as sinners. Ishmael, the older son of Abraham, is spoken of as being a “wild donkey of a man” as he would always be in conflict with others (Genesis 16:12). Martin Luther, in his Large Catechism, spoke of our old sinful nature as being like “a donkey around our necks”

When Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem, He controlled and guided that creature with His gentle touch. So too, we might say, He looks to “ride” us and put His gentle touch to our sinful stubborn streak. He looks to bend our often foolish will to His control so that we can bear Him up for all the world to see.

There’s a third thing that the donkey points to—or, should we say here, the donkeys. The donkey colt—which had never been ridden before—would have its mother alongside him as he bore Jesus into the city (Matthew 21:2, 6-7, Mark 11:1-2). This would point as to how Jesus’ mother Mary would be alongside of Him at the foot of the cross just five days later (John 19:25-27). It also points out how the Church and its members are like a mother to us (Revelation 12) as we look to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

It was Jesus alone who bore the burden of our sin to the cross—as the cross shaped hairs on the donkey’s back and shoulders remind us. May the rich imagery of Palm Sunday—“Donkey Sunday”--ever remind us of who we are and, even more so, of who Jesus Christ is—to us.

Your Pastor  Pastor Bill Mugnolo   Hi, I’m Pastor Bill Mugnolo and I have been serving at Zion Lutherran and at our sister congregation of St Johns in Elyria since September 2017. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland and I grew up on Long Island in New York State, in Northern New Jersey, and in Atlanta, Georgia. Since my graduation from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, I have lived in and have had an ongoing family connection to the Rochester, New York area which I consider to be my adopted hometown. I was confirmed in the Lutheran Church as an adult in 1984. I went on to seminary at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. I was ordained on August 16, 1990 on the thirty-first anniversary of my baptism. I have served congregations in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (1990-1998), Newark, New York (1998-2016), and Columbia Station, Ohio (2016-2017). I was joined in marriage to Sabra LeClaire of Rochester, New York on October 1, 1993. We have two daughters—, Emilia and Rebecca. I enjoy power walking, cross-country skiing, dumbbell training, travelling, and a wide variety of music. It is my great honor and privilege to serve both the Lord and you as pastor at Zion.

Wednesday and Thursday

9 A.M to 12 

440-282-8418 

Email pastor.mugnolo@yahoo.com

440-282-8418 Pastor Bill