Worship Service – April 5, 2020

 The Presentation of the King (Palm Sunday)

Dear Church Family

This week’s scripture reading is from Matthew 21:1-10 The Triumphal Entry.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Hosanna in the highest! 10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is This?”

 “Guess who this is”. It’s a game children of a certain age love to play. I’m certain at some point all of you have probably done this. You slip behind someone and cover their eyes and say, “Guess who this is?” And they always know!

Well ,that’s because they’ve already seen you entering the room or know you by the sound of your voice.

Little children love to play the obvious, but by the time they get a little older that simple game is just too obvious for them.

In today’s scripture about the triumphal entry, Jesús seems to be playing the game,” Guess who I am”. This story for Palm Sunday is all about the identity question. Verse 10 makes it clear,” When Jesus entered Jerusalem the whole city was stirred and asked , “Who is this?”.

Who is this?

I believe this question helps us understand the fickle reaction of people present at the first Palm Sunday. The most obvious question from Palm Sunday is, how could the same people who yelled, “Hosanna!” On Sunday turn around and yell “ crucify him!” on Friday? The cheers turned into jeers in an alarmingly short time.

How do we solve this mystery? I think we solve it by looking at how people responded to that question, “ Who is this?” Everybody was looking for something different in Jesus, and most were disappointed in who he really was.

Who was Jesus for the crowds? They wanted a miracle Jesus. They probably love the fact that he taught in parables that were easier to understand than the obscure reasoning they heard from the

Pharisees. They were attracted to him because he was a dynamic leader. They liked it when he put the Pharisees in their place. But of all the qualities of Jesus that the crowd loved, they best loved him as a miracle man. The crowds thronged around him when they saw him healing the lame, the blind and the sick.

This reminds me of the story of a woman who had a near death experience the other day when she went horseback riding, while a crowd of people cheered. Everything was going fine until the horse started bucking out of control. She tried with all her might to hang on but was thrown off. With her foot caught in the stirrup, she fell headfirst to the ground. Her head continued to bounce on the ground as the horse did not stop or even slow down. Just as she was giving up hope and was losing consciousness, the people yelled, “Save Her!” Then the Walmart manager came out and unplugged it. Their cheers for him ended, when they went into the store and couldn’t use their expired coupons!

Like the crowds in our Scriptures they assumed that Jesus would do even more miracles in Jerusalem like he had done in the past. When we look closely at the dynamics of that Palm Sunday, we are not really surprised at the Friday outcome. On the surface, it seems like the triumphal entry was a grand celebration, but underneath we find the seeds of the crucifixion lying among the palms.

The real meaning of Palm Sunday for us can be found in that same question they asked, “Who is this?”

Who is Jesus for us? Are we looking for a Savior? The real meaning of Holy Week indeed the meaning of his whole life and death and resurrection, is that he came and died for us.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

It really doesn’t matter what the crowds were looking for. The real meaning of Palm Sunday is between us and God. What kind of Jesus are we looking for? We still asked the question,” Who is this?” And our answer makes all the difference.

During this Holy Week to come, we all need to decide who Jesus is to us. Do we cry “Hosanna” (save us) and follow him to the cross, or do we still wonder who he is and miss the resurrection.

My prayer this week is that you all come to know Christ as your personal Savior and follow him in all you do.

As you go out through this week be certain and know that God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit will be with you forever and ever amen.

In His Service,                                                                                                                                                                         

Pastor Joe

 

The Presentation of the King 

Jesus

Our title for our email this week is “The Presentation of the King”. What an unusual title as we think about Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey. That is not what the people were looking for. It is not what we are looking for on this Palm Sunday. We want to be together; we want to sing Hosanna in the Highest; we want to celebrate the word Hosanna (save now), we want to wave our Palms and get ready for Holy week. But that is not what we have this year. Or do we? What really has changed? Our hearts are the same. 

When Jesus says, “Come to me,” he doesn’t say come to religion, come to a system, or come to a certain doctrine. This is a very personal invitation to a God, an invitation to a Savior.

In essence, Christianity is nothing more, nothing less than a desire and an effort to see Jesus. That’s all it is. We are trying to catch a glimpse of a man, not a program, not a plan, not a system, not a doctrine. Don’t you think on Palm Sunday as he rides a donkey into Jerusalem and all are yelling Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest, they were, and we are, trying to see a man who called himself the Son of God?

Our God is not aloof—he’s not so far above us that he can’t see and understand our problems. Jesus isn’t a God who stayed on the mountaintop—he’s a Savior who came down and lived and worked with the people. Everywhere he went, the crowds followed, drawn together by the magnet that was—and is—the Savior.

Here are 5 things about Palm Sunday that remind us Christ is King.

1.      God’s Word tells us the people cut palm branches and waved them in the air, laid them out on the ground before Jesus as He rode into the city. The palm branch represented goodness and victory and was symbolic of the final victory He would soon fulfill over death. 

2.      Jesus chose to ride in on a donkey, which directly fulfilled Old Testament prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. In Biblical times, it was common for kings or important people to arrive by a procession riding on a donkey. The donkey symbolized peace, so those who chose to ride them showed that they came with peaceful intentions. Jesus even then reminded us that He is the Prince of Peace.

3.      When the people shouted “Hosanna!” they were hailing Christ as King. That word means “Save Now,” and though in their own minds they waited for an earthly king, God had a different way in mind of bringing true salvation to all who would trust in Him.

4.      The Bible says that Jesus wept for Jerusalem. In the midst of the praise of the moment, He knew in His heart that it wouldn’t be long that these same people would turn their backs on Him, betray Him, and crucify Him. His heart broke with the reality of how much they needed a Savior.

5.      Palm Sunday reminds us that the reign of Christ is far greater than any the mind of man could ever conceive or plan. Man looked for someone to fight their battles in the present-day world. Yet God had the ultimate plan of sending His Son to fight the final battle over death. This is the greatness of why we celebrate this week. Because of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, we can be free of death.

Jesus said to her, (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,” John 11:25.

The life of Jesus Christ is a message of hope, a message of mercy, a message of life in a dark world.  We will see how dark the world is as we experience Holy Week. Today the palms and cloaks are given. Tomorrow looks a lot different. What a difference a day/week/a year makes….

In closing, remember we have so much to be grateful for this week/month/year.

The enemy knows that, and you can bet, he’s going to do everything he can to try and distract us away from the true meaning of what this Holy Week means. Don’t let him win!!! 

In this Holy Week, may God direct our thoughts and attention towards what matters most. Jesus Christ our King…

Blessings,

Bonne

 

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