Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday! This is the beginning of our journey through the last week of Lent or Passion/Holy Week. We are coming to the end of this Lenten journey and looking back over these 35 days, not including Sundays, we can see the Lord at work in many ways. For me the study, fasting and prayer has been a great challenge. I know some who have been doing the partial, Daniel and other fasts. My question for us all is: "What has the Lord been saying to His people?" The words that have been touching my heart are the references to confessing our sins and receiving the gift of HIS forgiveness won with the all availing sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and HIS precious Blood shed for us all!
Today we begin the service outside with palms, balloons and singing. We process into the sanctuary reminding us of the joy of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. "Hosanna!" "Save us now!" is the cry. Then we will hear how in John 12:
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,“Hosanna![d]”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[e]“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up[g] from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
This is a long passage of Scripture but as we end the Series on Spiritual Disciplines we are ending with two Disciplines that Richard Foster called "Corporate Disciplines." We are going to look at "Confession and Guidance." These go with "Worship and Celebration" as things we do together as a BODY or FAMILY. I think it is appropriate as we look at the New Testament lesson from Philippians 2:5-11 that we hear about Christ's attitude of service in the time we will experience in this coming week when we remember HIS state of humiliation. As St. Paul says:
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
We are called to confession as an obedient child of the Father as we humble ourselves. We recognize as Jesus did that the Will of God is the best way for us. That is why when we humble ourselves, God the Father will reveal HIS plan through the Holy Spirit and we will have his guidance on what HE is saying to us this day.
I hope that we expect to hear the Lord as Jesus and His Disciples did in John 12, when our Lord admits his heart is troubled but as He always does HE gives all things over to the Father and says: "Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."
My prayer for us is that we humble ourselves, confess our sins and through God's Word, HIS Sacraments and the Body of Christ, we would accept the guidance and live lives that glorify the NAME of Jesus!
Then we will celebrate the end of our New Testament lesson:
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
May we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
Remember the Palm Saturday family event will be at 9am today (Palm Sunday). Also join us for the UPward Basketball Closing Ceremony at the EMU Convocation Center at 4pm.
We will also have dancers during the Children's Message. It is going to be a great day!
Maundy Thursday the Seder will start at 6, there is still room if you want to join us!
Good Friday Tenebrae Service at 7 and Easter Sunday Sonrise at 7:45, Breakfast at 9 and Service of the Resurrection at 10:07! This is an amazing week of Hosanna! to Crucify HIM to HE IS RISEN!!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Bryan
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