Mexborough Baptist Church Sunday 28th March 2021 Palm Sunday
We've almost arrived at Jerusalem, our cloaks and palm branches ready to welcome Jesus our coming King. Click on the links
Saviour, we thank you that on the first Palm Sunday you rode as the King who comes in peace but unmistakably as the King.
O Christ, who once rode humbly into Jerusalem, we salute you in your heavenly majesty.
For those who followed your royal progress that day and for those who follow it still, your royalty is unforgettable.
O Christ, who once rode humbly into Jerusalem, we salute you in your heavenly majesty.
Even while in faith and hope we must wait for your coronation at the end of time.
O Christ, who once rode humbly into Jerusalem, we salute you in your heavenly majesty. Amen.
The Bible Story of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is told for us in this video click on the link
Lisa had great fun this week with her children making some Palm Sunday crafts which we hope you will also enjoy making click on the link
Wow, those crafts are brilliant! We need to sing and dance, wave our palm branches and ride our donkeys click on the link
Palm Sunday Prayer and Song
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. Psalm 118:26-27
Lord God, we give you thanks, for you are good, and your mercy is endless. Here we stand, at the start of this holy week, this week in which your church remembers Jesus’ passion and death. Turn our eyes to the One who comes in your name, the One who opens the gates of righteousness, the One who answers when we call.
We bless you, Lord, for shining your light upon us and for sending your Son to us, in human frailty, to walk the road we walk. Open our eyes that we may see Him coming and praise Him with a pure heart. May we walk in the way of His suffering, and share also in His resurrection. Amen.
Please read Luke 19:28-38
Thank you to Merys for sharing her thoughts with us over the last few weeks about Jesus' earthly journeys. As far back as Luke 9:51, Luke had told us that Jesus had 'resolutely set out for Jerusalem.' Now Jesus has just few miles to go to reach his destination. There's a crowd with him, fellow pilgrims and his disciples all on their way to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. They're all happy that they are nearly there. That resonates with many of us - days out to the seaside and cries of "Are we there yet?" Then Jesus does something odd; he decides he's going to ride a donkey the last couple of miles into Jerusalem. All his life he walked everywhere, unless he was on a boat; he walked around Galilee and on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, probably walked to Jerusalem and back several times.
Then the crowd does something odd; they start pulling branches off the palm trees at the side of the road to wave them in the air or lay them on the road, some people even take their coats off and lay them on the road for the donkey to walk over. (Luke doesn't tell us about the branches but Matthew, Mark and John do - Matthew 21:8, Mark 11:8, John 12:13). And the crowd are all shouting and singing praises to God for the miracles they had seen (Luke 19:37) as well as odd things like 'Hosanna!' (save! or God save us!), 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' (Mark 11:9), both quotations from Psalm 118:25-26, and 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' (Matthew 21:9), 'Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!' (Mark 11:10), 'Blessed is the king of Israel!' (John 12:13). And that's the clue, the key to this oddness.
The crowd saw what Jesus was doing by riding a donkey into Jerusalem. John tells us that the disciples didn't get it (John 12:16) but the crowd did. They saw that Jesus was fulfilling a prophecy from the Old Testament - Zechariah 9:9, 'See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' (Matthew 21:5, John 12:15). For those who would see it, Jesus was saying clearly that he was the promised, prophesied Messiah, the descendant of David who was their Saviour and King. No wonder then that the crowd was so happy - they had been waiting for their Messiah for a long time, hundreds of years, and now he was here. They sang and shouted their praise to God click on the link
Please read Luke 19:39-44
Quite a few years ago, Paul and I had our first holiday in Italy. We checked into our hotel and went to our room, opened the door, walked in and burst into tears. Why? Because we had the most beautiful view over Lake Garda, absolutely breathtaking. Some of those pilgrims would have felt the same as they came over the top of the Mount of Olives and, for the first time, saw Jerusalem spread out before them. Jesus had seen that view several times before; he would be used to it, as we got used to the view of Lake Garda. So why does Jesus weep as he looks over the city?
Jesus knows that, even though the crowd are welcoming him as their Messiah, they still don't really understand. They're waiting for a Messiah who will deliver them from the Romans and make them a great nation again; Jesus isn't going to do that. He knows that in 6 days, these people who are shouting "Hosanna!" will be shouting, "Crucify Him!"
Jesus knows that his disciples, the ones he has been teaching for 3 years, still don't really understand who he is. He knows that one of His handpicked disciples, Judas, will betray Him. He knows that Peter will deny that he even knows Jesus.
Jesus knows that the religious leaders refuse to understand who he is. He knows that they will conspire with Pilate, the Roman governor, to bring about his death.
Jesus knows that, almost to the day 40 years in the future, someone else will ride towards Jerusalem, not coming in peace on a donkey, but riding a warhorse. The Roman general Titus, who would later become Emperor, and 4 legions laid siege to Jerusalem 3 days before Passover in 70 CE. This was in response to the Jews rebelling against Roman rule in 66 CE. In August 70 the Romans destroyed the Temple and then began destroying the city. By 8th September the destruction was complete. (For more information see Wikipedia click on the link )
Jesus knows that in 5 days time he will share a last meal with his closest friends and face 2 trials, be whipped, and then nailed to a cross. He knows that, except for 2 or 3 of his friends, he will die alone and feel that even God his Father has abandoned him.
No wonder Jesus weeps! And he still weeps - weeps for those who think they know him but don't really; weeps for those who refuse to know him or never think about him at all; weeps for those who weep themselves because they or their loved ones are suffering, or mourning their loved ones who have died.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, who wept over Jerusalem, please comfort those who are mourning the death of loved ones, give strength to those who are suffering, give hope to those who are in despair, give healing to those who are sick.
Lord Jesus, who wept over Jerusalem, please have mercy on us when we think we are better than other people, when we look after ourselves and forget to care for others.
Lord Jesus, who wept over Jerusalem, please teach us and our leaders to seek justice and righteousness in our communities, nation and international relations.
Lord Jesus, who rode in peace into Jerusalem, please bring peace to our troubled world.
Lord Jesus, who rode in majesty into Jerusalem, establish your kingdom over all the earth. Amen.
Benediction
From Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday, may God in his infinite mercy grant you a journey of renewal and hope; a time of prayer and reflection; and joyful anticipation of our Lord’s resurrection. May you live and serve this week in remembrance of Christ’s love and great sacrifice. click on the link
Amen.
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