Tag: Palm Sunday

My Sacrifice for Today: A Prayer in Awe of Exactly Who Jesus Is This Palm Sunday. Hebrews 13:13-15

Hebrews 13:13-15 The Message

13-15 So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Life has a way of numbing us to wonder.

The weight of our “getting every little thing ready for Easter” to-do lists, the responsibilities that we carry, and the uncertainties around us can crowd our vision – they can, and do, suck all the emotional and spiritual wind out of us.

Leaving us physically, spiritually worn out, without anything to be in awe of.

Palm Sunday is an invitation.

A chance for us to wipe the fog out of our eyes, clear our vision.

To set aside the mundane and the urgent.

A chance to fix our eyes on Jesus, marvel once again at the wonder of the cross.

Hebrews 13:13-15 Easy-to-Read Version

13 So we should go to Jesus outside the camp and accept the same shame that he had. 14 Here on earth we don’t have a city that lasts forever. But we are waiting for the city that we will have in the future. 15 So through Jesus we should never stop offering our sacrifice to God. That sacrifice is our praise, coming from lips that speak his name.

Don’t miss this chance to reflect and refresh, really ponder the sacrifices made.

Don’t let the preparations, the celebrations, the family obligations, and religion distract from the deep darkness, and simple beauty that we are called to behold.

This day is a monument of the most important sacrifice made in the history of the world. Our God turned man gave himself over to the pain of being tortured, then gave himself over to death with one goal in mind; that we might be saved.

Who could imagine a God who holds all power of creation, all the power of love, of life and of death and life, to suffer on our behalf because he cares for us?

Why were we not utterly doomed the second we decided we did not need to trust our God (Genesis 3)?

After this ultimate betrayal by Adam and Eve, God had every single right to destroy his creatures and leave us to our own desires and our dismal fate.

Why did God enter the Garden at all knowing he had been totally betrayed?

Yet, He did come to the Garden, He did come searching, and He called to us!

We are undeserving of such love.

But in all of the rushing around, all the preparation and the doing, we forget.

We forget that we serve an abundantly good God.

Just the breath in our lungs we have been given today is a dispensation of grace.

Nothing we do can be sustained through us alone.

All things are made and given life through him (John 1:1-5).

John 1:1-5 Easy-to-Read Version

Christ Comes to the World

1 Before the world began, the Word[a] was there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was there with God in the beginning. 3 Everything was made through him, and nothing was made without him. 4 In him there was life, and that life was a light for the people of the world. 5 The light[b] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated[c] it.

The only appropriate response to such power, beauty, sacrifice, goodness, and grace is praise!

Only a heart full of pride would refuse to acknowledge the name that is above all names (Philippians 2:5-11).

Philippians 2:5-11 Easy-to-Read Version

Learn From Christ to Be Unselfish

5 In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought.

6 He was like God in every way,
    but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit.
7 Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God.
    He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form.
During his life as a man,
8     he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God,
    even when that caused his death—death on a cross.
9 So God raised him up to the most important place
    and gave him the name that is greater than any other name.
10 God did this so that every person will bow down to honor the name of Jesus.
    Everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow.
11 They will all confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord,”
    and this will bring glory to God the Father.

This Palm Sunday, let’s try to set aside our agenda, our pride, and our self-reliance and lift up a sacrifice of praise to God, who by his immeasurable wisdom sent his Son Jesus in our stead so that we would not perish but be offered a grandest of all invitations into God’s forever family (John 3:16).

While we may not understand all of God’s ways because his ways are higher (Isaiah 55:8-11) we can trust that Jesus loves us.

Isaiah 55:8-11 Easy-to-Read Version

People Cannot Understand God

8 The Lord says, “My thoughts are not like yours.
    Your ways are not like mine.
9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways,
    and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.

10 “Rain and snow fall from the sky
    and don’t return until they have watered the ground.
Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow,
    and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat.
11 In the same way, my words leave my mouth,
    and they don’t come back without results.
My words make the things happen that I want to happen.
    They succeed in doing what I send them to do.

Ephesians 1:18-23 tells us that Jesus came so we could inherit with him the same power that raised him from the dead and seated him at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 1:18-23 Easy-to-Read Version

18 I pray that God will open your minds to see his truth. Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have. You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious. 19 And you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe. It is the same as the mighty power 20 he used to raise Christ from death and put him at his right side in the heavenly places. 21 He put Christ over all rulers, authorities, powers, and kings. He gave him authority over everything that has power in this world or in the next world. 22 God put everything under Christ’s power and made him head over everything for the church. 23 The church is Christ’s body. It is filled with him. He makes everything complete in every way.

This reality, along with our purchased salvation, should bring us to our knees.

Let us embrace a “change of pace” a holy interruption this Palm Sunday, filling our hearts and our souls with awe for the one who paid it all so we could be free.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 20 Easy-to-Read Version

To the director: A song of David.

20 May the Lord answer you in times of trouble.
    May the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from his Holy Place.
    May he support you from Zion.
3 May he remember all the gifts you have offered.
    May he accept all your sacrifices. Selah
4 May he give you what you really want.
    May he make all your plans successful.
5 We will celebrate when he helps you.
    We will praise the name of God.
May the Lord give you everything you ask for.

6 Now I know the Lord helps his chosen king.
    From his holy heaven he answered.
    With his great power he saved him.
7 Some give the credit for victory to their chariots and soldiers,
    but we honor the Lord our God.
8 They fall in battle, totally defeated,
    but we survive and stand strong!

9 Lord, save the king!
    Answer us when we call to you for help.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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Hosanna! It Is Our Palm Sunday! Is Our Jesus Our Center or Periphery of Life? John 12:12-19

John 12:12-19 Amplified Bible

The Triumphal Entry

12 The next day, when the large crowd who had come to the Passover feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture], 15 “Do not fear, Daughter of Zion; Behold, Your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16  His disciples did not understand [the meaning of] these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified and exalted, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. 17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to tell others about Him. 18 For this reason the crowd went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this [miraculous] sign. 19 Then the Pharisees [argued and] said to one another, “You see that your efforts are futile. Look! The whole world has gone [running] after Him!”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Amen.

Open your Bible to John’s gospel chapter 12.

We have come to the last week of Jesus.

On Saturday, He had been in Bethany with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in the home of Simon the ex-leper.

Then on Monday, He left Bethany, and headed towards Jerusalem riding on the foal of a donkey.

Soon the people took palm branches and shouted: John 12:13 “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” Blessed is the King of Israel.”

So, when Jesus comes into the city of Jerusalem on this occasion with the word going everywhere about raising Lazarus from the dead, they are all thrilled and have broken off their palm branches, waved, hailed the arrival of Jesus as king.

John 12:13-15 Amplified Bible

13 they took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture], 15 “Do not fear, Daughter of Zion; Behold, Your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

In John’s narrative account of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem, the crowd shouts the right things about Jesus, “Hosanna! blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel” but we soon find out that even Jesus’ disciples really “did not understand all this.”

Then we read in the very next verse that His disciples were mysteriously blank.

They didn’t realize the true gravity of this event was a prophetic fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy (Zechariah 9:9) until after Jesus rose into heaven.

Zechariah 9:9 Amplified Bible

9 
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King (Messianic King) is coming to you;
He is righteous and endowed with salvation,
[a]Humble and unassuming [in submission to the will of the Father] and riding on a [b]donkey,
Upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The crowd had come out to meet Jesus only because they had seen or they heard that Jesus had raised someone named Lazarus from the dead earlier.

And the Pharisees saw Jesus’ popularity as a threat to their own power and position (John 11:47-50; 12:9-11).

Why do or did you come out of wherever it is you live to attend Palm Sunday?

Were you aware of the words of prophecy of Zechariah 9:9?

Are you at Palm Sunday worship service because you only briefly heard of Jesus?

Do you even know of the name of Lazarus and his biblical connection to Jesus?

Are, were you, there because it is an “old family tradition” of uncertain origin or because being there is fulfilling a favor to someone even though you do not, have no plan to believe in God, the Father or God the Son or God the Holy Spirit?

Or are we those who consider ourselves totally committed loving GOD 1000%?

It’s easy to think that we would do better.

It’s easy to think that we know who Jesus really is.

But most longtime followers of Christ would agree that Jesus is a mystery.

He is not any easier to get to know than anyone else we might meet.

In fact, we wouldn’t be wrong to assume that it would take more effort to know the Son of God than to know anyone else.

And yet we can grow to know Jesus.

We can acknowledge that Jesus spends more time as an out layer of our life.

We can recognize where, when Jesus spends too much time on our periphery.

Our relationships with our family members, with our neighbors, co-workers.

Our relationships with strangers on the streets, our fellow communities of faith in our shared efforts to provide volunteer services, meals, a glass of cold water.

We can learn how to gradually move Jesus into the center of our lives where we are the ones who are most eager to not just wave our Palms but to lead Jesus in.

Taking the reins of the colt while Jesus sits next to us on the colt and enters in.

Setting the pace of the colt with Jesus sitting on its back.

Crowds of people see, witness our lives at the center of where Jesus is coming.

Directed display of Discipleship in action.

It takes time to move out from the crowds, work on our part, we are not alone.

The Spirit of Jesus himself comes into our hearts, teaches us (see John 16:7-15).

By the Holy Spirit, John and the other disciples eventually did understand what was going on here, what their closeness and proximity to Jesus meant to others.

And as we diligently study the Bible as God’s living Word, asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we can grow, greatly mature to know, experience Jesus too.

It can take some mightily significant work, but the Holy Spirit will help us, and there is no better relationship to invest in than our relationship with our King.

Palm Sunday … Jesus is Being Led into the City

Palm Sunday is a Christian celebration that marks the beginning of the Holy Week leading to Easter Sunday.

It commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, when people laid down palms and branches in front of him as a sign of honor.

In modern times, churches hold Palm Sunday services in which assembled worshippers are each given a palm branch or cross made from palm leaves.

The celebration involves singing hymns, reading Scripture, and sometimes even a parade or procession with the palms around the church or community.

Palm Sunday is a timeless reminder of the selfless love Jesus showed by laying down his life for us, entering directly into the center of our lives and it is a time to reflect on our own lives, how we can show that same love to those around us.

Palm Sunday is the day we each remember and celebrate the day Jesus entered Jerusalem as our coming Savior and King.

As Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem, a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches, their cloaks across the road, giving Jesus royal treatment.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Palm Sunday is a moveable holiday that changes yearly based on Lent and the spring equinox.

Many churches celebrate Palm Sunday by waving palm branches, singing traditional hymns, and making crosses out of palm fronds for the children.

But while this is a triumphal entry, it is Jesus’ first step toward His death.

Many churches celebrate Palm Sunday.

Maybe your church has their member congregants, the children, even complete strangers collectively waving palm branches to help them connect to the story.

But while this is our triumphal entry, it was Jesus’ first step toward His death.

Matthew 21:4 tells us:

‘This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’

*The prophecy is cited from Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:11.

Palm Sunday Bible Story – Triumphal Entry

Matthew 21:1-11 – Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 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. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The 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 heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

In this closing of this Lenten season as we reflect on the sacrifice of Christ, we see him riding a donkey as he comes to Jerusalem as King.

This animal was symbolic of humility, peace, and King David’s royalty (see also King Solomon’s Procession 1 Kings 1:33).

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to show everyone publicly that he was the chosen Son of David (another name for the promised Messiah).

We might have expected a stallion.

But this surprising King rides a donkey.

Jesus identifies with the the common man and woman, with the lowly of heart.

The kingdom of God is totally different from the here-today, gone-tomorrow kingdoms of the world.

Don’t mistake this King on a donkey for the kind of ruler we usually see in this world.

From Jesus we learn that being a king in God’s kingdom is about service and humility.

A king serves.

So, as we fulfill our own calling, we will serve the Lord, we serve one another.

As we live by the guidance of the Spirit, visit people who are sick, care for those who are poor, feed the hungry, and we will learn to love our neighbors as much we love our God, we are servant kings and queens of the kingdom of heaven.

That is when we are most like Jesus, when Jesus finds His way delicately weaved into the center of our lives who calls us to reign with him today and for eternity.

Jesus once came riding on a donkey.

Next he will come riding on the clouds of heaven to reign over us, claim us as His own, to live with us in the new heaven and earth forever (Revelation 21- 22).

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

On the heels of this, another Palm Sunday, as we begin this Holy Week, may we constantly, centrally, be reminded of its significance, value for our lives today.

That very important day in history, when Jesus centered Himself directly, and decisively into the eternal affairs of man, began His journey towards the cross.

Yet maybe again, ultimately centrally, amid busy lives, on the heels of Spring Break, or in all the upcoming thoughts about Easter, the real central meaning of it may, even unintentionally, get missed – again – until the next Palm Sunday.

One day, Palm Sunday will be an every day celebration of the centrality of Jesus!

His Word becomes central, reveals such great truths in every part of this story.

Truths that draw us closer towards Christ, reminding us that He alone is King…

Palm Sunday reminders Centering Christ as Our King

1. God’s Word tells us the people cut palm branches, waved them in the air, and 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.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55

2. Jesus chose to ride in on a donkey, which directly fulfilled the 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.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah. 9:9

3. When the people shouted “Hosanna!” they were hailing Christ as King.

That word actually means “save us now,” and though in their own minds, they waited for an earthly king, God had a different plan of bringing true salvation to all who would trust in Him.

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!” Psalm 118:26

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

4. The Bible says that Jesus wept for Jerusalem.

Amid 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, truly His heart broke with the reality of how much they needed a Savior.

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42

5. Palm Sunday reminds us that the reign of Christ is far greater than any man’s mind 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 the grave and death itself.

This is the greatness of why we celebrate this week.

Because of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, we can be set free of death.

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

We have so much to be grateful for this week.

The enemy knows that, and you can bet, the enemy will do everything he can to distract us from this Holy Week’s true meaning.

Don’t let him win.

In this Holy Week, I fervently pray may God direct our thoughts and attention towards the exact center what and who matters most, Jesus Christ our King…

Let’s choose to center our focus on worshipping our Lord, thanking Him for the gift of His sacrifice, celebrating the power of the Resurrection, and the new life found in only one place, being the exact, exacting center of Him and Him alone.

Let us center our day, celebrate Palm Sunday as the crowds that greeted Christ that day, singing “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

O Lord Jesus Christ,
when you entered Jerusalem,
great crowds waved palm branches and cried “Hosanna.”

Save us now from our sins,
and make us to rejoice in you,
our only Redeemer;

through your mercy, O our God,
you are blessed,
and live and govern all things,
now and forever. Amen.

Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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Luke 19:33-34 ||Devotion in Action|| “My God! The Lord has need of ME!?”

“My God! My God! The Lord hath need of ME!?!”

Who is saying this?

The Twelve Disciples standing behind Jesus as he rides the donkey?

The crowd which is before Jesus as he is about to enter the city gates?

The small man in the tree – remember the newly repentant Zacchaeus?

The small man in front of the donkey holding the palm in his hand?

The donkey itself as it carries Jesus on its back with a small smile on its face?

The owner of the donkey who gave his ascent to his animal being taken away by men he never met before who told him simply: “The Lord Hath Need of It?”

The City of Jerusalem itself now in the midst of celebrating the Passover?

The citizens of Jerusalem aware and/or unaware of Jesus’ arrival?

The Priests and Workers of the Temple – the Center of Religious Life for the Jewish people. Where people come to worship and sacrifice as God requires?

How about the mountain – “The Mount of Olives?”

How about the rocks on the ground which the people and donkey walk on?

How about the man, Itinerant Master Rabbi Jesus Himself?

A whole lot of revelation is going on here – each one singularly unique!

Each one saying to themselves ….

Each one shouting unto and into the heavens ….

“MY GOD! MY GOD! THE LORD HATH NEED OF ME!”

“MY GOD! MY GOD! THE LORD HATH NEED OF ME?”

And so, Jesus comes unto the city …. on the back of a donkey ……

This is the moment they were living in, as the events unfolded.

It is now the 21st Century, the year of our Lord and Savior 2022.

Today is Palm Sunday – we will gather for worship this morning.

We will have our families with us.

Those who only come once or twice a year – will miraculously appear.

We have those who cannot or will not come to church – but have some connection to a social media site – Facebook, or You Tube, or ZOOM.

God will (hopefully, prayerfully) have their undivided attention again.

We still have the ancient stories of the Gospel narratives.

We have the benefit of history.

We have the benefit of their struggles and the fruits of their labors.

We have the benefit of the full Biblical Canon, God’s Holy Scriptures.

We have the benefit of commentaries and sermons and devotions.

We read, re-read these Gospel Narratives year after year after year.

As we consider one angle after another trying to be original, trying to reach the older generations and communicate to current and coming generations of both believers and non-believers alike – unto into those “great clouds of witnesses,” “MY GOD! MY GOD! THE LORD HATH NEED OF ME!?!

What are we to anticipate in the coming minutes and hours ahead?

As we consider the words – “THE LORD HATH NEED OF ME ….”

Relevant or Irrelevant?

Absolutely Meaningful or Utterly Useless?

Are we exclaiming it or are we questioning it?

Are we accepting the possibility or are we brushing it away and denying it?

Is anybody even seriously reading or studying, listening or praying, teaching or preaching the critically true meaning and absolute importance to the words?

“MY GOD! MY GOD! THE LORD HATH NEED OF ME!?!

Luke 19:28-40 Amplified Bible

The Triumphal Entry

28 After saying these things, Jesus went on ahead [of them], going up to Jerusalem.

29 When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a [donkey’s] [a]colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anybody asks you, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ you will say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So those who were sent left and found the colt just as He had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, and [b]they threw their robes over the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As He rode along, people were spreading their coats on the road [as an act of homage before a king]. 37 As soon as He was approaching [Jerusalem], near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the entire multitude of the disciples [all those who were or claimed to be His followers] began praising God [adoring Him enthusiastically and] joyfully with loud voices for all the miracles and works of power that they had seen, 38 shouting,

“Blessed (celebrated, praised) is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory (majesty, splendor) in the highest [heaven]!”

39 Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples [for shouting these Messianic praises].” 40 Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these [people] keep silent, the stones will cry out [in praise]!”

The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.

The Lord Needs It – Luke 19:34

I wonder how much our faith, hope and love would affect our daily lives if we lived to exclusively serve Christ’s needs instead of our own?

Is that even possible? Would our churches be filled with people on Sundays because the Lord needed them to be there? Would missions throughout the world be fully funded because the Lord needs affluent Christians in the West to ‘pony up’ and provide from their ample resources all that is needed by Christ to medicate, educate, feed and clothe people living in poverty across the globe?

If we are 100% comfortable doing religious things without being challenged by the radical nature of the surprise and scandal of the Gospel, then we are going to go through life as spiritually shallow people.

However, if we take time to really think about what Christ needs us to do with our lives and resources, then everything will change about how we ‘do’ church and how we share our faith.

The owners of the colt in today’s Gospel passage (Luke 19:28-36) could have told the disciples to “get lost or I will call the cops”, or that it was inconvenient, or that it would be okay the next day. They didn’t do that; when they heard the words “The Lord Needs It,” they gave over the colt freely and perhaps gladly.

In these 21st century times, would we be so accommodating or dismissive?

The Lord hath need of many things from each and every one of us ……

YEA OR NAY ……

21 So get rid of all uncleanness and [a]all that remains of wickedness, and with a humble spirit receive the word [of God] which is implanted [actually rooted in your heart], which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth]. 23 For if anyone only listens to the word [b]without obeying it, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets [c]what he looked like. (James 1:21-24 Amplified)

Questions for personal reflection

What does the Lord need of me?

Am I willing to give my time, talents, and resources to Him for His work?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Lord Jesus, Your Gospel brings goodness and forgiveness, strength and love into our lives. It also presents us with unique challenges and causes us to reflect upon our daily choices. Help us so to live according to Your needs and liberate us from our insecurities, as well as our desires. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.

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