Category: Palm Sunday

Mark 14:24 NLT
And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.”

“Jesus knew that he would only arrive at it by drinking those horrible cups to the dregs. Palm Sunday is therefore bound to be a bittersweet moment. Enjoy the moment of triumph and festival while it lasts, but recognize that it is only a foretaste of the real thing, and that you’ll only get the real thing the other side of the pain, the fear and the sense of abandonment… Many are rightly concerned to keep Holy Week and Good Friday itself with proper solemnity, with a sorrowful awareness of the folly and sin to which we have all contributed and which put Jesus on the cross. Sometimes we are so good at all that that we forget about the festival. Let’s keep the Psalm, and this coming week, in balance, and so prepare the ground by following Jesus all the way to Calvary that Easter, when it comes, will be the proper, thorough, well-grounded outburst of praise that it ought to be: the day the Lord has made, in which we will indeed rejoice and be glad.” [N.T. Wright, Lent for Everyone, Year B, Week 5: Friday & “Palm Sunday”]

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for what you did on the cross for us, conquering sin and death. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s worship to “Thank you Jesus for the Blood” by Charity Gayle (click here).

-LB

John 12:24 NLT
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

“The Lord Jesus takes them along this journey of discipleship with all the ups and downs with their mistakes and flaws being exposed. Their cry of ‘Hosanna’ save us now – was deepened in their lives – to not just experiencing the saving but also to be able to participate in the ‘saving’ work or ‘preparations’ for others to be saved.” [Adapted from Elisa’s message]

This is our response to the radical love of the Lord. We come to you, who died for us and commit our hearts afresh in laboring in love for your kingdom. Let’s pray and reflect on the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, as we worship to “Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman (click here).

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; 
And where there is sadness, joy. 

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

-LB

Zechariah 9:9 NIV
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Philippians 2:8 NIV
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

“He came to give his life as a ransom, for his life to be poured as a sacrifice – as the suffering Servant. There is the message of his radical, extreme love for us. As our eyes are opened to our loving Messiah, who is the humble King and suffering Servant – our hearts are led to worship him. On this Palm Sunday, may our eyes be opened more and more to see our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the humble King and the suffering Servant and may we be led into new depths of worship of him.” [Adapted from Elisa’s message.]

Psalm 118:25-26 NIV
25  LORD, save us!
    LORD, grant us success!
26  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
    From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Letting go of misplaced hopes

“The crowd is mistaken in their acclaim. The entry is not triumphal. Jesus does not enter Jerusalem on a white charger…Consequently, Jesus does not share the disciples’ earthly fantasies of glory…His entrance points to a different kingdom of triumph than the one envisioned by the crowd, one that will be more powerful than any Davidic monarchy and more far-reaching than the narrow borders of Israel or even the Roman empire. The crowds hail him without understanding his purpose….The scene portrays the disciples still hoping for a glorious earthly kingdom in which they can reign with their Messiah on thrones.” [David E. Garland, Mark (NIVAC), pp. 429-430]

“Do we have misplaced hopes in what we hope the Lord will do for us? Do we presume that our prayers are to be answered in a certain way? …But the Lord has so much more for us than meeting the immediate needs. By his grace, we are led to know him, our Lord Jesus, the Messiah – we are to know and to experience him and his saving in much greater ways.” [Adapted from Elisa’s message]

Prayer: Lord, save us now. We want to know you more. I come to you with all of my life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Even Still and Even So” by Matt Redman (click here).

-LB

Let’s read aloud the following scripture and prayer.

Mark 11:1-10 NIV
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
¹⁰ “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your word is true, and you are faithful to your promises. I put my hope in you! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let’s worship the Lord with “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham (click here)

-LB