Friday 3/18/16 The Big Trip (49)

Dear Father in Heaven: What a beautiful day You have given unto us again. Please forgive me of my sins and those of others who are also asking right now on their own. I want You to know, dear Lord, that although I do not always show it, I do love You very, very much and give all honor to You for loving all of us so much that You gave us Jesus and He gave us His life. Thank You, thank You, thank You. Please be with the family of Nancy Shannon in her homegoing. Please be with others on our prayer list. Your healing hand on Patsy and Burt will be appreciated and welcomed. Also on Glenn and Marie. Please also keep Your hand on my dear friend and brother Grant. Please help Hope United Methodist Church with their outreach dinners. Please help me now with the message and also to get it dispatched where You want it to go. In Jesus' Name, I pray and also give Praise. Amen.

Well, my dear brothers and sisters, this Sunday is Palm Sunday, the first day of spring and the weather folks are calling for snow. Okay, so we need that onion snow, which comes after St. Patrick's Day so I am praying for very small onions, meaning a dusting of snow. I saw in the obituaries that one of my former bus drivers has crossed over to be with Jesus. Please pray for the family of Nancy Shannon. After all these years I just found out that her brother was Donald Smith, a former police officer and security teacher at Dauphin County Tech School and he just went home to Jesus not long ago. Please live each day for Jesus and enjoy each day with Him until you are home with Him. And take a tip from my daughters, you can really catch a lot of friends with big smiles of love on your face. Now to the message, The Big Trip -- The Triumphal Entry.

Friday: March 18, 2016: The Big Trip (Day Forty-nine): The Triumphal Entry

Luke 19:28-44 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

28 After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29  As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, saying to them, 30 "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say, 'The Lord needs it.'"
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it 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 replied, "The Lord needs it."
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As He went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When He came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 "Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord!"

"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!"

40 "I tell you," He replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
41 As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it 42 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. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."

Brothers and sisters, it is hard to believe the love that was shown toward Jesus and in less than a week, He was captured, put in prison, beaten, robbed, spit on, called names, whipped and then put to death on the cross. However, as the new week started, all those who hated Jesus found out that they COULD NOT KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN. For He was indeed risen from the dead. Today let us look at some of the events that happened on that day we call Palm Sunday.

As Jesus and His disciples were approaching Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, He called upon two of His disciples to go ahead and fetch Him a donkey colt which had never been used or ridden. So Jesus told the disciples where to find the colt and if they were seen taking the animal to tell them The Lord needed it. So they followed the instructions of Jesus and did what He told them to do. Now this leads me to a question. How long has it been since Jesus gave you some instructions and you followed them out to the letter of what He wanted done? Just answer that one to yourself. If we are honest with ourselves, we know there are a lot of commandments given to us by our Lord Jesus and we fail Him or fail Him in part. I always like to tell people about the donkey for I think it is the Lord's most loved animal for it is the only one which He put a cross on. And face it, brothers and sisters, our faith, and relationship with Jesus, is ALL ABOUT THE CROSS!!! The other day I was watching a rerun of "Leave it to Beaver" and it was the one about the "burro" or the donkey colt and it was so plain to see the cross on the animal's back. Jesus rode a donkey at least twice as recorded in the Bible and it might have been more. Remember Mary, the mother of Jesus, rode a donkey when she was carrying Jesus in her womb. Anyway, the disciples set out and retrieved the animal for Jesus. When they arrived back with the animal the disciples placed their cloaks upon the colt and then put Jesus up on it.Tomorrow we will be looking at what happened as Jesus went riding in to Jerusalem. So please come back. We will be very busy from now to Easter and even on Thursday this coming week we will have online communion with Jesus and His disciples in the Upper Room before we head out to pray.

Please, dear Lord, help me work harder to carry out Your plans for me in full, not in part but in full, for You have forgiven me of my sins, not in part but in the whole. And I give thanks to You for that. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Now go forth loving each other, loving Jesus and sharing Him with others. Love ya.

Pastor Dan

Speaking of not in part but the whole, here it is in song.

It is Well With My Soul (H.G. Spafford and P.P. Bliss)

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say
"It is well, it is well with my soul."

It is well with my soul.
It is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, NOT IN PART, BUT THE WHOLE,
Is nailed to His cross and I bear it no more!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well with my soul.
It is well, it is well with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll.
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend.
"Even so" it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul.
It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul.
It is well, it is well with my soul.