Will you welcome the Messiah?

[0:00] Sad news, I don't have a quiz. But I do have a challenge. Pams Sunday, it turns out, isn't really about donkeys or hams or cloaks on the road or even! Hosannas. It really is all about Jesus. It really is all about Jesus. It's a challenge for us in 2024 at Easter time to keep Jesus before our rising. So the shops would tell us it's a family time and we need to have fancy food and fancy gatherings and those are good things to do. They would tell us we need lots of chocolate and a little bit of chocolate is quite good but a lot is a problem.

[0:50] But it's not about food and chocolate and all these things. Easter really is all about Jesus. Jesus is a humble king who rides upon a donkey. Why should we follow a humble king? Why should we follow a humble king?

[1:16] Well, I think we've tried following the wealthy and the powerful and I'm not sure it's working out so well for us.

[1:28] Both in our country and even more so in the United States, it turns out that all you need to be elected is lots and lots of money. We've tried following the wealthy. Letting them set the direction in which we should go.

[1:49] And we're not any better off for it. Let's try something different. Let's try following a humble king who rides upon a donkey.

[2:02] We follow him because he calls us to follow him. If there are only two words that Jesus said that we should remember, let it be these ones.

[2:18] Follow me. We're not trying to follow someone who is chishing us or trying to escape from us or run away from us or hide from us.

[2:33] When we follow Jesus, we are following someone who longs for us. To get in state with him. And to walk after him on the way of the cross.

[2:48] Jesus invites us. When we follow the humble king, we are accepting his invitation. We follow the humble king.

[3:04] Because we don't know the way. That's most often why we follow someone. We don't know where we are going. Isn't that what Thomas said?

[3:18] Or will say? On what will be Monday Thursday evening in the upper room. But we don't know the way. This is something else we've tried.

[3:31] Is to find the way. To find the way. To the good life. To find the way. To peace. And joy. To find the way.

[3:41] To God. On our own. And all we've succeeded in doing. Is getting ourselves. More and more lost. Jesus knows the way.

[3:53] Because Jesus is the way. And there's no better reason for following him. If we follow Jesus.

[4:04] He will unfailingly lead us home. To our father. That's our Palm Sunday challenge. To follow the humble king.

[4:16] Who invites us. And who will lead us home. But on Palm Sunday. We know.

[4:27] That Jesus is riding into Jerusalem. On the way of the cross. Jesus is not trying to hide from the cross.

[4:38] He's not trying to escape from the cross. He's riding directly towards it. Why should we cry out. Hosanna.

[4:49] Save us. To someone who's riding to his. His death. Why should we cry out. Hosanna anyway. We cry out.

[5:02] Because we need. Save. We need. A saviour. We are in the wrong with God. And we need somebody.

[5:13] To make us right with God. We've tried. Haven't we? To make ourselves right with God. I'm going to do the things. That God wants. I'm going to say my prayers.

[5:23] I'm going to read my Bible. I'm going to come to church. I'm going to give to the poor. And we're not getting any closer to God. Because we're not.

[5:34] Depending upon Jesus. We need to cry out to Jesus. Especially. As Christian people. Save us.

[5:45] We depend upon you. And you alone. We're not going to call out. Save us. To anyone else. We're not going to try and save ourselves.

[5:59] You're the only one Jesus. And your way of the cross. Is the only way. That we can be made right with God. And we're going to depend upon you.

[6:10] We're going to call out. Save us. Because we fail to love ourselves. As we should. We need saved from ourselves.

[6:25] Often times we are our own worst enemies. We need saved from ourselves. And Jesus the saviour.

[6:37] Will bring us. Peace. Peace with ourselves. That we can know. His love for us. And we can begin to love ourselves.

[6:50] We depend upon a saviour. Because we need saved from our selfishness. We don't love others. As we should. Grab what we can.

[7:03] And keep it all for ourselves. We need taught by Jesus. To be open handed. And give to others.

[7:15] In the same way as Jesus lived. Open handedly towards us. Stretched out. Open handedly. Kneeled to a cross.

[7:27] Open handedly. Jesus lived. For others. We need him. To save us. So that we can live like that.

[7:38] And be a blessing. To one another. And to everyone. There's our challenge. Will we shout. Hosanna to Jesus.

[7:50] And depend upon him. To save us. Bec us right with God. Bec us at peace with ourselves. To transform us into a blessing for others.

[8:00] To transform us into a blessing for others. At the start of this Holy Week. It really is all about Jesus. And let's keep it about Jesus.

[8:14] All through these Holy Days. As we seek to follow him. More and more. As we seek to depend upon him. More and more.

[8:25] Let's pray together. Let's pray together. so so