Today we remember the beginning of the ending of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. This was His triumphant entry into Jerusalem as the people shouted“Hosanna, Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord.” They tore branches from trees and laid their coats before Him. Little did they know that He was a mere seven days from the Cross of Calvary. Praise would soon turn to scorn; worship to slander. The Pharisees had plotted for years and this was the final straw. They could not afford to allow this Jesus of Nazareth any more fame. They were losing their footing among the people and His death was the only answer. Lost in their rage was the fact that Jesus came to die for their sins as well. They could not see His purpose for the anger that filled their eyes. He was a ransom for many. He came as the Lamb of God and gave Himself on the day they called Pesach, i.e., Passover. For centuries they had remembered the night in which God spared them. They had eaten the lamb and recalled their salvation from Egypt, but after years of remembering the event, they missed the moment of their present Messiah.
My message revolves around the purpose of our gathering. Worship and the Word must be more than a ritual and ceremony. The service itself, while needful, is but a forum where the revelation of Who He is and Why He came is witnessed. He came to save us. He came to redeem us. Jesus is here to pour out His Spirit upon all who seek for Him. He is here to receive our praise, but we must not forget the meaning of the same. He brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light. And for it, we do not lay down our garments or branches before him; we lay down our lives.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole