Beginning of Passion Week
Dear Church Family,
This Sunday is Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Passion Week, so named because Jesus revealed His passion for us in the suffering He willingly endured on the cross so we could be saved.
On that first Palm Sunday, the people anticipated the arrival of the Messiah. In fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy spoken centuries earlier (Zechariah 9:9), Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. To celebrate, the people waved palm branches in the air and cried out, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” The gospels record a peculiar response from Jesus amidst the adulation of the crowd; the Bible says Jesus wept over the city (Luke 19:41-44). Jesus wept over the many who did not understand why He came. They had no idea what was about to take place or the intended purpose of the cross. The people wanted immediate relief instead of lasting change, and Jesus wept over them.
I believe Jesus weeps over the lives of men and women today. He longs to enter our lives as the King of Love to grant us peace. Yet, because of sin and an unwillingness to come to Him, many don’t recognize Jesus. Friends, don’t let this Passion Week pass you by. Allow the King to ride into your life, and receive His provision of grace and mercy.
Your Pastor,
John Randall
Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon a donkey, and upon a colt the foal of a donkey. - Zechariah 9:9