Worship for the Week Beginning 10th April 2022

Time to Reflect:

Luke 19: 28-40 Palm/Passion week
Untying the season for Gods gifts and resources.
In this chapter of Luke 19, Jesus’ heart is sent to Jerusalem as accounted in Luke chapter 13:34: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem..,
From a Christological point of view, Jesus wanted Jerusalem to be given a second chance to hear the message of good news. Jerusalem was the burden of his heart.  We serve a God of a second chance. Everyone has actually received many chances. This time around, during easter is another chance for many. Are you one of them?

Roman 1:14 I am a debtor, both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles.
As Jesus entered Jericho enroute to Bethany, he encounters a man named Zacchaeus, a Greek citizen, and a principal tax collector for the Roman government. He wanted to see who Jesus was. His stature would not become an impediment to what modern gospel preachers would call ‘’your miracle or your breakthrough’’ !!!

Jesus seemed to have gone against the norms of the day, breaking all cultural bureaucratic protocols for the sake of developing a personal relationship with those he came into contact with. So he invited himself to dine with Zaccaeus. See Luke 19:9-10
The story of Zacchaeus captures the message of the Gospel and the transforming power of God’s grace. In his evangelistic trail, Jesus left great witness along this journey enroute to Jerusalem.
Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry unfolds from Luke 19: verse 28 onwards, Jesus sent two of his unnamed disciples to the village of Bethphanage to find a colt tied up, which no one has ever ridden. He commanded, when you find it, untie it and bring to me’’.
God has deposited massive resources and gifts that require your untying, or, require the help of Jesus and that of your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The two disciples acted quickly, as his best disciplined public relations and protocol contact team ministry (I presume). To do this required keen details to make his visits to Jerusalem successful. 
Do not forget earlier on Jesus had received classified security intelligence information that some Judaist Sanhedrin council members had entered into an alliance with the Romans and Pilate to have him eliminated.  So the mission of the two unnamed disciples might have included gathering security intelligence on ground and advise accordingly as it was during the period of the Jewish Easter festival.

And finally, in Luke Chapter 19:34 records the following actions from different players in this narrative.  First, the disciples and the followers of Christ spread their cloaks on the road or cut branches from trees and spread them on the road. Secondly, Jesus enters into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The city was shocked as they expected him to be riding horses and chariots with soldiers. This was an amazing public relation that neutralized his assassination plot by the enemies of the gospel.
Thirdly, his followers in unison raised their voices high saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Fourthly, Jerusalem was stirred:  The crowds asked “Who is this?” Fifthly the disciples his followers responded, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”And lastly, some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
So on that background, If we were to pause for a moment, “Where do you see yourselves in this story? Siding with the  pharisees? Hiding in the crowd, or being among those encouraging the crowd to sing hosanna?