1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately. ” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” 12 Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 He said to them, “It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.” 14 The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry 16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself’?” 17 He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there. [NRSV]
YOU WERE MADE FOR A MISSION do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. [NRSV] 2 Timothy 4.5b
I remember the old TV episodes of Mission Impossible. The agents would receive a small reel-to-reel tape player that would play the message and mission and would begin to smoke and self-destruct. It was a secret mission for the agents alone. The agents had the responsibility to listen tot he mission, choose to accept it or not. And the moment would begin. We are here today to hear the message and accept it, or not. But ours is more than a TV episode. Ours is life or death, for ourselves and others.
The past month we have been looking at the question posed by Rev. Rick Warren in his book, What on Earth am I Here for?
In a Nutshell: Answering this question begins by affirming that life is not about us, It’s about god!
God is equally interested in you and god is concerned about me, God does not have favorites.
In Review
- We are here as a product of gods love
- We are here to praise god
- We are here for fellowship as gods family
- We are here fo become like Christ
- We are here to serve gods work
- Finally we are here because we have a mission, a specific work, task or charge
We are here to tell others what we already know
- They are here not for themselves rare here by gods love for gods purpose
- It is out work to show folks how to praise god, when all around us is fallen
- It is our mission to build a faith family, hopefully our biological family but limited by
- It is our charge to show the world around us what Christ looks, thinks and acts like
- It inspire purpose to serve god and not ourselves…
What is the cost commandment from Moses?
No god comes before me… I’m first.
Here we are at Palm Sunday and we can look back at this only as a historical event, or we can see our present in the story as well.
- Who is on the Jesus parade in Jackson?
- What might not be revealing God that has God’s name and people attached, in our church and community?
Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem and pointed out where we had made worship about
- the rules,
- the money,
- the business,
- the divisions,
- the politics,
- The rich and the poor,
- the house of us and not the house of god
He enters the city and would be disciples follow I with the triumphant parade, until he turns things god side up
Disciples see the mission is to turn the world God side up.
i challenge you to hear the parade and celebration when it affects our home, our business, our income, our choices:
- Who will tell Jackson that God loves them?
- Who will tell our community they are loved at the core of their being?
- Who will show those with live, work and play how to praise God?
- Who will show hope and faith in the face of fear, guilt and grief?
- Who will build up the family of God and be present for the family when it struggles
- Who will show the neighborhoods what Jesus looks like, thinks and acts in our time?
- Who will inspire others to follow God first
If it is not us, then we have wasted each others time here today.
What on Earth are YOU here for? You are here for this very mission, you have heard it and this message will not destruct. The question is, as God’s agent and disciples, as a Christian and follower of Jesus, will you accept the mission or pass?
