Have you ever listened to someone for a minute and thought
“Their cornbread isn’t done in the middle” ??
My beef stew this noon needed cornbread to accompany it.
And the cornbread WAS cooked all the way through.
What does this have to do with Palm Sunday?
Sometimes I stew over the way the disciples
led Jesus to his demise in Jerusalem.
It’s rather corny to suggest that they
were half baked. But they were!
They didn’t have a clue about what
Jesus was about!
Even though he told them
He was going to die
and rise again in three days,
they were as clueless
as those peppers in my stew!
“Hosanna in the highest!”
Do you know what Hosanna means?
I thought it was an expression of celebration.
Nope, it means, “Help me!”
And that’s just what He did.
But, like half-baked cornbread,
they had no idea how He was helping them.
Today’s sermon notes from the message
by Rev. Steve Hundley at the
Madison Valley Presbyterian Church
in Ennis, Montana
was titled,
“Going Through the Motions”
Imagine a small church in a small town.
Imagine how the congregation is feeling down.
Their brothers and sisters are being slaughtered.
They’ve forgotten what Jesus did for their sons and daughters.
Imagine the preacher having just received Mark,
The book that recalls Jesus’ light in the dark.
The description of the first Palm Sunday
Leaves out important things that happened that one day.
Mark doesn’t talk about the presence of crowds.
He does write that some shouted aloud
“Hosanna!” but he made the folks sound mundane,
And he paints the disciples as being quite lame!
Abraham was asked what he thought of the telling.
He said he thought it was just what they were yelling.
“Hosanna” means HELP US and that is what
Jesus did as He told them He’d empty His cup
on the cross that day. Listen up!
He said He would rise again, but they didn’t understand.
We’re like that – just marching along with the band.
Help us this Holy Week to do more than go through
The motions to recognize what You had to do.
Lord, You’ve known the clamor of over 2,000 Sundays
When people wave palm branches as if it’s fun days.
Allow us to stop just going through the motions,
And instead prayerfully express our devotions.
You gave Your life on the cross, O Lord,
So that we might understand where we’re headed toward.
It’s not a deep dark hole for eternity without You.
It is Heaven with You – fully baked – clear through!
Help us, O Lord, to live this Holy Week
Fully alive – remembering You – the One we seek.
You are the bread of life – who died and rose again.
You’re the yeast in life who will come again. Amen!
EMBRACE the HELP
that only God can give.
Hosanna!
He came.
He lived.
He died.
He rose.
He will come again.
Don’t just go through the motions this Easter
EMBRACE the HELP that Jesus offers us
By His life, His teaching, His example,
And let your example be “baked clear through!”
Amen
Have a blessed week.
Love ya,
JanBeek
Comments on: "Embrace Help" (11)
Perfect for today! Thanks Jan.
Thank you, {{{Fran}}} <3
Awesome post, Jan! Happy Palm Sunday!
Thank you, {{{Renee}}} – May your Holy Week be a time of inspiration and revelation as well as preparation! <3 <3
Your usual fine verse rendition of a sound message
Thanks so much, {{{Derrick}}} – I appreciate your comment. It was a little more difficult to concentrate and get the full message this morning – but I hope it made sense anyway! Help!!
🙂
A lovely post with some beautiful rhyming lines. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day ahead😊
Thank you, Shayan, it was a great day… full of many activities. No time to be bored, that’s for sure. I hope you day was great, too. <3
Passion Sunday sets up the final journey of our Savior to a bloody, criminal’s cross. He will be betrayed, and his followers will go into hiding one by one. Jesus continues to serve us to His very last breath. Thanks Jan for reminding us of the meaning behind “Hosanna.”
Yes, we need all the Hosanna we can get, don’t we? Have a blessed day, {{{Richard}}}.