Sunday 28th March 2021

When was the last time you had your hopes dashed? The last time you thought someone was going to make a difference to a situation - and then they didn’t. Have you ever put your hope in someone only to be let down, realising that they weren’t the person you thought they were?

Read Matthew 21: 9-14

Palm Sunday is full of hope for the people in Jerusalem. Here they see someone who will make a difference Here is someone who the prophet Zechariah said would make a difference and would change life completely,through bringing in the kingdom of God. I’m sure that as people gathered together for their evening meal, the talk around the table would be all about this Jesus, ‘a prophet from Nazareth’ and what he might do next. They would speculate about what they were hoping would happen.

Whatever their hopes and dreams were, Jesus didn’t fulfil them, instead, he tells stories and talks about the ‘Son of Man’ appearing in the clouds heralding the start of God’s final judgement of each and every person. As people recognised that Jesus wouldn’t be fulfilling their hopes and dreams, the majority changed their minds about what they think about him. They are disappointed in him and so by Friday they are ready to shout that he should be crucified!

Throughout the last 2,000 years many other people have looked at Jesus and initially shouted their praise of him only to become disappointed when their hopes and dreams aren’t fulfilled in the way they wanted them to be. Perhaps you know people who no longer look to Jesus for help and hope because they have been disappointed. Perhaps there is a disappointment in your own life, because Jesus hasn’t done what you hoped he would do.

Some people put their hope in Jesus expecting him to give them a happy, healthy and wealthy life, but if we look to Jesus for prosperity, we will come away disappointed, because Jesus never promised to do those things. This wasn’t the reason Jesus left heaven and came to earth.

In recent weeks I have mentioned Jesus saying that he came to give us life, life in all its fullness (John 10:10), but we need to understand what this promising is offering. Jesus came to give us a new life – a life no longer distorted by sin. Jesus came to reshape our lives back into the shape God intended it to be, and to give us a new unending life as adopted heirs of the creator of the universe. If we look to Jesus to fulfil these promises we will never be disappointed.

In our lent booklets we will be reading about some people who accept Jesus’ offer of new life – and are re-connected with God and God’s story and discovering how God’s story transforms their own story.

In the bible’s record of the events which happen between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, Thursday evening is the ‘Last Supper’ where for the first time and only time Jesus takes bread and wine and tells his followers to use them to remember that his death brings us new life. So, on Thursday evening we are going to meet together and share communion. We will need to know who is coming - your usual Leader will be in touch with you.

Then on Friday, ‘Good Friday’ we join with other local churches at 11:30am on the lawn of St. John’s, Culmington Rd, to sing songs about the cross and listen to scripture telling us about the events of Good Friday.

Over the Easter weekend Lucy and Helen are going to display some ‘Prayer Stations’ on the lawn at the side of church – more information on this later in the week.

On Easter Sunday we will meet on the lawn alongside our church building to spend 30 minutes singing ‘Easter Songs of Praise.’ Once again it will be helpful if you will book a place before-hand.

Spend a few moments considering these lyrics, and then pray, thanking God for giving us a Saviour:

How can I be free from sin? Lead me to the cross of Jesus

From the guilt, the power, the pain? Lead me to the cross of Jesus

How can I know peace within? Lead me to the cross of Jesus

Sing a song of joy again! Lead me to the cross of Jesus

There’s no other way – No price that I could pay –

Simply to the cross I cling - This is all I need –

This is all I plead That his blood was shed for me

How can I live day by day? Lead me to the cross of Jesus

Following his narrow way? Lead me to the cross of Jesus

Flowing from above All-forgiving love From the Father’s heart to me!

What a gift of grace His own righteousness Clothing me in purity!

How can I be free from sin? Lead me to the cross of Jesus

From the guilt, the power, the pain? Lead me to the cross of Jesus

(Graham Kendrick © 1991 Make Way Music)

Page last updated: Wednesday 31st March 2021 6:22 AM
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