April 5, 2020

[Greeting]
[Prayer]
In case anyone doesn’t know, today is “Palm Sunday.”
It is the day remembered throughout the church, throughout the world, and throughout
the centuries.
It’s the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first day of the week that would change
His life, and all of history, forever. Crowds waved palm branches as He went by.
Hence: Palm Sunday.
In the first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, also
known as “the gospels,” we read a slightly different account of Palm Sunday in each
one. These similar yet different readings are snapshots of the same event taken from
four different angles.
They all contain the same basic story, but some leave certain details out, where others
include them.
Mark and Luke don’t spell it out, but Matthew and John do.
The act of Jesus riding a “donkey’s colt,” or previously unridden animal in the donkey
family, was extremely symbolic!
Matthew, (who was Jewish) and John, (who wanted everyone to know that Jesus was
God), both include the Old Testament Scripture from Zechariah 9:9 to prove a point.
Jesus was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah coming in to save the world!
It wouldn’t be the way most people anticipated.
But His journey through what we now call “Holy Week” had all been prophesied
hundreds of years before, and it was all now coming true.
Jesus was and is the Messiah. The Savior of the world.
And He has come to save us all.
Don’t miss this point.
In the midst of all the bad news surrounding this virus, Jesus is still King!
Jesus still saves! Jesus is, in fact, the One to whom we cling, and the One who is in
charge!
Easter has not been canceled!
We may not meet in person next week, but we will still worship a Savior who has
eliminated sin and death for all who believe!
“Save us now! is what “Hosanna,” the word the crowd yells, means!
The Jewish people who had gathered for the Passover Festival were looking for a
Jewish leader to free them from the oppression of the cruel Roman government.

Hosanna! Hosanna! Save us now!
[Go ahead… wave your palm branches if you have some… if not… go out and get
some and wave them afterwards…One of the benefits of living in Florida.
We’ve got palm branches all around…]
"Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in he name of the Lord!”
Blessed is He who is the Lord!
Blessed is the king of Israel!
Blessed is the king of the world!
And of you. And of me.
The King of the world, Jesus, knows how we feel.
He was fully God and fully human. He left Heaven to come to earth to give His life to
save ours. And He made sure to tap into the fully human part so that He would know
exactly how we feel.
He went through a rollercoaster of emotions that first “Holy Week.”
And it was all to save us all from the oppression of sin and death.
Jesus went from being celebrated to being spit on.
He went from having everything He needed to having nothing at all.
He went from being surrounded by friends and family and fans, to being alone and
abandoned, except for a very few.
What we are going through in this current pandemic, is a far cry from what Jesus
endured. And yet we, too, are experiencing a roller coaster of emotions.
We, too, are finding things changing day to day, and sometimes hour by hour.
It’s a confusing time, to be sure. It can also be a frightening time. A puzzling time.
A frustrating time.
A time of rethinking priorities and downshifting dramatically.
And yet, it’s also a time of increased rest and relaxation for many.
(Pray for our parents of young children… this may not be quite the case for them!)
It’s a time of discovering new ways of doing new things. Like online church.
(Or, “Pajama church.”)
Electronic connection and teaching and family gatherings online!
Making masks out of bandanas or handkerchiefs or even paper towels. (Hang on to the
paper towel ones… you may need those later.)
Getting to really know our neighbors.
Getting to really know those with whom we live.
Getting to know God.
Speaking of getting to know God better, let’s look at His Word now.

[Invitation to read along as Scripture is read… make notes if something especially
speaks to you…]
[Read John 12:12-16] [Pray]
The use of waving palm leaves to signify victory has been going on for a very long time.
The Greeks ceremoniously crowned victorious athletes with palm leaves.
But even before that, the Israelites had been given instructions by the Lord, through
Moses, to celebrate, with palm branches!
Besides enjoying one Sabbath day of rest each week, the Israelites also enjoyed 19
days, throughout the year, when national holidays were celebrated.
In fact, if you include the weekly sacred day of Sabbath, the day of worship and rest,
there were seven festivals the Israelites enjoyed.
We know that seven is significant in the Bible. It represents completion. Or perfection.
Perhaps during this time of enforced quarantine at home, we can begin to develop a
habit of dedicating our Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, or the first, depending on
how you look at it, Sunday, to truly be a day of worship and rest.
Now let’s briefly look at the other six Jewish festivals and their significance to us
followers of Christ, who was Jewish. Let’s meditate on the fact that God has ALWAYS
been there for His people!
There was, of course, the celebration of Passover.
This is something Christians need to keep in mind as well.
We are freed from the actual Jewish requirements because of, and through, Christ.
(Hebrews 10:19 “a new and living way…”)
But we still need to be reminded of how God delivers God’s people. Some people like to
go through the parts of a Jewish Passover Seder meal and incorporate Christ into it.
In Exodus 12 we find the story of the first passover. Basically, God told Moses and (his
brother) Aaron, to tell the whole community of the people of God, on a certain day, to
take the blood of a lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their
homes. This was a prophetic action to be spared from the plague of death.
A lamb with no defects had to be killed, at twilight, and its blood placed on the
doorframes of each home. Then the families would have roast lamb. And those with
more shared with those with less. God always made sure everyone was provided for.
After the meal was finished, the Israelites were to burn anything left. Then they were to
prepare to leave their homes. For the Lord was about to “passover.”

What was the significance of the lamb? In killing the lamb, the Israelites shed innocent
blood. The lamb was a sacrifice, a substitute for the person who would have died in the
plague. This particular plague was that of the death of firstborns.
The people of God, however, were spared. Then, they would flee. They would
experience the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, and leave the life of oppression
that had held them captive for years.
When we give our lives to Christ, we also leave a life of oppression and become free.
In Exodus 12:13, the Lord says, “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where
you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”
Moses listened very carefully to the instructions from the Lord and then summoned all
the elders of Israel and repeated them word for word.
He ended this meeting with these words: “When you enter the land that the Lord will
give you as He promised, observes this ceremony. And when your children ask you,
“What does this ceremony mean to you,” (Or in traditional Seder language, “Why is this
night any different?), then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed
over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes…”
Perhaps we would do well, as followers of Christ, the Lamb of God, to also help our
children to understand the significance of the celebration of Easter and the great gift of
Jesus Christ when He went to the cross to become our special sacrificial Lamb.
The bunnies and eggs of Easter are all signs of new life which is only possible to us
through Christ. Let’s never forget it.
Still today, Jewish people celebrate the festival of Passover and also Unleavened Bread
to remember how God delivered His people.
This year, Passover (& Feast of Unleavened Bread) will be April 8-16. Interestingly, it
will occur during our Easter celebration of April 12.
It often lands that way
You see, Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for all of us and His totally innocent
blood was shed for our sins so that we could choose to believe in Him and be forgiven
and forever belong to God.
But back to the Jewish festivals.
There’s the Passover which we understand more than ever before, now.
It’s that time of year.
And some Christians are putting holy oil, or you can use olive oil, on the doorframes of
their homes and praying for God’s protection for their families for this current plague, the
coronavirus.
Let’s walk in great confidence and trust in our God.

Let’s remember how He has always been there for His people. He won’t forsake us
now.
So in our summary of Jewish festivals we have the weekly Sabbath; then there’s the
Passover and Unleavened Bread - this was a Springtime festival. The festival of
Unleavened Bread, lasting seven days, reminded the people they were leaving the old
life behind and entering a new way of living.
Perhaps that’s something that’s happening with us, now, too.
Perhaps there are things we’re practicing now that we’ll want to continue after the virus
crisis has passed. (Like washing hands frequently. Like not going out as much or
spending as much money. Like more home cooked meals and family time at home
together. Like more time with God.)
Next comes the “Firstfruits” festival. This was in the Fall. This was to remind the people
how God had provided for them.
Again. This is significant for us. God is “Jehovah-Jireh.” The Lord our Provider.
Look at what we have right now. Toilet paper may be in short supply, but we have
homes. We have roofs over our heads. We have food to eat. We have water to drink.
We have beds to sleep in. And washing machines, and electricity to run them, to wash
our sheets from those beds when it’s time.
(What do you think? Change sheets every two weeks? More? Less? Let us know…)
Then there was the festival of Pentecost, or Weeks. It was also a festival of
thanksgiving (usually after their first crops came in) where they were to show their joy.
[Reminder of sending in tithe… showing thankfulness…]
There was also the feast of the Trumpets. Another time of expressed joy and
thanksgiving to God. [Boy do we need to plan a time of celebration and thanksgiving to
God after all this has passed!]
There was also the Day of Atonement which was all about restored fellowship with God.
This special day celebrated the removal of sin from the people and the nation.
Again, that is what Jesus accomplished on the cross for us.
Finally, we come to the 7th and last Jewish festival.
This was the Feast of the Tabernacles, or Festival of the Booths.
Here it comes… wait for it…
For this festival the Israelites were commanded to “take for yourselves on the first day
the fruit of splendid trees, the fronds of palm trees…” (and a couple of other things), and
you must rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days.”
Yes, all the way back in Leviticus and Deuteronomy we find the use of palm branches.
The palm branches were used as a mark of rejoicing.

So on this Palm Sunday, we, too, can wave palm branches as a sign of rejoicing. It is a
symbol of faith in God and celebration of His Goodness.
Yes, even in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic.
Yes, especially in the midst of this plague.
You see, the word of God tells us He inhabits the praises of His people! (Psalm 22:1)
So, yes, praise Him! Worship Him! Cry out to Him!
[SIGNIFICANCE of John’s words! The original Zechariah Scripture says ... Rejoice.
But John says “Do not be afraid.” DO NOT BE AFRAID!]
Over 2000 yrs later, these words wring true!
As this virus peaks next week, hold on to hope! Do not fear! Easter brings hope!
As we go through this next week, you’ll have more time than ever to read all four of the
Gospel accounts of those precious last days of Jesus here on earth!
Parents, spend time reading Childrens’ Bible stories about what happened.
Or watch some of the great childrens videos that are out there.
For the adults, there are also great movies and videos chronicling what is known as “the
Passion of the Christ.” This would be a good week for us to watch some of that.
And for all of us, let’s share in the Lord’s supper together at home with the gifts of
(unleavened) bread and grape juice this week. Especially on Thursday night.
Perhaps even wash each others feet. Or your own!
(And rub them with lotion. Wouldn’t that be nice?)
Read the words from Matthew 26:20-30, or Mark 14:17-26. Luke 22:14-30, or John
13:21-30. Or maybe read all four.
I suspect our time this week in remembering Jesus and taking the elements of the Last
Supper will carry deeper meaning.
And then there’s “Good Friday.” It wasn’t good. It was awful. It was horrifying and
terrifying and heartbreaking for those who love Jesus. But it was “good” in that it saved
us all. Read the accounts of just what Jesus went through for all of us. Read the
Scriptures that teach us of the depth of the love of God.
And then prepare to celebrate next Sunday.
For all of us to be able to meet together each Sunday morning in this way is something
for which to be very grateful! I’m so glad you’re here!
I am praying for you.
The people and leaders of Cross Creek Community church are praying for you. Some
are even fasting and praying.

We will beat this thing. It will not last forever. And it won’t be because of who we are, but
because of what He’s done.
It won’t be because of what we’ve done, but because of who He is.
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
So, “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion, see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s
colt…” (John 12:15)
Let us pray… [Pray]