For hundreds of years, God’s people waited for the Savior God had promised. Every year at Passover, they celebrated how God had freed them from slavery in Egypt. They looked forward to how God would one day rescue them again.
Jerusalem was full of people who had gathered to celebrate what God had done for them so long ago. Jesus and His disciples approached the city from the town of Bethany. As Jesus and His friends got closer, Jesus sent two of them ahead with some unusual orders: Matthew 21:2-3. Word spread quickly that Jesus was coming. As the crowds prepared to celebrate, the religious leaders hatched their own plans.
The two disciples went to find the donkey and the colt. They placed their own coats on the donkeys’ backs so Jesus would have a comfortable place to sit. Jesus and the disciples rode into the city. Jesus was fulfilling the words that were written by the prophet Zechariah hundreds of years before. Zechariah 9:9
People took off their coats and threw them down on the road before Jesus. Some of them cut branches from the trees. They spread the branches on the road, as a way to honor Jesus. Some people went ahead, and some followed behind. They shouted: Matthew 21:9. Some of the religious leaders had joined the crowd to discover what was going on. They told Jesus to tell His followers to stop. Jesus said: Luke 19:40.
Even though the religious leaders had studied and waited their whole lives for a Savior, they didn’t recognize Jesus when He came. The people continued to cheer and follow Jesus into the city. They believed He really was the Savior God had promised. We can celebrate what God is doing in our lives, too—in the past, right now, and in the future.
Bottom line: You can celebrate even when you’re waiting.
River Kids | River of Life Church | March 31, 2021
I Will Wait (Palm Sunday)
March 31, 2021 • Pastor Denny Curran
Livin’ on a Prayer (Model Prayer)
May 19, 2021 • Pastor Mark Eskew
This lesson talks about how we can connect with God. It shares how we can pray at any time and that Jesus loved to pray. The story teaches that Jesus would slip away from the crowds to be alone and talk to Hs Father, God. There was one day that one of Jesus' disciples asked Him, "http://lord...teach us to pray". Jesus answered His friend with a simple example. The example God showed them is the prayer found in Luke 11:2-4. It is good to memorize this prayer, but we don't have to stick with those exact words to pray right. We can take the same ideas from Jesus' prayer and make them our own, as we pray to Him. Jesus called God "Father"; we can, too. He is our perfect Father who loved us, no matter what. God deserves to be honored. God made heaven and Earth, made us in His image. We ca take time to honor God and thank Him for all He's done for us. God is our King. He is our King. He is in control; He has a good plan for our lives. God's "kingdom" means that things happen the way God planned for them to happen. We're asking God to make things in our world right, good, and true. We're asking Him to help us be part of what He's doing in the world. We can pray and ask God for the things we need-and the things other people need. Praying helps us remember that God is always there to take care of us. Jesus knew that it was important for us to talk to God when we mess up. God will always be there to forgive us and give us a fresh start. When we've experienced God's forgiveness, that helps us forgive others too. You can talk to God anytime, anywhere, about anything. Practice praying to God.