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28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:28-40 New International Version Bible)
Happy and Blessed Monday, ConCafe Family! May you, respected reader, find peace, joy, and opportunities in which to share your faith in Jesus in positive ways! As we pray, let us pray for Mr. Emmit Currie, who undergoes knee replacement surgery this Wednesday in Gonzales, and Mr. Tom Lester, who undergoes a heart procedure on Friday in Seguin, Pray that God bless these two Christian brothers in awesome ways and that God comfort their famillies who are anxious about these necessary medical treatments.
As we closed our worship time during our second service, I said, "Turn to your neighbor and say, 'Next Sunday is Palm Sunday!' and for me, it's a pretty big deal!" And it is. It is the start of Holy Week and it starts off in such a wonderful, positive way, that those who do not know the story would guess that things just went in a marvelous way. But we who know the story know that the crowd hollering "Hosanna in the highest," would in just five days time be hollering, "Crucify Him!" I ask myself the question, had I been there would I have been the one hollering both? Or, would I have been one of the quiet ones, crying silently for the man I thought to be the Messiah?
The story is powerful, and complex. There were many forces at work in this drama. All the political and religious parties of that day in Israel, were planning against Jesus. On top of them all, is the Enemy, Satan, who would love nothing more than to see Jesus die at the hands of so-called religious people of the day. And those of us who know the story know the answer. But, let us see the story again.
The entire drama of this special Sunday was the plan of God. It was the fulfillment of prophecy. The prophets of old foretold of a king entering Jerusalem in a humble way. There were no armies marching in with Jesus; Jesus entered riding a colt with the people welcoming Him with palm branches, and the spreading of cloaks on the road. Their shouts were, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" and "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" All fulfilling prophecy, and exciting those who truly believed that in Jesus' arrival, a military and political messiah had indeed arrived, and would in a matter of days mount a rebellion against Rome and would once again restore Israel to its glory. The Pharisees could only see the disruption these parade crowd were causing and so they ask Jesus to quiet "HIs disciples." Jesus replies truthfully, "I tell you, if they keep quiet the stones will cry out." Such was the power behind this arrival, that God would have ordered the stones to cry out for this entrance into the Holy City.
How will this Sunday impact your Lenten journey, dear one? Have these forty days truly prepared your heart and spirit for the celebration of the greatest demonstation of love the world has ever seen? Has it truly made your walk with the Lord a blessed event? Or, are you holding something back for some reason? I pray this would be the start of the greatest days of your life as you experience love again from God in a way that blesses your life.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, may Your name be blessed in my life and mouth as we draw closer to this special time of year. May my heart truly receive and share Your love like never before in ways that bless Your kingdom here on the earth. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a King's kid this week by showing others how blessed you are to know Jesus!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
