Preparing the Way

April 01, 2012

(Palm Sunday) by John Partridge Scripture: Mark 11:1-11 Have you ever gone to a reunion or to another event where many people would be coming from out of town or out of state? My High School graduating class is having a reunion in May and, like many others, they have reserved a block of rooms in a local hotel where out-of-town classmates can stay. I wont be staying there, but we do have classmates spread out from coast to coast. All we have to do is call the hotel and tell them that we are from the class of 1982 and we get a special rate in a block of rooms that are all together. When I was in the military I was a part of several training events far from home both in the United States and abroad. In most cases one or two of our company would leave before the rest of us to make preparations for our arrival. These folk were known as the advance party and they made sure that we had transportation when we arrived, had a place to stay, that the mess hall was prepared for our arrival so we could eat, arrange laundry facilities and have maps to give us so we could find other important services. The same sort of thing happens when you book a trip with a travel agent especially if you take a cruise or travel with a tour group. Before you even think about packing your suitcase someone has already been taking care of you and preparing for your arrival so that things will be ready and waiting for you when you get there. A car or a bus will meet you at the airport, a tour guide and a translator will be have been hired to tag along with your group, the hotels along the way will be ready for you and many other services will have been arranged. In all these things, we discover that someone has gone before us to prepare for our arrival. In our scripture this morning we find an even more amazing truth, our God is the one who goes before us (Mark 11:1-11)
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As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, Why are you doing this? tell him, The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly. They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, What are you doing, untying that colt? 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
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Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!

Hosanna in the highest! Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. Jesus and the disciples arrive in Jerusalem after being away for quite a while. Jesus has deliberately stayed out of Jerusalem because everyone knows that there are men in the city who would like to see him dead. Even so, as they arrive, Jesus sends two of his disciples ahead to find a colt that he somehow knows is already there. Even more amazing, Jesus knows what the people there will say when the disciples untie it and he tells them what the disciples should say in return that will satisfy them. Jesus has no human way of knowing what lay ahead of them in the city but he knew just the same. Here we see God, going ahead of Jesus and the disciples and preparing the way for them. Interestingly, the disciples then prepare the colt for Jesus by throwing their coats over it and the crowds begin to prepare the way for Jesus by laying their coats in the road, by waving palm branches and by also laying the branches in the road to pave the way for Jesus as he enters the city of Jerusalem. The people also prepare the way for Jesus by proclaiming blessing for him saying, Hosanna! [which means Save us] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! and Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! It is an amazing scene, but it reminds us that Gods love goes beyond Jesus, beyond the year 33 AD and beyond time because God loves each and every one of us still today. From the beginning of scripture we see that God is the god who goes ahead of us and who prepares a way for his people. In Exodus 23:20 God tells the people of Israel See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Throughout the Psalms and Isaiah God is described as the god who prepares the way for his people and still and Revelation, God is seen drying up rivers for the Kings of the East to prepare a way for them. Not long ago we remembered that John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare a way for the arrival of Jesus and his ministry on earth. During natural disasters and after terrorist attacks and other human tragedies, we have said that God wasnt surprised and we know this to be true. God is omniscient, be knows everything that there is to know, past, present, and future, but he is not content to sit idly and do nothing with that knowledge. Our God is the god who goes before us, who prepares a way for us. God uses his knowledge to shape the future. Our God is the god who both knows the future, and who is guiding the earth to the end of time and the events described in Daniel and in Johns Revelation that will occur in the end times and the Judgment of all creation and all of humanity. In our lives, Patti and I have witnessed God perform amazing acts, perhaps even miracles, so that we were able to adopt our children. More than once, Patti and I have been reassured that we were on the right path as we discovered that God had prepared a way for us. We have missionary friends who were stranded on a deserted African road and had four or five cars arrive to help when only one or two cars would normally pass in an average month. We have seen Gods hand in every move that we have had to make in ministry, preparing churches for our arrival, preparing schools for our children and other things. It has been both amazing and humbling to watch and to be a part of. God is not just the creator 2
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and composer of the amazing symphony of the universe; he is the conductor as well. God knows what tomorrow will bring, he knows who and what each of us will need and he is preparing tomorrow for our arrival. Each year, as we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, we remember that God was preparing a way for Jesus and was firmly in control of the events that would unfold over the following week. This year, let us also remember that our God is still in control. God loves us just as much as he loved his son Jesus and God still is the god who goes before us. Have faith that in all things, God is in control. Have faith that God is preparing a way for you. God knows everything about you and God knows where you will go and who you will meet tomorrow and next week, and next year and he is already preparing a way for you to get there. God is already at work preparing a future for us that is beyond anything that anyone can ask or imagine. Still, we can hear Gods voice saying to his people, See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. All that we need to do is to follow Jesus example at the triumphal entry of what we now call Palm Sunday. All that we need to do is to trust him, hold his hand, and walk forward in faith and obedience. Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

You have been reading a message presented at Barnesville First United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor of Barnesville First. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Barnesville First UMC at 123 W. Church St., Barnesville, OH 43713. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@barnesvillefirst.com. If you have questions, you can ask them in our discussion forum on Facebook (search for Pastor John Online). These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John Partridge. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.