Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Mark 11:1-11.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Mark 11:1-11.
Lindsey: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Lindsey Blair and this is Bobby Gilles. This past Sunday, Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark eleven, verses one through eleven in our new series called Journey Into The Night.
Bobby: Jonah said that Jesus is not what we expected...and neither is following him. But if you missed the sermon or need help remembering, you’re in the right place because it’s time for the Midweek Checkup.
Lindsey: We began by noting that ironies and things that make us uncomfortable, tell us something. They often tell us Who we really are, What we have or how we are living, and How God is inviting us to follow him. And just such an opportunity is found in Mark eleven when Jesus entered Jerusalem while riding on a donkey colt. If Jesus is the coming king, then where is the war horse? Why a young donkey? Why did Jesus specifically pick it?
Bobby: On this small donkey, Jesus is DELIBERATELY juxtaposing the realities of who he is. He is a King, filled with majesty and authority.
But he's on a donkey, which means he's also meek, coming not to be served, but to serve. He does not reject the praises of the crowd; he does not deny his royal titles. He comes into Jerusalem filled with POWER...but he's on a donkey.
Lindsey: He is the lion and the lamb. He is majestic and meek. His power comes through weakness. Jesus is not what we expected, and neither is following him. He is not like worldly rulers. We don't know how to be majestic and meek, powerful and weak. We celebrate and defend bullies.
We long to be those who look so beautiful, never showing sign of weakness or limitation. But this is not our king.
Bobby: In the book of Revelation, John is told that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. But when John looks, he sees him as a lamb that looked like it had been slaughtered. The majestic and powerful one came and won a victory. But his victory was one through is own suffering.
Not through bringing violence, but through absorbing it in his own body.
Lindsey: So...how is God inviting us to respond? Behold your king and follow him. That's the first response. And as we follow him, we must learn to be more curious about stories like these. Why does it offend us to see a king embracing weakness like this? Why are we scared to follow his way?
Why are we drawn to bullies and braggarts? Why are we so concerned with power and getting your way? This is not the way of our king. We let go of position, influence, reputation. We embrace service, smallness, and the unexpected.
Bobby: WITH Jesus, we face Jerusalem, even when, like Jesus, it feels like a journey into night. Now … this Sunday is Easter Sunday! We will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with three special service times: eighty-thirty, ten, and eleven-thirty a.m. Not nine and eleven am. Eighty-thirty, ten, and eleven-thirty a.m. Also, join us for our annual Good Friday service this Friday at seven pm.
Lindsey: There is no childcare for the Good Friday service but we do have childcare and kids’ classes for all three Easter services: eighty-thirty, ten, and eleven-thirty a.m.
Join us, and bring a friend.