Expectation

Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023

By Rosie McGough, Worship Director, Tree of Life Church

John 12:12-19

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

John 14:16-27

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

1 Chronicles 16:23-25

Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
25 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    he is to be feared above all gods.

Psalms 118:25-29

25Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

“Fear is not my future, You are, You are!
Sickness is not my story, You are, You are!
Heartbreak is not my home! You are, You are!
Death is not the end, You are, You are!”
--Fear is not my Future, Maverick City Publishing

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Expectation

By Rosie McGough

Expectation: what a loaded word! The Israelites definitely had expectations about how their Messiah was going to save them from the Roman oppression they had been living under. Most had seen or at least heard of the miracles he was performing, the latest being raising Lazarus from the dead after 3 days (*by the way, I love the prophetic picture here)! 

In the scripture we read above, (Psalm 118:26), the phrase “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” was used to greet travelers as they came into Jerusalem for Passover. As they saw Jesus approaching, they must’ve been so excited, shouting this phrase out with additional energy. They must have thought, 

‘Our time of freedom has come!’ 

‘We are his chosen ones, he has come to save us!’ 

‘The Romans will pay now!’ 

…And then the week went exactly as they expected it to (sarcastic snarks welcomed here).

It is healthy to be excited and have expectations! But life can be a lot like this; you expect one thing and get the entire opposite of it. You expected that promotion, but you were passed over. You expected that healing, it hasn’t happened. You expected to ‘live happily ever after,’ but one of you in the relationship has decided it’s over. You expected more independence with the kids in school, instead it has come with a whole new set of challenges to parent. But this is not where our stories end as believers.

We can have access to the Holy Spirit,  who is our Counselor and Helper for our times here on earth (John 14:16-17). Be one who seeks and searches out the Lord. Spend time in the Word of God. Pray your requests, then be still and listen. Repent and remove sin in your life that keeps you from being close to the Father’s heart.  Lament your hard times, and then rest in his presence. Take heart, he has peace and strategies for moving you forward in this life. And the Holy Spirit is our help in this every step of the way. I can personally testify that he has saved me, over and over again, by practicing the things I just described above. Here is a true expectation you can hold onto: he will be with you for every part of your journey.

Today is Palm Sunday. And it marks the start of what some Christian traditions call Holy Week. The intent of this week is to remember the fullness of God’s faithfulness to us every step of the way. It is a time to pause, reflect, repent from our sins and rejoice in his salvation. This week, read through the final days leading up to Jesus’ death (John 12-19). Observe how he prepared his followers for a time that they wouldn’t understand. And then celebrate the resurrection (John 20-21)! This really only marks the beginning of our story, because you are a part of this redemptive story today! As you read, my prayer for us is that we are filled with EXPECTATION and a renewed hope of a redeemed future. A future that Jesus Christ alone has secured!