Easter (2021) • Worship • Matthew 21:1-16

Good morning. Church is the joy together with

you. All welcome you to do in church,

is Chris said, my name is Joel party and we can pass through

preaching and oversight and have the privilege of serving as one

of the pastor's here, gathered with you guys each Sunday and

one of the highlights of my week and not just around the time of

Easter, but every Sunday when we come together, and we just

remind ourselves of our key through the singing of songs,

right through the preaching of the word, your community

Fellowship, you all these things that we do their acts of of

worship to our key. So it's an honor to simply be a

part of what God is doing in the world here among each.

Yeah, that's a joy. It was encouraging to me to be

reminded that Jesus is coming. Soon.

As I was hearing that song into sweeping of gravity.

We're going to get to see Jesus based on what we do.

Weekly just reminding us of that, sort of Dark World.

Sometimes we can. So as you can see, we're taking

a break from the Gospel of John to spend time.

Our Easter series. We're going to be looking at the

last week of the life of Jesus. So if you don't know what that's

called traditionally, it's been called Holy Week.

And so Holy Week is a Time on the church calendar.

When we just focus on what Jesus did the very last week of his

life. Now, if you grew up in the

church, depending upon your upbringing, you might have no

idea what Holy Week is or you might be very familiar with the

different Christian Traditions deal with it differently.

Currently, but I want to give you a quick rundown of the

significant days of old people. So as you guys know, next week

is Easter. So that's kind of what it's

based off of their working backward to the last week of

Jesus life. So quick graphic.

I found online to kind of show you those days.

And so what you see there in the top left is what's called Palm

Sunday. That would because today, it's

exactly one week before Easter Sunday, when Jesus rose from the

grave. And so that's the passage, you

just turned red as what we're looking at today, and then what

you see, Inside of the Last Supper, that was on Thursday of

that same week. So, just a few days later.

That was, when Jesus in the upper room with his disciples.

He washed the feet of his disciples, and it's called

Maundy Thursday. We use the word Monday, Monday

from mandates or commandment, and it's when Jesus gave this

new, commandment to his disciples that they love one

another, in the same way that he loves them and he washes his

feet and demonstrates that for. And then there's good Friday.

These are ones are probably more familiar with Friday when Jesus

was put on a cross to be crucified for the sins of the

world. And then, lastly, the one were

most familiar with even if it's kind of been hijacked by our

culture, but Easter Sunday or sometimes as we call it,

Resurrection, Sunday. And Sophia, this series for this

first week, we're zooming in and looking at what's called Palm

Sunday and next week. We're going to be looking at

Resurrection Sunday. So the title of this two-week

series is worship and wonder. So today we're looking at the

first half of that what's called?

Worship. We're going to look at it

through the lens of Palm Sunday. What is worship?

What does that mean, it specifically the Matthew

account, so that you just to read.

So we're going to be in Matthew 21, which is the first book of

the New Testament. If you need help finding it, you

can just Google it on your phone.

If it's easier to follow along that way.

And we'll also have the verses on the screen.

We are using the CSV translation.

So now that we kind of have a grasp of where we are in the

last week of Jesus life. Let's look closer at are serving

today. So like I said, we're talking

about this idea of worship. Now, most of the time when we

think about worship, unfortunately, our minds go to,

maybe what we just did a few minutes ago, where we sing songs

together corporately either here at church or at some big event

and we even used that language. Now Andrew will tell you like

I'm super anal. Like we even call him the

director for music instead of the Rector for worship because I

want it to be said like he's leading worship through song but

whoever is up here should be directing worship.

We hope right now your Drawn into worship through the

preaching of the text. And so, worship is not less than

singing songs corporately. There is something special about

that, but it's so much more. It's our entire life in the Old

Testament. When you heard the idea of

worship, it was always connected to service this idea of

everything, we do should be done in adoration and reverence to

God and the reality is that our hearts were created to worship

that everything we do. We are worshiping someone or

something. NG.

Now, often we might be that someone or something, we're

worshipping our own desires. And so, the problem there is not

that we're worshipping. It's the object of our worship.

It's what we are worshiping and that's often what is off.

So today, my goal for us is to slow down, Andre fix our Gaze on

the only one, who ultimately can handle our worship, the weights

of all of our, our trust and our adoration, and all glory.

That is due him. We can throw that on him and he

will never Let us down. See if we want to grow in living

lives that are full of worship. The answer is not for me to

stand up here and tell you how to worship.

It's to point you to the one who is worthy to be worshiped.

We can't just be told what we're supposed to be doing.

We have to be shown who were supposed to be seeing.

And at the end of the day worship, ultimately is not about

any one of us. It's about the one we are

worshiping. And so, I want to encourage you

in that because it's not about you.

It's actually very freeing. Regardless of whether or not you

come here today. And you feel worthy to worship

King Jesus. I want you to leave encouraged

because we are made worthy to worship him, and he receives our

worship based on his work alone, and what we have to And is that

our unworthiness to worship? Him does not make Jesus any less

worthy to be worshiped and what we're going to see in our time

today that he's the one that prepares praise.

He prepares the way for himself to receive the praise of his

people. And so for our message, I have

one sentence that we're going to look at in three parts.

You'll see it on the screen. So the first part we're going to

look at is Jesus is the king. That's we're going to look at

first. Jesus is the king, and Jesus is

the king who prepares the way for praise.

He's the king who prepares the way for praised by giving his

life away. Jesus is the king who prepares

the way for praised by giving his life away.

So let's start by looking at the first part of the sentence.

Jesus is the king. So, in our text today that you

just heard read, were nearing the end of Jesus's, Earthly

Ministry. Now, he knows that he knows what

he's walking into. It seems like his followers.

Probably haven't fully grasped what that means.

I'm at this point. He's done a lot through his

ministry. He's done a lot in his ministry

where he lives out the Prophecies of the Old Testament.

And today is no different than that.

The context of this passage. Is that Jesus as he often did

was heading to Passover week to Jerusalem, to celebrate the

Passover and he's with his disciples.

And so, as they're getting Close to the city.

He's got this kind of strange request.

You just turn it red. He asked him to go find this

donkey and the Colt of a donkey. So, this donkey and her child,

and to bring this donkey to Jesus, so that he can ride on it

into the city. Now, we could spend a lot of

time talking about the owner of these donkeys and how that all

worked out and how he allowed himself to be used, allowed his

property to be used. So Jesus could ride into town.

We could talk about how the disciples just obeyed this

stranger. But the reality is, that's not

really the main point. The main point of all of this is

about Jesus. The points not the donkey or the

disciples. The point is, that Jesus is the

Fulfillment of a prophecy from long ago.

And our text makes it clear points it out in Matthew, 21 for

through five. This is why this happened.

It took place. So that what was spoken through

the prophet? Might be fulfilled.

Tell daughter Zion. See your King is Coming.

Coming to you, Gentle and mounted on a donkey and on a

Colt, the foal of a donkey. And so Jesus rides into

Jerusalem on this, cult to fulfill two different

prophecies. One is from Isaiah chapter 60,

Isaiah 60 · chapter mention

to I want you to see this so you can see the context.

It says, go out. Go out through the city Gates.

Prepare a way for the people, and it's interesting because in

our text today, it seems like the ways being prepared for

Jesus. But in all actuality it's being

prepared for the people build it up, build up the highway, clear

away, the stones, raise a banner for the people's look, the Lord

has proclaimed to the ends of the Earth, say to daughter Zion.

Look, your salvation is coming. His wages are with him and his

reward accompanies him. And they will be called the

reward is his people, the holy people, the Lord's redeemed and

you will be called cared for a city, not desert him.

There was this prophecy of one who would come and he would

bring Salvation with him for this people of God, and then

another text, if from Zechariah Chapter 9, gets even more

Zechariah 9 · chapter mention

specific. Look at it.

It says Rejoice greatly o daughter, Zion shout and Triumph

daughter Jerusalem. Look, your king is coming to

you. He's righteous and Victorious.

Humble and riding on a donkey on a Colt.

The foal of a donkey. I will cut off The Chariot from

Ephraim. You and the horse from

Jerusalem. The bow of War will be removed

and he will Proclaim peace to the nation's.

His Dominion will extend from sea to Sea from the Euphrates

river to the ends of the Earth. So, there was this understanding

of a messiah like figure, who would come and put an end to war

and violence. He would come humbly and riding

on a donkey. This is in contrast to the

oppressive Warlords. Who would enter a city on a

stallion with their entire Army to show off their might and

their intent, to conquer that City.

And instead this King. Comes on a donkey.

Humble, bringing. Peace.

Not war. And this is what Jesus is

fulfilling as he rides into Jerusalem, so he gets on this

donkey and he begins down the path to Jerusalem.

And as he does, we're told of this very large crowd that

forms, and they begin to show their honor and reverence for

this man. They do this by taking off their

cloaks, which many of them, probably only had one of and

they throw it down on the ground.

And they also cut off branches from the palm trees were told in

another gospel that it's palm trees and they lay them down in

the road to Are the way for him now, for the nation of Israel,

palm branch is symbolized Victory and celebration.

They were used often in the Feast of booths, which was

another Festival different than Passover, where they would,

again, remind themselves of the Deliverance of Yahweh from the

nation of Egypt. And so, this crowd begins to

surround Jesus in front of him laying palm branches and behind

him following him, and they begin to cry out and exultation

in celebration. Look at verse 9.

They say hosanna to the son of David blessed.

Is he who comes in the name of the Lord hosanna in the highest

heaven? And so this word Hosanna had,

meaning the original meaning was save us.

Please or save us now. It was this cry for deliverance,

but it was also had become this just cry of adoration and Trust

for a king or a messiah like figure someone that people

believes could bring Salvation. This language of son, of David

was also a way for the crowd to confess that they believed.

He was the one that was promised.

The Chosen One, the Messianic King who would Usher in peace

and bring reconciliation and would end oppression oppression

from The Outsiders. Now many people have speculated

who all is in this crowd. Is it the same people that just

a few days later would crab crucify him?

Was it people who were true followers of Jesus, you know,

the reality is we don't know. And most likely there were

different motivations for people being there.

Some might have just wanted to see the show.

He had just raised Lazarus from the dead.

They wanted to see what was going on.

And many of them probably had mixed motivations in their own

hearts. Most likely the crowd was full

of many who had an expectation of a messiah, like figure, who

would overthrow the Roman rule and oppression many in the

crowd. Probably wanted a king who could

simply give them what they wanted, what they thought would

give them safety and power and control.

We know that, even some of Jesus disciples wanted this.

We know this because the previous chapter in Matthew,

were told that a couple of his disciples say, hey, Jesus, can

we set with you on your right and left hand, when you come in

power and Rule and reign? And he's like as you don't know

what you're asking. Like you you think you want to

reign with me? You think that means wealth, and

riches, and power and safety. And it actually means suffering

and service and losing your life.

See, in this passage. One thing is very clear.

And that's that. Jesus is revealing himself as

Lord, and King. When we hear Jesus say this and

make this declaration that he has Authority, and he is in

charge. There are only a few responses.

We can have, we can fight him. We can manipulate him or we can

simply like a child receive him. We can fight his Rule and Reign,

we can oppose him and his message.

We see this with the religious leaders.

Did they just wanted to try to get rid of them?

Put an end to it? They didn't like that.

He was challenging their Kingdom.

They had set up and their way of life.

So they try to get rid of them. And that might be where some of

us are we might find ourselves bucking up against anything to

do with the person of Jesus. We might not like what he has to

say and so we just kind of get rid of the parts.

We don't like we don't like that.

It means that if he's King were not and that means we've got to

surrender control. And so we either ignore him,

find ways to set them to the side and sometimes fight him.

But honestly, probably most of you most of us that's not our

biggest problem. I think most of us would find

that our biggest danger is the second response to manipulate

this King. I mean, we see it all the time.

We can take him and we can co-opt him for our own purposes.

And if you find that Jesus is always agreeing with you and

your stance, you probably done that.

We assume he always agrees with our side.

We make him into our own it. Image.

We make them into the Jesus that we want.

Not that Jesus, that He Is, We Do It politically, right?

We find ways to point out that Jesus always agrees with our

stance and you'll see it on both sides and we just stamp Jesus's

name on it. We do the same with our

denominations, right? We assume if Jesus were alive

today, he would definitely want to be a member of our church,

right? Because we finally after two

thousand years got hit right? That's what we assumed, right.

The reality is Jesus is King period, end of sentence and we

would do way better to Simply acknowledge that than to try to

manipulate. Like I love an example of this

is when Jesus appears as the angel of the Lord to Joshua and

the Old Testament. And so Joshua sees What's called

the angel of the Lord is terrifying.

Figure and right away. He's like, bro.

I got to know like are you on our side or theirs?

Because like, this is terrifying and I need to know.

Whose side are you on? And I love the response.

He's like neither, bro. Like that's not the question.

You should be asking like I'm the commander of the army of the

Lord is what he says. And like, you should be asking

whose side you're on. Not, if I'm on your side, whose

side are you on? Is the question you should be

asking to. Jesus is King and it can't be

co-opted or manipulated for your own purposes, to build your own

kingdom or mine or to advance my own agenda.

And so that leaves us with the last option.

The simply receive him to quit trying to fight him or

manipulated him, but take him at his word that he is, who he says

he is. And that that's good news, and

surrender Our Lives to him, to trust him to save us, Hosanna,

not in our own way, or with our own terms and in our own time,

but in his way on his time, and with his own terms, see the

question that every single one of us have to, at some point in

our life come to ask, is the question that was asked in verse

10, which is kind of the hinge verse of this passage.

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar

saying, who is this? Got to ask it.

Who is this Jesus we've got to do something with the fact that

he's claiming to be the Divine King.

Yahweh himself and the crowd responds in verse 11, that he is

Jesus from Nazareth. Not just a myth, but it actual

historical figure who lived and breathed and walked the Earth.

And he claimed to be more than just a good teacher or another

Prophet because he can't just be that he claimed to be divine.

He claimed to be the king of the entire.

Cosmos and so we can't just ignore that claim and go about

our lives. Because if it's true, we've got

to do something with it. But that's the beauty of this

game. He's not just a king.

But he's also a savior. He's a king who is preparing the

way for his own praise. That's the next thing we see.

Jesus is the king prepares the way for praise, see these

worshipers of Jesus, as they laid out palm branches in their

cloaks. They thought, they were

preparing a way for this King. But in reality, this King, as he

rode into Jerusalem, knowing he was headed to.

The Cross Was preparing a way for all who would receive him.

See, Jesus knows that we were originally created to worship

him that we are most human. We are most at peace with

ourselves in the world. And with God, when we are in

worship and enthralled with his Beauty and his majesty and His

glory. But he also knows that we have

exchanged worship of our creator for worship of created and

lesser things that can't satisfy.

And so we're chasing after them. But Jesus will have his reward.

He will have worshippers from All Nations tribes and tongues

and he's passionate about that and he will do whatever it takes

to make that possible. See if you were a part of this

crowd and you had expectations for Jesus to set up, this

physical Kingdom, to overthrow the Roman rule.

You'd probably expect him to March, right into the seat of

the Roman capital, and overthrow it with his power.

And might you've seen him work miracles at this point, you

know, he can do it. You'd probably expect him to go

gather the strongest, you know, the most influential in the

city. The most powerful to come with

me. Let's go take care of business.

Other Messiahs had tried this in the past and it had always

failed. But you know where Matthew shows

him going next. First, he goes to the temple.

And he cleans up the temple because there were those in the

temple that had created barriers, where worship of God

was supposed to take place. And these barriers were

affecting The Outsiders the immigrants to foreigners.

And so he passionately goes and clears the way.

Prepares a way for worship to explode, because he says, this

house is supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations.

And instead you made it, a den of Oppression and thieves.

This isn't Jesus just being reactionary, the gospel of Mark

tells us, it was actually the next day.

So when he arrives in, he actually goes looks at the

temple goes back home. Matthew doesn't tell us this.

He condenses it for us, but he comes back the next day.

Very calculated. The cleansing of the temple was

bad news for the oppressors in the religious leaders, but it

was good news for those who wanted to worship Yahweh.

And he's preparing a way for these people to do that.

And then I love this because he really At this point, the

religious leaders really get mad at them because you know, what,

he does next after flipping tables and preparing a way for

The Outsiders. He calls in the lame and the

deaf, who the religious leaders didn't like around in the

temple, launch a Beggar's. We don't want them here.

Let's get rid of them. Let's clean up our front doors,

you know, they're preventing us from making money.

And he brings them and he starts healing them.

You know, what a bunch of kids do then he brings a bunch of

kids and kids were like in our society.

We worship kids. Like they're the center of our

attention. That's one extreme to The Other

Extreme is this society which was kids were nothing.

They were less than they were just a nuisance.

And you know what they do, they start dancing.

They start celebrating in the temple and saying the same thing

that was said, earlier, Hosanna to the son of David.

And so, he exchanges the commotion of Oppression and

money changers for this beautiful commotion of a bunch

of Outsiders. A bunch of the least of these, a

bunch of kids. He's breaking every rule there

is instead of going to the powerful and the strong and

Gathering an army to bow to him and help overthrow the Romans he

goes and hangs with The Outsiders.

They supposedly inadequate. What is he doing?

Well, first of all, he's again fulfilling prophecy.

We won't go to it. But in Psalm 8, we're told

already that God prepared praise for himself from the mouths of

infants and babies. And so Jesus is fulfilling this

and in doing this, he's revealing his divinity.

He's saying I'm not just some other dude.

I am God in flesh because the praise that was prepared.

That's why they get upset because they're calling him

Yahweh while boss. And he's Hosanna.

He's saying this is about me. And then lastly is showing us

the way of his kingdom and what our response should be.

When we come into contact with this King and his kingdom.

It's not to co-opt him. It's not to fight against him.

It's to Simply fall on his Mercy, like these blind and

these lame who had no other option.

Like these kids who just fully trusted because they didn't know

any better and say hey save us now.

However, you want to do it. How how whatever looks like save

us now. This week was having

conversations with people who are experiencing Jesus.

And, and like, I leave with this weight because like, we want to

be a place where we disciple people, but I'm also like almost

scared for people who are experiencing just like, you

don't know what you're about to give up, but you're going to

lose your life and it's going to be hard and it's going to be

painful sometimes but like it's gonna be worth it and it's like

the sweet voice of the spirit is like bro.

I got this. It's not on you.

You can't transform Hearts. You can't make blind.

I see you can't make lame legs Dance for Joy.

You can't make kids understand. I got it.

We reminded how dependent we are on him.

Jesus finds those who know they need something outside of

themselves to save them and he shows up and he tells them good

news and he shows them, good news, and he's preparing the

way. For praise and worship to erupt.

And what he does here is just a foretaste of what he's about to

do in a few days as he gives up his own life, and that's the

last thing. Jesus is the king who prepares

the way for Praise by giving his life.

Did the beginning of our text today?

We're told that Jesus approached Jerusalem and wasn't the first

time he had done this. But this time it was different.

He knew that this time, his interactions would lead to him

suffering for the sins of humanity.

And that in order for humans to be counted worthy to worship

him, and he would have to enter into their unworthiness.

That he would have to experience the darkest parts of the human

experience. Shame humiliation violence.

And eventually death itself. See all of history.

Not just this week was leading up to Good Friday.

When just a few short days after he rides into Jerusalem, is

called the triumphal entry. So he rides in triumphantly and

just a few short days later. He would be led outside the city

Gates and defeat to be murdered. even he wept in the garden to

like, is there another way, and it's not just a physical toll

that's about that happened to his body, but the emotional and

spiritual weight of what was coming, and he knew So, he

trusted his father. Even with losing his life, he

knew that to prepare the way for worship to arise from All

Peoples that he would have to walk, not just into the gate of

Jerusalem, but into the very Gates of Hell itself.

And that's what he did on. Good Friday.

And this wasn't what was expected of this King.

If the if the leader of the revolution is dead, then how

does the revolution go forth? But this King came as Zechariah

prophesied. Not to continue the cycle of

violence, but to end it by succumbing to it.

Little did the crowd knows it when they cried for Jesus to

save them that he would answer their requests, but he would do

it by giving up his own life. And this is the way of this King

and his kingdom, as Jesus said, you gain your life by losing it.

The greatest in his kingdom. Is he who serves not?

He who responds in violent power.

Jesus always used his power and authority to serve.

That's a control, not to manipulate.

And this willingness to give up his As life which were told no

one takes his life. He gives it up and he dies and

he's placed in a tomb where he really died.

That's why we're told that his body really lay there on Holy

Saturday and it seemed like all hope was lost.

But as we're going to see more next week in full Jesus didn't

stay dead. I guess, I like, I love Easter

but like every week is Easter Sunday, every day.

Is Resurrection Day. Like Jesus is Alive and he got

back up from the grave and I'm glad we got a day to really

celebrate it, but we celebrate that all the time because he

lays in the Tomb on the Sabbath day and then he rises again to

conquer death hell and the grave.

And we're told it's the first day of the week which was the

same day that the original creation projects.

Started and now this new creation project, this new

people that Jesus is forming Goes Forth and he promised he

was going to create this people all the way back in Isaiah.

With him rising from the grave, he puts to that puts to rest the

doubts in our hearts. Of everyone who received him as

king because he is risen, everyone who cried, save us now,

can have hope to live as well. And so, in a good Friday, world,

where Darkness abounds, we can have Resurrection Sunday, hope

because he came to end all violence and War, and Division.

Look again, this week. We've been reminded of the

destructive nature of humanity because mass shootings are like

becoming so common. It's like we see it in the news

all the time, and we're almost desensitized to it.

It's like my heart cries. I like come quickly do something

about this. Like, you're not.

Okay. It's senseless.

But there is a day coming. When all weapons, all swords.

All AR-15s will be beaten into garden tools.

Like there's a prophecy. And in the point here is that,

what was used as a tool to tear down and Destroy will be

transformed into a tool to cultivate and build up and bring

about flourishing. This is what Jesus was

accomplishing in the cross and Resurrection for our own hearts

that are broken. And also for the entire Cosmos,

which is groaning to be restored.

This is the Glimpse in the foretaste.

We get on Palm Sunday when Jesus prepares a way for us.

And we can rejoice and celebrate, because Jesus is

risen. The one who was rejected has now

become the Cornerstone building a new people, and we become the

true Temple, the temple that he cleans like in Christ.

He is the true Temple and in him, we are now the Temple.

And so we worship him. Not just with songs or words or

empty platitudes, but with our entire life, Because Jesus

entered into the gates of hell, we can enter into the gates of

his presence, and we can be counted worthy to worship Him.

You with your baggage, with your Brokenness, with your trauma,

with your mistakes. Whatever it is.

You carry, like you, because of the work of Jesus can stand in

his presence and sing songs to him, and he receives it just as

sweet and cents. Jesus is fulfilling all of

Israel's history and all of the world's history.

So he's putting us back to that. But he's also pointing us to the

Future. Revelation 7 verse 9.

Revelation 7:9

After this I looked and there was a vast multitude that crowd

that numerous crowd was just a foretaste this vast multitude

from every nation tribe people and language which no one could

number standing Before the Throne and before the lamb they

were clothed in white robes and look what they're waving palm

branches in their hands. And they cried out with a loud

voice salvation. Belongs to our God.

Who is Seated on the throne and to the lamb?

One day because Jesus prepared the way for us.

We will stand in his presence completely worthy and white

robes us, what that signifies waving, the palm branches of joy

and salvation will be worshipping him.

And like when we see this King, the only natural response is to

respond and surrender and explode and worship and that's

what transforms us. That's what Corinthians tells us

your transform from one degree of Glory to another, as you see,

his Beauty and Majesty. It actually has real world

implications. Since it changes, you changes

actually possible. As we follow our team into this

new way, we become those who prepare the way for others.

To see, we become a people of Peace, not the vision.

We bring love not violence. We bring hope not condemnation

because that's what Jesus brought to you.

And not just on Sundays and the money through Saturday, our

entire life becomes worship. Everything our job, our career,

whatever it is, our schooling, our parenting are being Are, you

know having a spouse being married.

Everything takes on new meaning? It's not just the emotional

responses, you know, conjured up in a worship setting missing.

Those are bad things. But when we begin to see him in

the everyday, like, that's when it starts to click, just the

humble. Always flashy.

I just a little a Monday in the seemingly mundane The Humble

things of life. Actually begin to worship.

You say that was God, working the entry of this King, wasn't

big and flashy was normal and humble, but it was powerful and

that's my hope is that we can get a childlike glimpse of the

beauty of this King. Unfortunately often we grow

older than God in the way that we live and what I mean by that

is we look for fulfillment and satisfaction, the things of this

age and often we numb ourselves and we lose our wonder and

worship the everyday things that God is doing in life.

GK Chesterton, Chesterton explored this idea in his book

Orthodoxy. This is what he said.

He said, because children have abounding Vitality because they

are in spirit Fierce and free. Therefore they want things

repeated and unchanged. They always say, do it again and

the grown-up person does it again until he's nearly dead

like think about it. Right?

Your kids like do it again? Tickle me again.

Let me jump off the couch again. I'm like, no, I'm tired.

Stop on board. Our grown-up people are not

strong enough to exalt and monotony.

But perhaps, God is strong enough to exalt in monotony.

I want you to think about this. It is possible that God says,

every morning to it again to the Sun and every evening, do it

again to the Moon. It may not be automatic

necessity. That makes all daisies alike.

It may be that God makes every Daisy separately, but is never

got tired of making. It may be that he has the

Eternal appetite of infancy. For we have sinned, and grown

old and our father is younger than we.

And we see God in the everyday, may we be reminded of the

Beauty, and the Simplicity of the gospel story that Jesus rode

into Jerusalem to save Sinners and make the cosmos Knew by his

life. And Resurrection.

I was reminded of this just a few weeks ago.

I had the privilege of serving back in our new Eden kids

classes, and it was, it was an amazing, just reminder for me

and such a joy. Now, to be honest, when I

scheduled myself because I did, I was a little disappointed.

I don't think it was that I was serving that.

They're like visit another time of the week.

I think I'd be fine. But like I have serious fomo.

I hate missing out serious fear of missing out and I was like

man, I'm going to be back there with these kids, you know?

And all the good stuff, you know, is going to be happening

in big church, right, you know out here because the spirit of

God moves, you know in a greater way out here than back there in

that greasy kitchen, you know where the kids are right.

And I would never said that out loud.

I can't actually believe that, but my feelings and my emotions

were kind of in that. At space and so we're out here

singing. Then we go to the back, you

know, and I was just kind of hit one of the questions we have.

We start with family time back there.

We ask the kids. You know, what was one of the

highlights of your week? Best part about your weekend

was, you know, worst part about your week and then we ask them.

You know, how have you seen God working this week?

And you know, I thought man these kids, you know,

kindergarteners and younger, you know, they're not going to

understand this. But one of the ones I got from

one of the young men Was he said?

Well, you know, I was sick this week that laying my head on my

pillow and immediately I felt better and I woke up feeling

great. And it's easy for me to just

dismiss that well, that's coincidence, but I was able to

just and I told him, I said, man, isn't that amazing that God

made your body that way he created your body to kind of

heal on its own and deal with that.

Isn't that awesome? And then one of the young girls,

you know, not even knowing what actual Miracle it was, but she

said I got a good night's rest. I slept really good.

You know, normally my sister bothers me and she left me alone

and I slept really good and I'm like, you'll really appreciate

that. That is a miracle.

You know, the older you get. But is there giving God credit

for this just seemingly mundane stuff.

I thought maybe maybe this is true worship and its most pure

form and maybe this could be what God is after us, just

simply trusting him that that he's in control.

That that he's good that he's for us.

He's not out to just get us is actually for good.

And he cares enough about getting a good night's rest or

just a simple sickness and we give them credit.

Even if others think we're crazy.

And we got near the end of our time and so, you know, kids are

getting restless. And so we're just putting some

songs on them and they're just dancing on the rug and just

singing songs about Jesus and singing loud and in that moment,

like I felt like I got a glimpse of Eternity.

And you know to be honest like I didn't care if y'all heard us

out here was like screw y'all like we're worshipping out here.

I don't care if it's distracting.

No can deal with it. Like this is just as important.

And I thought about it, and I feel like, the spirit gave me

this gift. Just the fact that before the

foundations of the world. That God cared enough.

But our little kids here. And about his own worship that

he ordained praise to rise to him from a greasy kitchen from

the mouths of these little kids. And yeah, they don't know it all

and if you ask them to pontificate about God, they're

probably going to spew bunch of heresy, like but Jesus is being

worshipped based on his work alone based on the fact that he

prepared the way for it to happen.

My prayer for us. Like, I mean, this from my own

heart is that I would never grow too old to join in their song of

worship. Not only with our lips, but with

our lives. May we like little children like

the Blind and the lame man, who knows?

They need healing. May we cry out save us now

because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

We know that he will answer our request.