Out of the Frying Pan

• Palm / Passion Sunday

with Mark 11 and Philippians 2

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This worship service was broadcast on Facebook Live 3/25/18

https://www.facebook.com/FUMCWV/

• I often write down current events when considering a message. I don’t often have a sermon title, but at the end of the Rehab series, and looking towards Good Friday, “out of the frying pan and into the fire” came to mind. Rehab and looking within and embracing the wilderness as God’s way of making all things new… Last week was Promise. I will be with you I will forgive. Sounds great. And this week? Buckle up, this is the climax of the salvation story.

There will be no dawn without darkness first. No relief without suffering first.
No resurrection without death first. And Jesus leads the way.

• Lifted up by crowds today as celebrity and king, the tide of public opinion turns in the days to come, and come Friday we have crowds shouting for the public execution of Jesus.

We also have Paul’s ancient hymn of praise about Jesus, who emptied himself, humbled himself, endured the pain shame suffering of the cross, did so willingly voluntarily why?

Relationship. So that we could live. WHAT IF So that we could know that whatever suffering the world can come up with, God does not abandon us in it but joins us in it embraces us in it in order to bring us to wholeness.

Paul writes in Romans there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not the shame pain or suffering of addiction, drugs, alcohol, sex, what have you. Jesus says I’m with you, I want to bring you through this.

• Yesterday Bishop with Way Forward report, story of Jacob’s ladder, again, I will be with  you, I will protect you, I will bless you. Jacob fleeing for his life, not looking for God, and God comes in and chooses relationship. And our bishops will put before the church some options to consider along with the trust that God will not abandon even though we can’t see the future that God will lead & we will seek to bring others into relationship with God.

• Yesterday millions of young people around US and world spoke up in aftermath of 2/14 school shooting in Parkland Florida saying Enough and March for our lives. Tough road ahead no matter how you slice it. And we who value relationship will encourage.

• Yesterday funeral of Coach Ernie S. died 59, gave of his life for over 30 years in relationship.

• Jesus lived so that we could live. Jesus died so that we could be reconciled and continue in relationship with God and each other. Let us trust in him and follow, and seek to be in relationship with others.

• Hymn 397 I Need Thee Every Hour

Philippians 2:5-11 (HCSB)

5 Make your own attitude  that of Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.

7 Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.

And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.

9 For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
11 and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. ò

Mark 11:1-11 (HCSB)

11 When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples 2 and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

4 So they went and found a young donkey outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, 5 and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the donkey?” 6 They answered them just as Jesus had said, so they let them go. 7 Then they brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their robes on it, and He sat on it.

8 Many people spread their robes on the road, and others cut leafy branches from tress and spread them on the road as well. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting:

Hosanna! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One!
10 The coming kingdom of our father David is blessed!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!

11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple complex. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve. ò