Triumphant Parade!

For Wednesday, September 17, 2025:

Luke 19:38 NLT, the crowd shouting as Jesus entered Jerusalem: “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”

This scripture describes Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem. We celebrate this on Palm Sunday. Many believers anticipated Jesus’ return for Passover, and they were not disappointed!

I’m always amazed at how the scenario begins. Jesus sends two disciples into town to borrow a donkey that heretofore had not been ridden. I’ve never had a donkey, but my uncle had horses, and I know full well the challenges present when riding an unbroken animal! Furthermore, the donkey is valuable. It could not only move people, but also transport farm supplies and haul grain to market. It’d be like if I asked to borrow your Ford F150, we didn’t even know each other, and you said, “Go ahead – here’s the keys!”

I love a parade! Last week we took my grandson (age 3) to the fire truck parade. People cheered and clapped, the trucks rang their big bells and sirens filled the air. Actually, candy filled the air, tossed from the fire trucks, much to the delight of our 3 year old! Jesus’ parade didn’t have candy, but there was plenty of shouting and clapping. People lined the route with palm branches and colorful garments, celebrating the wonderful miracles they had seen. They shouted, “Hosanna!,” which means “Save us – save us now!” You wouldn’t ask anyone to save you unless you believed they could do that! I rest my case!

The Pharisees didn’t like what they saw. “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”

To which Jesus replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

We should all add our cheers to those from along the Jerusalem road: “Hosanna! Save us, save us now!” We believe Jesus already did that for us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Parade Day!

For Friday, July 25, 2025:

John 12:13 AMP: “A large crowd of Passover visitors took branches of palm trees [in homage to Jesus as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

This scripture describes Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Christians celebrate it on Palm Sunday. Jesus’ popularity with the populous had been increasing, and this day marked the pinnacle of his ministry. The crowd shouted, “Hosanna,” which means, “save us.” Save us from hell, save us from the lake of fire and grant us a place in your Kingdom. Shouting hosanna also implies an urgency. “Save us, save us now!” Stop and think – you’d only ask someone to save you, to redeem you, if you believed they could fulfill that request!

Jesus rode a borrowed donkey that day, fulfilling scripture. Donkeys were valuable in that they could transport a heavy load from point A to point B. Imagine someone saying, “I’m going to take your F-150 pickup. The Lord has need of it!” Probably wouldn’t happen, but God was showing off his Son that day, and He may have had a hand in it! God has a hand in most everything! This was parade day, and Jesus was the celebrated Grand Marshall!

On the street, people were still talking about how Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. That’s why so many flocked out to meet him. They had heard of that miracle. It was starting to look like Jesus could be the promised Messiah. Let’s all go and check it out!

So friends, let’s try this: When everyone is praising the Lord at church, try shouting out, “Hosanna!” Save me, save me now. Picture Jesus riding through the congregation on a borrowed donkey. Picture a parade right up the center aisle. Tell Jesus you love him. Assure him that you’re not like the fickle ones who abandoned him. True believers are in this until the end!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship