Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday 

John 12:9-10

9 Meanwhile, a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him, many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

Religion can be defined as: Ones belief in God and the expression of those beliefs through your practice. So then religion is not only what we believe, but what we do in our religious practice. So it is my prayer today, that we never allow our religious beliefs, practice and or  traditions to denigrate into something that fails to reflect the image of GOD in this world.

My Subject this morning  is: “Don’t Allow Your Religion to Kill Your Witness” 

In the portion of scripture that was read, from the Gospel of John 12:9-13  we see the contrast between the different attitudes towards Christ. We see the religious leader’s rejection of Christ and their continuing plots to silence His voice by killing Him and Lazarus. We also see the people who cried out Hosanna, which means “save us”. They were waving palm branches in celebration as Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. So yes, we see the tension between the arrogant religious rejection of Christ and, the profound humility of the poor and oppressed people as they welcomed Christ.

So I stopped by this morning to remind all of us that: even in our own lives and in our ministry we will experience the tension between rejecting and welcoming Christ. However, we must not allow our religion to kill our faithful and effective witness. 

May God prosper you according to His divine will and purpose.

Rev. Jay Stuart Glover