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This is a sermon preview for Sunday March, 26, 2023. It is the 6th week of the Lent sermon series "Songs in the Desert." "This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 'Say to Daughter Zion, "See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” - Matthew 21:4-5 I don't know where the idea came from, but somewhere along the way I got the idea that if magical genies in a bottle existed, they would always try to mess up my wish. "I wish my dog could talk!" Congratulations, man's best friend now speaks Ancient Ugaritic, an utterly dead language, fluently. "I wish I were a millionaire!" You want to be a millionaire, now you are: in Korean won — which means you're not even a "thousand-aire" in United States dollars. Sometimes I worry that people have that impression when I say God always surprises us. Sometimes I wonder if when I say, "God doesn't give us what we expect," that is the vision they have. It's bad enough we treat God like a "genie in a bottle," some of us might wonder if we should consult a lawyer before asking him anything. Thankfully, that's not the case. Palm Sunday shows us not only that God surprises us, but that Jesus himself brings blessings beyond which the crowd was imagining when they shouted "Hosanna!" ("Save!") "Palm Sunday isn’t just about humility; it also about the expansive kingdom of the Son." - Esau McCaulley What New Testament scholar Esau McCaulley points out is that the very donkey Jesus rides on indeed shows us Christ's humility but it also shows us something more: God's great blessing of his expansive Kingdom. It is also a reference to Zechariah 9:9. And that is 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. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Zech. 9:9–10, my emphasis) Jesus comes not as a military savior to vanquish Israel's enemies. He comes as the one who fulfills the promise once made to Abraham and his descendants: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ...and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3b The crowd says "Save!" and he does. But Jesus does not save in the way the crowd expects. In fact, by the end of the week there is another crowd. This crowd greets Jesus not with Palms in the air and cloaks on the ground but with jeers of "Crucify Him!" The blessing of God may sometimes look like anything but – but it's not a trick. When we cry out to God, when we sing Hosanna, we may not know what the answer to that prayer looks like. But we do not have to be fearful that unless we word our prayers exactly right, unless we examine or thought and our words for lawyer-like precision in language, that God will find some loophole in our prayers. Instead, we are surprised by God's self-giving love because he gives us more of himself, more of the blessing than we might imagine. As Augustine said, “God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.” C.S. Lewis described human desire as being too small, when God wants to give us, his children, greater gifts. Yet we are too often like a child who wants to keep playing in the mud because they can't imagine what a vacation by the sea would be like. The crowd with the Palms, and too often I, have a mind too small for the blessing it means that Christ came not to conquer sinners and those who stand against God (which too often includes me!), but to die for them. This Palm Sunday, we'll sing Hosanna (Save!) and be surprised again and again, because the way God answers that prayer will be even better than we could have imagined.

This is a sermon preview for Sunday March, 26, 2023. It is the 5th week of the Lent sermon series "Songs in the Desert." “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.” - Psalm 130 Have you ever been trapped in a ditch? With Spring Break upon us, I’m reminded of previous travels. On one service trip, I found myself in the mountains where it was a literal hike between the various buildings that made up the orphanage’s campus. Amidst stunning overlooks, I was keenly aware that many of these rocky paths had no railing or guard. At any moment, this clumsy girl could fall into a sizable ditch. On the way to breakfast, I paused beside one of these spots and stared into the depths of the pit. I don’t know how long I’d been staring down there when a concerned voice beside me shouted, “You’re not thinking about jumping, are you?” “On the contrary,” I smiled. “I was trying to imagine how anyone would get out of that ditch. I’d be stuck unless someone heard me yell for help.” Thankfully I didn’t fall that week. But anyone who’s ever had to call a AAA tow truck knows that I was right: once you find yourself in a ditch, you’re stuck. And the Psalmist knew that all too well. While not a literal ditch, sin has a very real stronghold in this world that left the Psalmist–and us–stuck. With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, the Psalmist has nothing to do except cry from the depths–a Hebrew word that has the connotation of teetering on the edge of death and destruction. But the Psalmist doesn’t only cry in Psalm 130. They wait. In a culture that is all go-go-go, waiting seems like the same thing as doing nothing. Waiting seems passive. But in scripture, to wait on the Lord is active. Waiting is an act of defiance in the face of sin and death. When we wait, we are giving up our illusion of control and giving witness to who God is. We can only wait because God has promised to be our redeemer. We can only wait because Jesus suffered, died, and descended into Hell–the lowest depth we could ever find ourselves in. And from that depth, Christ raises us up with him. We only wait because the hope of Christ’s cross shows us God’s great power to redeem us from the ditch. Sometimes singing to our redeemer looks a lot like waiting. Reflection Questions: What ditch of sin do you find yourself or your community in this Lenten season? How does Psalm 130 inspire you to cry to the Lord in prayer this week? What does it look like for you to worship God through the practice of hopeful waiting this week?

Holy Week April 1st - April 9th Spring Egg Hunt 2 - 3 p.m. | Saturday April 1st All families are invited to kick-off Holy Week with FBCM, sister churches, and the Ross Community Center at this year's community egg hunt! Check-In with family activities will begin at 2:00 PM. Children will be assigned to one of the three egg hunt areas based on age, and the egg hunts will begin promptly at 2:30 PM. To volunteer for this event, register here Palm Sunday Sunday April 2nd 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School (Various Classrooms) 10:15 a.m. -Donut [Semi-] Hour (Fellowship Hall) 10:45 a.m. - Worship (Sanctuary) Join us for a special day of worship. Children and youth will greet us in the service to wave branches. Families which wish their children to participate in this special way to remember Christ's entry into Jerusalem will need to be in the sanctuary ready to receive branches by 10:40 a.m. For more information about worship at FBCM keep your eyes on the Wednesday Weekly news! Sanctuary Open For Prayer 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. | Monday - Friday | April 3rd - April 7th FBCM is opening our sanctuary for prayer during the midday lunch hour every day of Holy Week. This is a come-and-go, individually guided prayer opportunity. Good Friday Service Friday, April 7th 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Join us for a reflective and moving Good Friday service when we remember that Christ went to the cross on Calvary for our salvation. Easter Worship Sunday April 9th 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School (Various Classrooms) 10:15 a.m. -Donut [Semi-] Hour (Fellowship Hall) 10:45 a.m. - Worship (Sanctuary) "Christ Is Risen Indeed!" We invite you to join us for a celebration of Christ's Resurrection! Join us as we meet the same Christ who was raised from the grave in fellowship, the preaching of the word, and in lifting up our voices in praise. There are ways for all ages to be involved in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. For more information on our worship see our "What to Expect" page!