Showing posts with label Palm Sunday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Palm Sunday. Show all posts

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Because of Calvary-Be Glad (Palm Sunday weekend mediation)



The beginning of Psalm 32

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not [b]impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

...and then the ending

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord, 
mercy shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!


King of Calvary-Matt Redman



Be glad and shout for joy
All we who have believed
No power on earth can destroy
What Calvary achieved

Be glad and overjoyed
Hope crowns each step we trod
Where none can nullify or void
The promises of God

Be glad; Exalt the name
Of He who forgives sins
And grants the gift that all may claim
As faith its fight begins

Be glad, for our God reigns
His steadfast love prevails
Take heart and trust He who sustains
The Word that never fails

Be glad; beyond life’s cares
Awaits the victory
Joy crowns faith’s pilgrimage of prayers
Because of Calvary

Be glad and trust in He
Who is not overthrown
Fret not evil’s prosperity
That soon will be cut down

Be glad no matter what
Do not love’s law forsake
For God upholds the righteous but
The wicked He will break

Be glad and wait on He
Who Salvation’s cross braved
Be glad because of Calvary
Doomed sinner can be saved

Our hope is in the Lord
What blessed hope is He
Whose imperishable reward
Unfolds eternally

© Janet Martin

sometimes the darkness of  the world 
where the wicked seem to prosper 
could threaten to overshadow the Light!
May that never be!
But may His Word ever be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path
Ps.119:105

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, 
we are of all people most to be pitied.

So that being justified by his grace 
we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Psalm 37

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

7Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.

9For evildoers shall be [b]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
10For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
14The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.

16A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.

18The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.

21The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be [c]cut off.

23The steps of a good man are [d]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

25I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26He is [e]ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.

27Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.

30The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall [f]slide.

32The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.

34Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36Yet [g]he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

37Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.










Saturday, April 4, 2020

Twixt Stones and Stars...

It is Palm Sunday Weekend!
Last evening the bow that God first placed in the heavens after the flood
felt like a tangible reminder of I AM with us!



We touch the heavens with our eyes
Tangle with frames of paradise
And lest the stones cry out, we praise
The God of love’s mysterious ways

The tears that weep from yonder skies
Fill pockets deep inside our eyes
Where grief and joy its fountains probe
And drench the hemline of Hope’s robe

...while stars and stones spar deep within
The soul’s scarred carriage of frail skin
We fear, we pray, we mourn, we laugh
And cling to Mercy’s rod and staff

...with hope that will not lead to shame
Fixed on Love’s everlasting name
We praise when we are vaunt to doubt,
Lest God forbid, the stones cry out

That mustard seed of faith we crave
Will be enough to help us brave
This interlude twixt stones and stars
Till deathless soul breaks through yon bars

© Janet Martin

Praise Him with joy's salutation
Praise Him with fear
Praise the Author of salvation
With a tear

Praise Him from the highest mountain
from the deep vale
For Love's Goodness everlasting
will not fail 

Praise Him with anthems of gladness
Praise Him with groan
Praise Him with prayers borne of sadness
We are not alone

 © Janet Martin

  


28After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32So those who were sent went out and found it just as Jesus had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34“The Lord needs it,” they answered. 35Then they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over it, and put Jesus on it.
36As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. 37And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
38“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”c
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”d
39But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”
40“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
(Isaiah 29:1-16)
41As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it 42and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. 43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. 44They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.e



Sunday, April 14, 2019

A Palm Sunday (and every day) Song of Praise


 

 I was blessed to be part of the kids Sunday School lesson today,as the eyes of young and old 
turned to the form of The King of kings riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.
The Story Leader told how many thought this could not be the King or Messiah because surely the King of the Jews would not come on a donkey!
 She went on to remind us that in life, when what we hope for doesn't look like we thought it would
 it is good to remember that God/Love has a far bigger, better plan in place
than we can know through what we see in the present!



Sing to the Lord, praise Him, infants and children
Sing to the Lord, young and old, weak and strong
Sing to the Lord, every tribe, every nation
Worship the God of salvation with song

Worship the One who does not hold against us
The awful penalty for our sin
Sending His Son Jesus, perfect and blameless
Love gave His life so that death would not win

Sing to the Lord, rich and poor, wise and simple
Sing to Lord for the gift of His Son
Worship the King, fill His flesh and blood temple
With glad thanksgiving for what He has done

Law cannot change it, time cannot erase it
Once and for all Jesus rose from the dead
Sing to the Lord and let nothing replace it
Lest God forbid, the stones cry out instead

Sing to the Lord of lords, sing to the King of kings
Sing to the author of mercy and grace
Worship the One who loves us more than anything
And thus gave Himself to be death in our place

Worship the One through Whom sin is forgiven
Worship the One who has saved us from hell
Worship the One true God of earth and Heaven
Worship the One too wonderful to tell

Sing to the Lord, Praise Him, infants and children
Sing to the Lord, Young and old, weak and strong
Sing to the Lord, every tribe, every nation
Worship the God of salvation with song

© Janet Martin

Luke 19:36-40
 As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road.
And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully
in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”b
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”c
But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”
“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”