HOSANNA!

Perfect timing...it just so happened that we were up to chapter 11 last evening in our Wednesday night study of Mark In The Now, which coincided with this Sunday being Palm Sunday...I love when things like that work out without any planning...hope to see many of you at CITN this Sunday (10 AM) to enjoy praise and worship, fellowship, the Word, water baptism and a celebration of the Triumphant King!

1. As they neared Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples ahead.

2. And He gave them very specific instructions, saying, "I want you to go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it you will find a young colt tied which has never been ridden by anyone. When you find it, I want you to unfasten it and bring it here to Me.

3. If anyone should ask you, 'Why are you taking this animal which doesn't belong to you?', just say to them, 'The Lord needs it, but He will send it right back here when He's through with it.'"

4. So they went on their way, and, sure enough, they found a colt tied at the door of a house as soon as they entered the village, and they went right up to it and loosed it.

5. And some who were standing there said to them, "What do you think you're doing? Why are you untying this man's colt?"

6. And they said to the people exactly what Jesus had told them to say...and it worked! The people allowed them to go without saying another word.

7. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and started throwing their outer garments on it, creating a sort of festive, makeshift saddle...and He sat on it.

8. And many of the people who were around took their cues from the disciples and began to spontaneously spread their garments on the road. Still others joined in with the impromptu decorating, and scattered a layer of leafy branches which they had cut from the fields along the route on which He would be travelling.

9. And still others formed a parade of praise, preceding Him on the road and crying out, joyfully and triumphantly, "Hosanna! Save, Lord! Praised and infinitely blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!

10. Praised and blessed in the name of the Lord is the coming Kingdom of our father David! Hosanna! Save, Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"