Toongabbie Anglican Church Blog

Weekly Blurb

The final week of Jesus

Sunday 12 March, 2006 · Posted by Philip Bassett

As we lead up to Easter we are commencing a series of sermons in the morning services that look at the events of the week leading up to the first Easter.  We start this week with Palm Sunday, when we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Next week we’ll recall Jesus cleansing the temple; the week after one of Jesus’ clashes with the religious authorities; then some of Jesus’ teaching to the crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover.  We’ll look at the Last Supper and then Jesus’  trial and crucifixion on Good Friday and his triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday.

I have generally tried to avoid the ritualism of observing the seasons of the church calendar lest the events become just that, merely ritual, and we lose touch with the significance of what Jesus has done for us, but from time to time it is important that we are reminded of the fundamentals of our faith.  Not just the basic doctrines that comprise Christian faith but the historical events, recorded for us in the scriptures.

The Christian faith is based on those real events.  They really happened, with real people and real places as the great God of the universe entered our world.  The Christian faith is not just superstition or ritual but belief in our God who sent his Son, who we know as Jesus Christ, to rescue us from the consequences of our sin and rebellion.  The Christian faith is not just a set of philosophical beliefs that satisfy the human intellect.

I hope that as we look again at the events of that last week we will capture again the wonder and awe of what our God has done for us.

If you would like to do some reading that parallels these sermons I recommend Max Lucado’s “And the Angels Were Silent – The Final week of Jesus” which is probably still available in the Christian bookshops.

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