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Welcoming the King

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Matthew 21:1-11 March 29, 2026 (Palm Sunday) • Mount Pleasant UMC He arrived in Bethlehem under the cover of night. Quietly, almost secretly, in a way no one expected. The only ones to know that night, besides his mother and earthly father, were some no-good lowlifes who job meant they were out in a field this time of year. After they knew, they went and told everyone around, but no one listened to them. Their testimony was useless, inadmissible in court and unlistenable in the streets (cf. Card, Luke: The Gospel of Amazement , pg. 48; Hamilton, The Journey , pg. 113). So, for a while, the news that the king of the world had arrived was kept quiet. Maybe there was a stir when some astrologers arrived in Bethlehem from a far-off land, but after that the family disappeared for years and no one thought much about them. There was no one there besides his parents and a few animals to welcome the king. Thirty years later, this baby moved from obscurity to prominence. He began teachin...
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Welcoming the King (Study Guide)

“Welcoming the King” Sermon Study Guide for March 29, 2026 Downloadable Version Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11 The king is coming… 1. The Mountain and the Valley a. A donkey and _________________________ Zechariah 9:9 b. A _____________________________ c. ______________________________ “Hosanna to the Son of David” - Psalm 118 d. __________________ Branches e. Kidron Valley Judas and us 2. Welcoming the King a. Do you ____________________________? b. _________________ in your life c. _____________________________ d. Living out _______________________________ Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What are some unexpected ways Jesus has shown up in your life? Which of the symbols, do you think, would have spoken the loudest to those gathered with Jesus? Why? What songs would we sing in such a gathering today? What are the songs that define our church? Why do you think the disciples are silent during the parade? What did the palm branches represent? What would we use t...
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Even When You Lack

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1 Samuel 17:41-50 March 22, 2026 • Mount Pleasant UMC It’s a tale as old as time, and one of the most well-known and best told stories in all of human history. It’s often used as a metaphor for an underdog defeating the assumed champion (cf. Armstrong, Valleys , pg. 79). Just say the words “David and Goliath” and all sorts of images come to mind. The new politician who is up against someone who has been in office for twenty plus years. The small upstart business trying to make it against a national chain store. The small band of rebels who take on a tyrannical empire (come on, you know I had to put Star Wars in here somewhere!). It’s a classic story that just happens to be true but there’s one big difference between all of those stories in the news or popular culture and the one in the Bible, and it’s wrapped up in this question: from where does the strength to win come? This morning we’re continuing our journey through the Holy Land (from the comfort of our pews), over mounta...
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