Palm Sunday Hospitality

¹ As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ² “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
⁴ This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
⁵ “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’”
⁶ The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it. (Matthew 21:1-7)

⁸ Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,
“Praise God for the Son of David!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Praise God in highest heaven!”
¹⁰ The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked. (Matthew 21:8-10)

¹³ “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13 (ESV))

³⁹ But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” ⁴⁰ He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:39-40)

⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ¹¹ Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. ¹² Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ¹³ When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13)

: the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, and strangers.

⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:8-9)

Christlike Hospitality:

1. Be .

2. with others.

3. attention.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ ³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

Additional Notes

What’s Happening at Crossroads

NEW HERE?

We’re so glad you’ve chosen to come to Crossroads today! We want to thank you for visiting and would love to get to know you. Stop by and say hello at one of our Welcome Centers, our First Step area, or check out ecrossroads.info for more. We can’t wait to meet you!

EXPERIENCE THE EASTER JOY OF “COMING HOME”!

​Easter is a time to focus on the joy of “coming home.” We’ll be celebrating that joy this Easter with five different gathering times between April 8th and 9th:
• South: Saturday at 5 p.m.; Sunday at 9:15 & 10:45 a.m.
• Downtown: Sunday at 9:15 & 10:45 a.m.
Easter isn’t possible without a team of volunteers helping to make our special gatherings unforgettable. Will you join us this year? There are Easter serving opportunities available at both campuses. We encourage you to serve one gathering and attend one gathering. We also have volunteer spots available for our Good Friday experience. You can sign up online at https://ecrossroads.org/easter/

GOOD FRIDAY EXPERIENCE

On April 7th, we will be having a Good Friday Experience from noon to 8 p.m. at our Downtown campus. This short self-guided interactive experience is designed to help you reflect on Jesus’ death and the significance of that event in our lives today. This “Journey to the Cross” is different from previous experiences and will be just as powerful! This experience will take place during Downtown Kokomo’s First Friday event. Please pray for folks from our community to encounter Jesus in a brand new way. And if you’d like to be part of the team that serves them, please sign up at ecrossroads.org/easter/#goodfriday.

YOUR PUBLIC DECLARATION

Are you ready to go public with your faith? Baptism is your outward expression of the inward change that happens when you accept Jesus Christ as Savior. If you are ready to take that step with Christ, click the link and make plans to be baptized during an Easter gathering! We’ll celebrate with you!