PASTOR'S CORNER

Luke 19:37-44 This special Sunday is a historical event of prophecy fulfilled!  The Gospels all contend that this incident was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  The gospel writers affirm what was said by the prophet Zechariah, who was among the 50,000 or so Jews who returned in the first wave of Hebrews released from Babylonian captivity in 536 B.C.  He wrote about this event five centuries before the birth of Jesus (520 B.C.).  The prophet’s main emphasis was to rekindle spiritual fervor in Israel’s hearts after they had fallen into a state of apathy.  We read this in Zech 9:9 “"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” This was a day of mixed emotions for anyone who stood along that road that day! It’s a day of joy and peace as Luke pens here in this passage. (v38)  The i...

Eph 4:13-16 In 1973, a horse named Secretariat became a legend in his time. Not only did Secretariat win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, but he did it with an unprecedented performance. At the Belmont Stakes, he not only won the race by 31 lengths, but he set new records along the way as he went faster with each phase of the run. For one-and-one-half miles, that famous thoroughbred ran faster every second. Secretariat was accelerating at such an incredible pace that his trainer noted if the race had been extended another lap, his heart would have literally exploded. It is always tempting to settle in to status quo performance, but the greatest joy is found in straining ahead to not just finish, but to finish well.  The Apostle Paul charged this to Timothy and for Timothy to remind the church this truth that each and every one of us should follow on a daily basis.  Paul said “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith....