Rev. Brent L. White

Today's sermon marks the beginning of a new sermon series in 1 Peter. Its message couldn’t be more relevant for us today: the apostle Peter wants us to know deep and lasting happiness in Jesus Christ, which we can experience no matter what is happening in our lives. Even the suffering we experience and the trials we endure, Peter says, are for our good.

The angel in today’s scripture didn’t tell Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, “Jesus isn’t here. He is risen. Take my word for it.” He said, “Go and see!” And so we should rightly expect that if the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a real historical event—like any historical event that we know about—there should be evidence for it, which we can investigate. This sermon investigates some of that evidence before tackling the important question, “What does it mean?”This is my last sermon in this series on Matthew. Enjoy!

This sermon, from Matthew 21:1-11, was preached on Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017, at Hampton United Methodist Church. I begin by discussing the messianic roles that Jesus fulfills when he rides into Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry. Then I challenge us to consider whether or not Christ is king over our lives. How do we resist his kingship? Is the Lord calling us to change?