Coronavirus Response

  • Home
  • A-Z List
  • About
    • About the NCC
    • Connectional Table
    • Staff
  • Calendar
    • Events
    • Google Calendar
    • Past Events
  • Churches
  • Contact
    • Find Us
  • Districts
    • District Office
    • Beacon
    • Capital
    • Corridor
    • Fairway
    • Gateway
    • Harbor
    • Heritage
    • Sound
  • Employment
  • Search

NC Conference

Healthy Congregations and Effective Leaders in Every Place Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World

  • Discipleship
    Developing Disciples
    • Christian Formation
      • Children
      • Church & Society
      • College
      • Differently Abled Persons
      • Educational Ministries
      • Older Adults
      • Status & Role of Women
      • Young Adults
      • Youth
    • Church Revitalization
      • Coaching
      • Disciple Making Way
      • Evangelism
      • Grants
      • MissionInsite
      • Real Discipleship Survey
      • Shift
      • Spiritual Life
    • From the Bishop
      • Bishop’s Bookshelf
      • Bishop’s Sermons
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
      • Connections
      • Discipleship & Learning Plan
    • Multicultural
      • Anti-Racism
      • Asian
      • Hispanic-Latinx
      • Native American
      • Strengthening the Black Church
    • Stewardship
      • Apportionments
      • District Remittances
      • Financial Discipleship
      • Grants
      • Insurance
      • Mission & Service
      • Pension
      • Treasurer Training
  • Leadership
    Strengthening Leaders
    • Bishop’s Office
      • Appointment Book
      • Bishop’s Sermons
      • Church Transformation
      • Conflict Transformation
      • Connections
      • Discipleship & Learning Plan
    • Ministerial Relations
      • Board of Ordained Ministry
      • Called to Ministry?
      • Extension Ministries
    • Board of Laity
      • Certified Lay Minister
      • Lay Servant Ministries
      • Local Church Lay Leaders
      • United Methodist Men
      • United Methodist Women
      • United Methodist Youth
    • New Faith Comm.
      • Called to Plant?
      • New Room Society
      • Our Communities
    • Conference Offices
      • Center for Leadership Excellence
      • Christian Formation
      • Communications
      • Conference Secretary
      • Connectional Ministries
      • Information Technology
      • Multicultural Ministries
      • Outreach Ministry
      • Treasurer’s Office
  • Service
    Ministering To The World
    • Local Outreach
      • Church Construction
      • Church Loans
      • Restorative Justice and Mercy
      • Disciple Bible Outreach
      • NCC UMVIM
      • Seed Funds
      • Mission Projects
        • Health Ministry
    • Global Outreach
      • Imagine No Malaria
      • Love for Liberia
      • Missionaries
      • Project AGAPE
      • Sierra Leone: Mission of Hope
      • ZOE
    • Disaster Ministries
      • Donate to Storm Response
      • Hurricane Florence
      • MERCI
      • Response Plan
      • Response Team
      • UMCOR Kits
    • Giving
      • Advance/Rainbow Covenant
      • Apportionments
      • Give to Storm Response
      • Mission & Service
      • The Gary Wayne Locklear Mission Endowment
      • New Room Society
      • Special Sundays
    • Ministry Partners
      • Camps & Retreats
      • Partners In Ministry
      • Robeson Co. Church & CC
      • UMF
  • Resources
    Supporting Ministry
    • Conferences
      • Annual Conference 2020
      • Annual Conference 2021
      • Charge Conference 2020
      • General Conference
      • Pilgrimage
      • SEJ Conference 2016
    • Media Center
      • Catalog
      • Labyrinth
      • Ministry Tools
      • Online Resources
      • Weekly Newsletter
    • Online Resources
      • Anti-Racism
      • Archives & History
      • Church Lookup
      • Online Data Collection
      • Online Learning
      • Pastor Lookup
      • Podcasts (NCCUMC.FM)
      • Ramus: Web Hosting
      • Video (Vimeo)
    • Publications
      • Advent 2020
      • Appointment Book
      • Bible Study
      • Conference Directory
      • Conference Journal
      • Every Day Grace
      • Lenten Reflections
      • Mission & Service
    • From UMC.org
      • Agencies
      • Communications
      • Discipleship
      • Finance & Administration
      • Global Ministries
      • Graphics Library
      • Relief
      • Status & Role of Women
  • Bishop’s Office
  • About Bishop Ward
    • Biography
    • Bookshelf
    • Calendar
  • Appointment Book
  • Events
    • 2020 Asia Mission Initiative Summit /Vietnam Consultation
  • Reports & Rulings
    • Episcopal Rulings
  • Sermons
  • More
    • Conflict Transformation
    • Discipleship Plan
    • Emmaus
    • Lenten Reflections

connections: This Is the Day

March 22, 2016 Leave a Comment

Bishop Ward uses Psalm 118 scripture to guide us through Holy Week events from Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to his resurrection on Easter morning.

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. ”

Psalm 118 is appointed for Palm Sunday. As we began this Holy Week, we sang together, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

We imagine these words on the lips of little children as they waved palm branches, reaching out to touch Jesus as he rode into the city on the back of a donkey. We imagine these words on the lips of adults, of the crowd around Jesus, as they waved palm branches in the air and laid their cloaks and coats on the road, forming a carpet path for the donkey bearing Jesus into the city. This is the day that the Lord has made, the day of triumphal entry into the holy city.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118 is again appointed for Easter morn. The women find the tomb empty. Jesus is alive. The grave clothes are neatly folded on the spot where His body had been laying. We rejoice on this day, we are glad in it. This is the day God has made, no other than God could have raised Jesus from the dead.

In the days between Palm Sunday and Easter, we see Jesus giving himself for us. We see the full extent of love – redeeming love, patient love, long-suffering love. We see this love as Jesus is denied and betrayed. We see this love as He is scourged and nailed to a cross. We see this love as the cross is lifted high above the earth, with a criminal crucified on each side of Jesus. We see this love as Jesus breathes His last, giving His life for us.

This indeed is the time that God has made for us. This is Holy Week, the most holy of all weeks, as we see the redemptive, magnificent, never-ending love of God in Jesus Christ.

This is the day the Lord has made. We do rejoice and we are glad in it, for we know Christ alive, Christ risen, Christ reigning forever more.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Connections Tagged With: Bishop Ward, Connections, Easter, Holy Week, Palm Sunday, Psalm 118

connections

connections: Second Chances

connections: Vigilance

connections: Unbind Them

connections: UMAC Communicator of the Year

connections: Mothers in Israel

connections: Connected in Profound Ways

connections: Welcoming the Stranger

connections: Joy & Sorrow

connections: Dust and Ashes

connections: Vietnam Mission Initiative

NC Conference of The United Methodist Church · 700 Waterfield Ridge Place · Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.779.6115 · Toll-free: 800.849.4433 · Fax: 919.773.2308

Copyright © 2021 · Privacy Policy · Powered by WordPress · Site Admin

  • Español
  • 한국어