Palm Sunday: King Jesus & The Table that satisfies.

It's that time of year again! We just celebrated Palm Sunday, that powerful day in the Christian calendar where we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, but also the sobering reality of what was to come only a few days later. This Sunday at Trinity Church Owen Sound, we were reminded that following Jesus isn't about maintaining our own definition of "normal."

Often, we approach Christianity with the expectation that God wants us to have a "perfect," "successful," or "triumphant" life by the world's standards. But, as Jeremy pointed out in this week’s message, the Christian life is not normal. Jesus says: "Those who seek to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and the sake of the gospel will save it." That’s a powerful and counter-cultural statement! It challenges our desire for power, control, and a life built on our own terms.

Think about the crowd on Palm Sunday. They were waving palm branches and shouting "Hosanna," excited for a king who they thought would satisfy their political and immediate needs. But just a few days later, some of those same people joined the crowd shouting, "Crucify him." Why? Perhaps because Jesus’ definition of "king" and "kingdom" was so different from what they expected.

This week’s message posed a challenging question to us all:

If you claim Jesus as king, are you truly willing to follow where he leads?

Do we want to surrender our own wisdom, our own comfort, and our own desires for control, and accept that God's ways are higher than ours? It’s a call to move beyond our own understanding and to truly kneel before him.

In our world, we’re often invited to a "table" of power, prestige, and success, but it's a table we have to fight for, and the satisfaction it offers is fleeting. But Jesus invites us to a different kind of table. Through his sacrifice, he offers a place that is already secure, a seat we haven't earned but are freely given.

This table—which we celebrated through communion—isn't about our efforts to be "better," "holier," or "smarter." It's an invitation to stop trying to be "enough" on our own and to simply receive the love that transforms.

As we go through this Holy Week, let's take a moment to reflect on what it means to truly make Jesus King of our lives. Let's remember that the journey won't always make sense by the world's standards, but it is a path that leads to a love that never fails.

Lord Jesus, we want to hail you as king. Forgive us for often trying to build our own version of your kingdom. Teach us what it means to surrender our control and sit at the table you’ve prepared. Help us to experience your transforming love and to live out our faith in vibrant community. Amen.

If you weren't able to join us, you can listen to the full podcast episode here. You won't want to miss it!

Remember, Trinity Church Owen Sound exists to love God and others, share the good news, expand His kingdom, and make disciples who grow more like Jesus in vibrant community.

Join us on this journey! We'd love to see you soon

Is "Normal" really the goal?The Invitation to SurrenderA Table that satisfies.A Prayer for our journey together.Missed the service? Listen now.

For a full summary of this sermon please visit our BLOG

Thanks for listening!

As we journey through Lent toward the cross, the Holy Spirit invites us to something much deeper than simple behavior modification. In this episode, we explore the stark contrast between how the world perceives us and how God sees us, drawing from the anointing of David in 1 Samuel 16 and the call to walk in light in Ephesians 5.

• The Heart Over Image: Why God bypassed the impressive Eliab to choose the overlooked shepherd boy, and what that means for our own "image management."

• The Exchanged Life: Moving from the "try harder" mentality to letting Christ live His life through you—a concept championed by Hudson Taylor and Major Ian Thomas.

• From Darkness to Light: How bringing our hidden struggles into the light isn't about shame, but about finding true freedom.

• Awake, O Sleeper: A call for the "spiritually sleepy" to reawaken to the constant availability of Christ’s presence.

Key Takeaway: Real spiritual transformation begins where the pretending ends. Join us as we learn to stop managing our appearance and start trusting God with our hearts.

Scripture References: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; Psalm 23

Inside this Episode:

In our latest episode of the Trinity Church Owen Sound Podcast, we dove deep into the season of Lent and a question that might surprise you: How did Jesus actually prepare His disciples for the very first Easter?

If you missed the episode, here’s a look at the "bigger plan" Jesus was unfolding—and how it applies to our lives today as we seek to be a vibrant community grounded in truth.

Interestingly, while many of us observe Lent through fasting, Jesus’ disciples famously did not fast while He was with them. When questioned about it in Matthew 9, Jesus used a peculiar analogy: He called Himself the bridegroom and the time with His disciples a wedding feast. You don’t fast at a wedding; you celebrate!

But Jesus added a twist: He noted that the groom would be "taken away," and then they would fast. This "pause" in the wedding wasn't an accident. Jesus was giving the Bride (the Church) more time. He had a plan to prepare them for something much larger than just surviving His crucifixion—He was preparing them to reach the world.

Through the books of Luke and Acts, we see that the disciples were often "slow of heart" to believe. They had cultural baggage, expecting a military Messiah to overthrow Rome. Jesus had to patiently deconstruct those expectations through:

1. The Road to Emmaus: Jesus walked them through the Scriptures to show that the Messiah had to suffer before entering His glory.

2. The Upper Room: He proved His resurrection was physical (by eating some barbecued fish!) and then opened their minds to the Great Commission: that repentance and forgiveness must be proclaimed to all nations.

3. The Ascension & Pentecost: He told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, the "undoing of Babel" began as people from every corner of the known world heard the Gospel in their own native languages.

The book of Acts shows a God who is constantly pushing the boundaries of the "insider" circle.

• Acts 8: The Gospel reaches the "half-breed" Samaritans.

• Acts 10-11: Peter is given a vision of "unclean" animals and told, "Do not call anything unclean that I have called clean." This opened the door for the Gentiles (that’s most of us!) to be fully included in the family of God.

The sermon challenged us with a powerful question: We have Him, but does He have us? We "get it"—we truly understand Jesus' plan—when our desire for comfort and distraction is outweighed by our desire to see the eternal hope of Jesus reach our neighbors and the nations. We understand it when we see that every situation we are in, no matter how messy the world feels, is a "small thing" to a big God.

The wedding is currently on pause, and the Groom is preparing a home. In the meantime, we have work to do. Whether it’s through board game nights, helping a neighbor in the cold, or praying for missions in Sudan, we are called to be witnesses of a hope that doesn't fade.

In this episode we hear from Peter Watt, a counsellor with Crossways to Life Ministry. He wraps up marriage month with an important message.

1) God can feel absent in the moment, but is often obvious in hindsight.

In life there are seasons of darkness and pain, yet looking back reveals God’s presence woven through the whole story.

2. Redeeming marriages starts with one priority: Christ first.

When Jesus is first, it relieves crushing pressure off a spouse. A healthy marriage is not “you complete me,” but “we both depend on Christ.”

3. Many marriage breakdowns trace back to two core issues.

Couples often struggle because they do not know who they are in Christ, and they do not understand what biblical marriage is meant to be.

4. Childhood messages create identity lies that people hide behind.

Subconscious beliefs like “I’m not good enough” drive shame, hiding, and coping strategies (the “fig leaves”) that sabotage intimacy and partnership.

5. Biblical marriage aims at covenant oneness and safety, not performance.

From Genesis 2: leave and cleave, become one flesh, and live rooted in love, meaning increasing vulnerability—made possible as Christ lives His life through believers (Galatians 2:20).

"Marriage Under the Reign of Christ"

• Marriage isn't meant to be sustained by human strength alone

- It requires a vertical connection with Christ rather than solely relying on our spouse horizontally.

• We look horizontally for what should come vertically

- Many marriage struggles arise when we seek from our spouse what only Christ can provide: life, worth, security, and identity.

• The desire to be known and loved isn't sinful

- These are created longings, but the problem is the location where we seek fulfillment, not the desire itself.

• We transfer divine weight to our spouse

- When our vertical connection with Christ fades, we unconsciously place expectations on our spouse to carry what only Christ was designed to carry.

• Marriage struggles don't mean love has disappeared

- They often indicate that marriage is being asked to bear a divine weight it was never meant to hold.

• Christ is our source, not our spouse

- When Christ becomes our life source again, our expectations of our spouse become human-sized and realistic.

• Marriage is two people under one King

- It's about shared dependence on Christ, walking together in faith rather than completing or fixing each other.

• The response is return, not performance

- This isn't about trying harder or following a checklist, but about reconnecting with Christ as our source of life.

• When Christ carries the weight, marriage doesn't have to be God

- Marriage can become the gift it was meant to be when we stop asking it to be our savior.

• Look vertically, not horizontally

- The solution to marriage struggles is turning our eyes to Jesus rather than placing all our hope in our spouse.

The Foundation of Marriage

Marriage Requires a Foundation Beyond Ourselves

Many couples enter marriage focused on their own needs and expectations ("me, me, me"), but lasting marriages require putting God at the center. When both partners say "God, God, God" instead of "you, you, you," transformation begins and the relationship can be built on solid rock rather than sand.

Common Marriage Struggles Emerge Around Years 12-15

Couples typically face significant challenges around 12-15 years of marriage when pressures mount from raising children, career demands, aging parents, and unmet expectations. These struggles reveal the idols and self-centeredness we brought into the marriage, which God graciously brings to light so they can be addressed.

Essential Questions Before Marriage

Men should ask themselves: "What am I inviting her into?" rather than "Will you complete my single life?" Women should consider: "What am I saying yes to?" beyond their childhood fantasies of a Prince Charming. Without clarity on these foundational questions, couples build on false expectations.

FAITH Acronym for Marriage Success

Follow Christ together, Accept each other fully, cultivate true Intimacy (being fully known), Trust in God's power and promises, and maintain Hope in something real and eternal. Only God provides the unchanging foundation needed for marriage to withstand life's storms.

Faith as the Unbreakable Bond

Using the hand illustration: when faith in God (middle fingers locked together) is the foundation, even when sickness/health, rich/poor, and better/worse pull us apart (thumbs and pinkies separated), the marriage covenant (ring fingers) remains secure. Without God at the center, these pressures will tear the relationship apart.

In this episode we kick off Marriage Month, a yearly event that spans the month of February at Trinity Church. Richard and Carolyn discuss the important of loving God first in our lives as well as the importance of marriage both for families and the world at large.

True generosity begins not with what we give, but with what we’ve received. We can only live generously to the degree we understand God’s grace toward us. Like children who know they belong, we approach God not as distant strangers but as sons and daughters with full access to our Father. In Christ, the door is already open.

Luke 19 reminds us of this through Zacchaeus. Before Zacchaeus repents, gives, or changes, Jesus seeks him, calls him by name, and invites Himself into his life. Grace initiates. God’s generosity toward us always comes first—and it is that grace which gives us a new heart.

Grace Meets Us and Transforms Us

Jesus meets Zacchaeus exactly where he is, not where he pretends to be. He brings relationship before reform, fellowship before fixing behavior. Zacchaeus’ generosity isn’t pressured or demanded—it overflows naturally from a heart that has been seen, welcomed, and restored. Grace restores relationship first, and changed behavior follows.

What once owned Zacchaeus—his wealth—becomes a tool for healing and restoration. Grace transforms possession into stewardship and loss into freedom. Generosity is no longer a burden; it becomes a testimony of what God has already done.

Grace Gives Us a New Identity

Jesus ends by declaring Zacchaeus a “son of Abraham.” Grace doesn’t just change what we give—it changes who we are. Our past is redeemed, our purpose reshaped, and our possessions reordered under Christ’s lordship.

We don’t give to earn God’s love.

We give because we already have it.

Grace came looking for us.

Grace found us.

Grace stayed with us.

And now, grace flows through us.

Where might Jesus be seeking to meet you today?

What if everything you've been taught about those famous parables in Matthew 13 has been backwards? In this episode, we flip the script on the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. You're not the merchant frantically searching and sacrificing everything for God—you're the treasure He joyfully sold everything to obtain.

Discover how Christ is the true seeker in these stories, and you are what He considered worth the ultimate price. We'll explore the beautiful imagery of pearl formation—how God transforms life's irritations and struggles into something precious. And we'll tackle the joy factor: Jesus didn't reluctantly die for you out of obligation, but because He genuinely saw you as worth it.

This fresh perspective changes everything about generous living. When you truly grasp that you've already been claimed as God's treasure, generosity stops being a duty and becomes natural overflow. Join us as we unpack what it means to live from this reality rather than striving for it.

Key Topics: Matthew 13 parables reimagined, Christ as the seeker, the pearl formation process as spiritual metaphor, living from God's love rather than for it, and what true generosity looks like when you know you're already treasured.