April 2, 2023 Service: Pastor Bonnie Higgins welcomed the congregation to begin the service at 9:30 a.m. The Invocation/Lord’s Prayer were recited. The hymns that were sung were “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna”, “All Glory, Laud and Honor”, and “Glorify Thy Name”. The service ended with Communion. Linda Lyman is the organist each week. Lew Lyman leads the music for the congregation each week.

The sermon, titled “The Appointed Hour” and reading the scripture from John 12:20-28. Pastor Bonnie started by looking at the scriptures right before the scriptures of the sermon, explaining why the people were waving the palms at Jesus. The people felt that Jesus was coming to save them from the Pharisees that were destroying their lives. Jesus was supposed to be their king. They felt they would finally be saved.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus would tell His disciples that His time had not come yet. Either saying that “His hour was not here”, or “the time has not come”. But now, Jesus tells His disciples that the hour has come near and by the end of the week, Jesus tells the disciples, the hour has come. Jesus has said in Luke 22 that He would go as it has been determined already. Jesus also tells us that no one would take His life from Him because He would lay it down Himself. The signs of His death were around the events as Jesus took that last walk towards Jerusalem, just as there are signs of Jesus coming back today.

Jesus comes riding into town on a donkey. A donkey was the animal that royalty rode on when they came in peace. Then a turning point is when the Greeks come to the disciples because they wanted to speak with Jesus. We don’t know if Jesus spoke with them or not, but it shows us that no matter who we are, we can come to Jesus and ask for salvation. Jesus was saying that the world would know who Jesus was by His actions and His words. Jesus felt that His actions, by dying on a cross for our salvation showed more of God’s love to us than words alone.

Jesus explains that unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it will remain a single seed. But if that seed lives, it will produce many seeds. Unless Jesus died on the cross, there never would be a spiritual harvest. To enhance the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus needed to die, to shed His blood once and for all, so we could repent of our sins and have eternal life with Him.

Jesus was glorified on that day; His glory was made known to who He is and the reason He came into this world. Because of the Greeks coming to Him, shows us that everyone can come to Him for salvation and He died on a cross to show us His Father’s love. God is glorified!

Announcements listed in the bulletin are that the congregation will be collecting canned Tuna for the Food Pantry in the month of April. Bible Study is at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Coming Events: April 6: Maundy Thursday service at 6:00 p.m., April 9: Easter service w/choir, and April 16: Quarterly Business Meeting. The AA meetings are held on Friday nights at the church. If school is canceled in the area, Pastor Bonnie will not be in the office and all events canceled.

For information, check out our website at northlivermorebaptistchurch.org. You can email the church at nlbcmaine@gmail.com. Pastor Bonnie’s office hours are Monday and Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to noon.