On Christ the King Sunday (November 23, 2025), Pastor Ron McDougald preaches a powerful and moving message from Luke 23:33-43 about the thief on the cross who cried out, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
In this sermon, Pastor Ron asks a simple but profound question:
What kind of King dies on a cross for people who deserve nothing—and then promises them paradise on the spot?
Through three unforgettable stories, he shows what it really means to be remembered by King Jesus:
- Truman Cosy – A 19-year-old soldier from LaRose, Louisiana, who died in a Japanese prison camp in 1942, forgotten in an unmarked grave… until 83 years later, DNA brought his remains home. His widow wept, “I’m just so grateful that somebody remembered you.”
- The thief on the cross – Guilty, dying, and with nothing to offer, he simply asks, “Remember me.” Jesus gives him far more than he asked for: “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”
- Eddie Rickenbacker – The famous WWI ace and Eastern Airlines president who survived 21 days on a raft in the Pacific when a seagull miraculously landed on his head. For the rest of his life, he walked the beaches of Fort Lauderdale throwing shrimp to the gulls, quietly saying, “Thank you.”
Pastor Ron reminds us that the gospel is never transactional. We don’t earn paradise by doing enough, being good enough, or even believing the right things in the right order. The dying thief had no baptism, no church membership, no theology—just a cry of “Help me.” And Jesus answered with a promise only a true King can keep.
As we enter the week of Thanksgiving and prepare our hearts for Advent, this sermon calls us to live between two prayers:
- “Help me, Lord.”
- “Thank you, Lord.”
Because the Man on the middle cross said we could come.
Scripture: Luke 23:33-43 (NIV)
Preached: November 23, 2025
Series: Christ the King Sunday
Church: Mount Pleasant Methodist Church
