The Passion Week Day 1

The people had heard of His miracles. 

The blind were healed…the lame had not only walked, they had danced.

Lepers with rotting flesh had run to priests with clean skin and joyful hearts. 

A widow had walked away from her son’s funeral with her boy by her side. 

He had fed thousands. 

Twice.

He spoke and taught with authority.

And now He was coming in triumph to do the impossible. 

He was the long awaited King of Israel…and He was entering the city just as it had been prophesied He would. 

So they celebrated and rejoiced and cheered. 

All of this was true. 

They just didn’t understand.

They didn’t understand that His Kingdom never was of this world. 

And the way He would save them was not in the political arena but before the very judgment seat of God Almighty.

How often have I expected Him to come into my circumstances and do what I want Him to do in exactly the way I think He should do it?

How often have I worshipped Him for what I assumed would be His plan only to withdraw from Him when He didn’t come through in that excellent way of my mind’s agenda?

How I love the celebration and avoid the suffering….

So today, yes. 

We watched with joyful hearts as palm branches waved across the front of the church and little voices sang Hosanna with so much enthusiasm we feared a couple might topple into the laps of the parishioners in the first row. 

We participated in the procession and renewed our love for our Christ. 

And now let’s enter in to Holy Week, fully engaging in the events.

Fully acknowledging our own capacity to swing from happy throng to angry mob when things begin to go in an unforeseen direction.

I hope you will join me on this journey.

I pray you will meet me here each day with Bible and heart open to how God would like to lead you and me through this important week on the liturgical calendar.

Each day this week I will offer a mediation and passages of Scripture relating to that day’s events.

I encourage you to read these aside from my words and experience the remembering of the last days of Christ’s first coming.

For Palm Sunday:

Matthew 21:1-11

Mark 11:1-11

Luke 19:28-44

John 12: 12-19