March 28, 2021
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37 As [Jesus] was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying,
“Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!” – Luke 19:37-38
Today, we celebrate the palms, the parade, the time when Jesus along with a great multitude of people are there as Jesus enters into Jerusalem. It’s one of the high points of the church calendar year, and marks the beginning of Holy Week.
As I think about all that happens this week, we should be reminded that we may have more in common with Jesus and the disciples than what we realize this week. The celebration of today is marked with the grand parade of Palm branches. We missed out of that grand parade last year, and even as we enter this holy day in 2021, we know that we aren’t fully here yet. We know there are still restrictions around our gatherings, and the ever-reminding of our mortality in the masks we wear to keep ourselves and others safe, especially among the crowds.
However, the rest of the week the disciples are in places away from the crowds. They are at a home in Bethany, in a private upper room, in the garden of gethsemane. These places show times of solitude, times of intimate gathering as Jesus gives his disciples their final instruction before Jesus ultimately fulfills the law of God and becomes the sacrificial lamb.
It has been a hard, long year to get to this point again, and we may find ourselves a little emotional at the celebration because it has been missed, even if only for a year. We may also feel a saddening in our hearts for those who did not make it with us to this point. Still, we know the power of praise and adoration for the One who comes as our king, and so we gather, going out to meet him along this path to shout Hosanna! And know that Jesus comes to a place of ending this week, but rises to a new beginning next week as we celebrate Easter.
May the overwhelming joy of the Lord, meet you today, singing “blessed is He who comes in the name of the lord.”
Grace & Peace,
Sam