The glory and the pang of Palm Sunday are mingled together. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey amidst people waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” There was jubilation in the streets that day, but there was also silent desperation. Hope. Anticipation. Yearning. They thought their King had come. But many of them did not know the Christ who came riding before them that day.
Palm Sunday challenges us. Do we receive Christ only when He comes into our lives the way we want? Or do we receive Christ even when He doesn’t come the way we expect? Palm Sunday calls us to remember that true power often rides into our lives quietly on the back of a donkey.
As we enter into this Holy Week let’s do more than wave palm branches. Let’s follow Him. Follow Him all the way to the cross and into the empty tomb. Let’s allow these next days to quiet us. To cause us to listen. To bend our knees. To draw us nearer to Jesus. He comes to us still… quietly, faithfully, and with intention. So if we will receive Him, fully who He is and not who we want Him to be…we will experience that His Kingdom is not a roller coaster of joy and sorrow, but everlasting life.
In Christ,
James
Rev. James A. Williams
Senior Pastor
Grace Resurrection Methodist Church