It’s Palm Sunday! I’m back home! I’ll share guest blogger Rebekah Maul’s Lenten devotion for today.

Peace – DEREK

“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.”(Mark 11:9-11)

It’s Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Today in church we’re going to have our own brand of palm branches to wave around, and the CLC will be full of people and beautiful music as we begin the last steps to the Cross.

I wonder how grand that parade truly was… the one where Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on a colt? How many people were in that crowd waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna in the highest!”?

In all likelihood, there was another parade that day coming in on the other side of the city. It would have been a truly impressive sight. The Roman garrison was marching in, fully loaded with weapons so that everyone could see how powerful they were. There were probably trumpets and drums… lots of excitement… officers on grand horses. Of course, they were making a spectacle of this entrance because it was the week of the Passover Feast, and extremists would want to take advantage, so this garrison would help to keep the peace. Which parade would you have wanted to see?

The Prince of Peace rode a symbol of peace… the untried colt… not very exciting by comparison. The scripture says there was a crowd, and I would like to think that I would have been in that parade.

But, we also know that the crowds quickly dispersed, just a few days later when it became clear that Jesus wasn’t a safe person to be associated with. He was going down, even though he had done nothing wrong (other than threaten the status-quo). Distancing oneself was just common sense.

We still use this reasoning today… just when the alternative to our lives (that we say we hunger for) begins to be within the realm of possibility, we retreat.

It’s safer to be a fan of Jesus, where we can sit in the stands and cheer, and then go home. But it’s a very different thing to be willing to go to the foot of the cross and watch the Savior of the world die. There is always a choice.

Prayer: Lord, this is going to be a tough week of reflection. We ask that you guide our thoughts, but also our hearts as we move closer to the empty tomb. Will we choose to look for you… to see where you have gone… to follow you into the world? We’re asking in Jesus’ name. Amen.