This morning in the Men’s Bible Study we read a very familiar passage of scripture but talked about it in a whole new way. That, by the way, is what it means to engage with God’s living word; it means being open to thinking and learning and being challenged rather than stagnant and brittle and defensive.

We bring our reading, our life experiences, our faith, our questions, our knowledge and our commitment to the table; we pray together and we share from our hearts and we read God’s word; then the Holy Spirit reaches in and stirs it all up and then – once in a while – somebody says something and there it is, straight from the soul of God, truth and direction dropped into our laps.

We have been following the life of Jesus and today was Luke’s account of the Triumphal Entry. As Jesus comes down from the Mount of Olives he picks up a growing crowd of noisy pilgrims. They, too, are on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover and their excitement at seeing Jesus mingles with the party atmosphere and what started as the Lord and his immediate peeps turns into an impromptu parade.

“Tell the owner of the donkey,” Jesus says, “that ‘The Master needs it.'”

Not much farther along the trail some religious leaders complain about all the praise and scold Jesus, telling him to instruct his followers to knock it off.

“If all of these people kept quiet,” Jesus responds with a twinkle in his eye, “the very stones themselves would shout with praise!”

And this final approach to Holy Week continues until Jesus stops on the side of the road; and he sees the city standing on the hill, history and faith and the magnficent temple and possibility and stories and masses of humanity spilling out of the gates; and tears fill his eyes, flowing from a heart full with compassion and love and generosity and invitation; and I can imagine him maybe climbing from the donkey and leaning against the animal’s head, holding himself together as he battles the curse of despair…

“How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace,” he says as if addressing the heart of Jerusalem. “But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes…” And he looks around at the enthusiastic crowd, willing for them – willing for us – to understand the depths of his love and the potential held in embracing the Good News…

And Jesus goes on to talk about the sorrow and the destruction that lies ahead. “All
because,” he says, still believing that this story is not yet over, “you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

• “The Master needs it…”
• “These stones are going to shout out if we won’t…”
• “We did not recognized it when God visited…”

This day. Today. May 20, 2025. The Master needs this day, and if we don’t step up Creation itself will have something to say. Because God is visiting and we need to recognize it.

It’s on us. So what are we going to do? – DEREK