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A Morning View By the Wood Stove

Palm Sunday! 

Today is the beginning of Holy Week and we celebrate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. We wave our palm branches, lay down our cloaks and worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We have hope because of the Messiah who has come to free us from political oppression. We have hope because we will be set free. We have hope in the Savior of the world. 

There was a lot of disappoint in Jerusalem that week. Jesus did not overthrow the government. Jesus did not run out the conservatives or the liberals in the government. Jesus did not have a great army to defeat those who were taking the freedoms and rights away from the people. Jesus did not rally the large crowds who would have fought for him and the freedoms they sought. Jesus continued to live his life as the one who came to truly liberate the world in the most illogical way which was to surrender his life to the cross to take away the sins of the world. I am sure if Facebook would have existed in Jesus time that there would be scathing posts about the supposed Messiah. 

I'm taking a guess that many who were there Palm Sunday shouting and proclaiming Jesus as Messiah, were the same ones who shouted CRUCIFY HIM later in the week. 

My pondering today for us is do we really love Jesus as Messiah, or do we use Jesus as Messiah to promote our way, not God's way? Do you, do I welcome Jesus in but when we do not get what WE project God should do we cry out CRUCIFY HIM? Do we really place Jesus as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords? 

I can easily relate today's scripture to the Palm Sunday we should personally celebrate in our lives. If we proclaim Jesus Christ as our Savior and we are growing to be like him, then we absolutely need to live as Jesus did. 

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” - Matthew 16:24-26 NLT


Peace? I dare to challenge us to not have peace until we take up our cross and truly follow Jesus.

PB 








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