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Palm Sunday Sets The Stage for Christ's Love To Be Shown
The Psalmist sang this from Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say: "His love endures forever."
Some churches focus more on the Passion of Christ on this Sunday so the Lectionary shares only two passages for Palm Sunday. The only problem I have with celebrating the Passion so early is that we miss out on the events of this last week of Jesus' earthly life in human form, Maundy Thursday, and a gathering together in God's house for Good Friday. But for our study today and the rest of this week we'll have sufficient to study. What better way to continue with the themes of Palm Sunday than to celebrate the love of God? The psalmist said we should give thanks to God because God is good. The back and forth in our churches goes: God is good! The congregation responds, "All the time!" The pastor then asks, "And all the time?" The people answer, "God is good!" Amen. The goodness of God cannot be measured on whether you and I have received what we wanted from God. God in God's goodness knows what we need and the prayer comes back sounding and looking a lot like a No. The psalmist and we should, have the faith to say even in spite of what we still believe we need, God is good. The parade on that day brought Israel's attention back to God. Jesus came at the right time when the attention had shifted away from God and back to the people. The established religion was concerned only with the negative side of the Law and people just gave up on knowing God and the love of God. For Jesus to enter into Jerusalem was for the people to know and to declare, God is good and God's love endures forever!
Think about it, as crowded as Jerusalem was that day, word quickly spread about this itinerant rabbit whose words and works were getting well-known, and that he was approaching Jerusalem. Somehow the people knew that perhaps this was indeed the coming of the expected Messiah, but their focus and shift was more on the temporal and political than on the spiritual, but still the parade forms and the crowds welcome Jesus with their hosannas.
Ours is not a personal needs based faith. Ours is a God-based faith, where God comes first and we worship and praise Him. But as we come to know and love God we know that God provides His love to us always and along with that love comes the provisions for our lives as we have need. We learn also that we should care for one another, letting all loving share what God has given with us and in turn that pleases God to know that we love one another. The parade can keep happening as we surrender ourselves to God and join the crowds in shouting, "His love endures forever!"
PRAYER: May I join those who shout to You, Your love endures forever! I sing this and pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and holy name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
