Skip to main content

Dreaming of Peace

"Blessed is the king
 who comes in the 
name of the Lord!"
 
A modern version of a very ancient Palm Sunday tradition begins with gathering outside the church. The pastor reads the scriptures about Jesus entering Jerusalem. 

With palm branches in hand, people walk to the church entrance.

The pastor knocks on the door, there's a dialog between people in the procession and those seated in the sanctuary.  

 People enter and take their seats singing "All glory laud and honor ". 

The service continues with scripture, prayer, and preaching. 

Holy Communion follows the sermon, the lights are turned off, the altar is "cleansed" by removing the communion elements, candles, and cloth. 

The final hymn is "Where you there?"

Where do you see yourself in this drama? 
    In the crowd cheering Jesus entering Jerusalem? 
    At the table of cup and loaf with him? 
    Standing faithfully at the foot of the cross?

As for me, with the atrocities I see in Ukraine, the bombed-out buildings, the refugee crowded trains and buses escaping air raids, I stand in the crowd.

I, like the crowd, dream of peace beyond that of tanks, fighter planes, drones and missiles.

I dream of a peace that changes human hearts by overturning the old order of sin, evil, and death.

Sin, evil and death are the enemies breaking our hearts, twisting our souls, and taking our loved ones from us.

As I watch this drama unfold, I see the bigger story of salvation. 

From palms to table to cross, I see the bigger story of salvation by hoping in Jesus.

For no matter where you are, in the cheering crowd, seated at the table, or beneath the cross, hope in Jesus. 

No matter what part of the old order weighs you down, hope in Jesus.

Hope in Jesus.

This is the bigger story.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ruler of All Earthly Kings

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (from Rev. 1:4-8 ) About 17 years ago I wrote a letter to the people in the United Church of Underhill. The purpose of the letter was to explain I was retiring at the end of the Conference Year. I felt the time had come for me personally to move on and for the church to grow with a new pastor. I secured a moving company while the church formed a search committee as we both prepared for the inevitable. This is the nature of the book of Revelation, as recorded in 1:4: “John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” This is Revelation’s context: it was written for the benefit of particular people at a particular time for their particular situation. John’s letter narrates a drama about God’s imminent invasion of the “kingdom of this world” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more