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Mark 11:7-10
Then [the disciples] brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

To ponder
Waking up can be a jarring experience. Think of the loud, clanging alarm clock that goes off while you are in dreamland. You come to with a jolt that rocks you and leaves your heart racing. It can be a struggle to get your bearings. You search for something or someone that grounds you … And we all have a choice, either to hit the snooze button or to wake up. - Rozella Haydee White, Love Big

Out of joint
It all began with such high hopes. Jesus entered Jerusalem in a parade, leaves flying, people singing and shouting, and a donkey braying in protest. And it’s no wonder there was a parade, for the people had seen some amazing things from Jesus in the last three years. He had healed people with skin diseases and people who had been paralyzed. He had calmed storms and cast out demons. He had fed thousands and told about God’s amazing love for wayward people.

This is how Holy Week starts. It’s a week when time doesn’t behave properly, opening with a parade and ending with an execution. It’s a time when a crowd shouts hosannas one minute and “Crucify him!” the next; when bread becomes Jesus’ body and wine becomes his blood; when a criminal is pardoned and an innocent man dies; when a king is killed for not being the right kind of king; when disciples deny run away scared, and women and soldiers stand witness at Jesus’ death.

Prayer
Holy Jesus, may we witness your kingdom as it arrives in our lives. Amen.

(from: “A Story to Tell: Devotions for Lent” Bekki Lohrmann, Harvard Stephens Jr., Lydia Posselt, David L. Miller; Augsburg Fortress, 2020)

 

Photo by Brady Leavell on Unsplash