Have you ever noticed how often Jesus is misunderstood? The religious leaders don’t understand him—they accuse him of false teachings and try to trap him into saying things he doesn’t mean so they can turn the people against him. The people don’t really understand him. Remember when Jesus asks his disciples: Who do people say…
As we move from Palm Sunday to Good Friday, a lot of people wonder how the “Hosanna” of Palm Sunday gave way to the “Crucify him!”of Good Friday. How did the crowd go from praising Jesus to condemning him, all in a matter of days? Well, it didn’t. Because we are talking about two different…
Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good. God’s steadfast love endures forever. . . . Save us—Hosanna in Hebrew—Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. (Psalm 118) This is the hymn that…
God of the cross, tottering down the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey, You are not the savior we expect. Your power doesn’t look like the power we want our God to have. Your wisdom makes no sense to us. We are happy to join the crowd, waving branches, But not so sure we want…
I think it is natural to imagine that our holy spaces will be quiet, private. Places where we can be still and alone. Or maybe with a few intimate friends. Yet if we define a holy space as a space inhabited by God, then the Gospels affirm crowded places as distinctly holy. Jesus was often…
This reflection is excerpted from a sermon on Mark 11:1-11. As you prepare for Palm Sunday, you might also appreciate this prayer of confession and offertory prayer. For more Lent and Easter worship material, check the “Lent/Easter” category on the right side bar or go to the Index and scroll down to “The Year” section.…
God of the foolish cross, tottering down the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey, You are not the savior we expect. Your power doesn’t look like the power we want our God to demonstrate. Your wisdom makes no sense to us. We are happy to join the crowd, waving branches, But not so sure we…
Holy God, we shout “Hosanna” along with the crowd. “Save us! We beseech thee.” And somehow, this chance we have to give our money is a grace of your salvation. A way to escape the self-focus that threatens to consume our lives. So open our hearts. Open our hands. Accept our gifts, O God, we…
I’ve added my sermon from Palm Sunday 2009 to my “Pages” (on the right hand side bar). The main point is that we try to make Jesus into the savior we want, thus depriving ourselves of the fullness of Christ’s salvation.
Spacious Faith 