Palm Sunday Prayer

The cacophony of the crowd sounded like random chaos,
You couldn't make out a word of what was being shouted.
Some cheered that Jesus would overthrow the powers that be,
others jeered that this itinerant preaching was making matters worse,
some just shouted, stirring the pot to see what would happen.
Along the parade route that day, the crowd was diverse and there for different reasons.
Some looking to take up arms,
Others throwing up their arms,
And others still just waiting to see what happened.

So into that chaos Jesus rode a humble donkey.
Just as into the chaos in the beginning God's simply spoke a word.
Creativity in the midst of uncertainty.
Something completely different when everyone had an opinion of what should be.

Palm Sunday ushers in our Holiest Week.
But behind and beneath and beyond our waving branches, singing, "Hosanna", what do we really want from Jesus this year?
Do we want him to liberate us with love?
Do we want him to overthrow and upend the world as we know it?
Do we want him to confirm our ways as God's ways, rather than challenging our ways with God's?
Those kinds of questions make us wonder, wonder, wonder...
Not only were we there on Good Friday, but what about Palm Sunday?
Were we there waving branches, not even considering what would happen later in the week?
Were we there cheering Jesus on, even as the disciples we had one foot out the door?
Were we there...knowing we wouldn't be on Thursday or Friday...not until lilies filled the sanctuary?

To be there is still to be invited into the holiest story we know.
A story of grace from green branches,
A story of love broken open in bread and grace poured out in a cup,
A story of struggle and suffering and even death...which is our deepest vulnerabilities revealed.
A story of the most unlikely, outlandish endings...life from an empty tomb.
Not something we can easily fold up and carry with us.
But a great truth that can change our very lives.

An ordinary palm branch...how do you wave it today??
How might this year, our sacred story enter your heart with a tender tenacity that can upend everything?

May those questions stir and swirl this Holy Week.

Grace and peace ~~