I love a parade!
“They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:36-40
As a child, I loved parades! One of my favorite days of the year, besides Christmas, was July 4th! My hometown had a large parade that everyone came to see. I loved the pomp of the marching bands and majorettes. I was captivated by the floats. The old cars were flashy and the horses looked regal.
As I got older and read the story of Jesus’ parade on what we call “Palm Sunday”, I always wondered what it looked like. Obviously, it was an informal affair that people were trying to formalize as best they could! Clearly, this was an important occasion in their eyes! They attempted to make the road look regal by laying down palm and other branches. Some even took-off their coats and laid them in the road for Jesus and his colt to travel over. Instead of marching bands filling the air with music, they shouted with joy their praises to Jesus, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (NASB)
If you could travel back in a time machine, what might this parade been like? How do you envision this one? If you had been there, who might you identify with? One of his disciples? A bystander caught-up in the excitement? A bystander who was confused by the activity? Maybe you might identify with a bystander who was trying to travel in the opposite direction on this road and the parade was an inconvenience. Or, some might even identify with the Pharisees.
We can all find our place in the story of scripture, if we take a few moments to reflect on it. Each story is made-up of people just like us, with the same kinds of feelings and emotions.
What do you think about parades or other big celebrations? Do you get caught-up in the excitement, pomp and circumstance? If you were to create a calendar of events worth having a parade for, what would you choose? What kinds of events motivate you to get really excited?
I invite you to think about your faith and participation in our church. What gets you most energized? What generates the biggest thrills? Are these moments when you sense Christ’s presence? Are these moments when you feel Jesus is passing by? If so, are you willing to make a “big deal” of his presence? What do you do to lift him up in front of others, that they might know his presence, too? What of your possessions are you willing to sacrifice as he comes near (like some who laid their coats on the ground)? Can you be so bold with your faith that others might speak like the Pharisees, “”Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
In this past week’s Flood New e-letter, Pastor Matt tells the story of a woman named “Anna”, who approached him with a question. “Matt, what do I do with Jesus?” I mean, I have been reading about him for the last few months and I really like him! But there are other things in the Bible that I read and I don’t agree with so “what do I do with Jesus?” Pastor Matt shares that her question is actually THE question, What you and I do with Jesus makes all the difference.
Jesus is blessed and honored by those who greatly adore him. May we be as bold as his followers 2000 years ago, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Jeff Glass
JeffGlass@DIVEintoFLOOD.com