Time Traveling with Jesus

Are you ready to time travel with me? Starting Sunday, April 13th, we will have multiple opportunities to literally walk, and we'll be spiritually walking in the footsteps of Jesus towards the cross and the empty tomb. On Palm Sunday, we raise our palms and sing about Jesus as a way to re-live the uprising of the people who wanted everyone to know that he was coming. Looking back, we can say that they were hypocritical and didn't have any idea what God was doing, even though Jesus had told them many times. The people who threw down their coats, and grabbed palms to wave, were screaming, "Hallelujah," because they believed that God had provided a savior in Jesus their Messiah to become a physical and earthly king. Jesus encouraged the scene when he came into Jerusalem on a donkey. Was there someone who organized the crowd? Did someone suggest to their neighbor, "Jesus is returning to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, let's show him how many of us are with him and hope that he will make this the holiday when he leads a revolution! Then several days later, these same people called for Jesus to be crucified. What a fickle bunch of people!

So, why do we mimic them? Two reasons. 1. They were mostly right. Jesus is the Messiah, and we confirm that with hearts, hands and voices. 2. We need to lay down our own preconceptions about what God is going to solve the problems with our own communities, families, governments, and person lives. God still has a bigger plan at work that is beyond our immense creativity which was given to us in the image of God. So, when we re-enact the Holy Week between the entrance into Jerusalem and Christ's resurrection, we are confessing that we are not different from the stumbling men and blubbering women.

Like those people from long ago, we forget God's commands to love people as God loves us. We forget that God loves us. We forget that God loves. We forget that God is. We forget.

So, come and remember with me. Remember God is. Remember God loves. Remember God loves you. And remember that Jesus commands us to love one another. Let's remember him together. See you soon!