God Meets Us Where We Are
‘God Meets Us Where We Are”
REFLECTION FOR PALM SUNDAY MARCH 24, 2024
Churchill Gilford United Churches
Krista Moore
Mark 11:1–11 or John 12:12–16 Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt; people wave palm branches.
Introduction to the Scriptures:
Jesus has just healed Lazarus in Bethany.
And now he is heading into Jerusalem for the Passover – the Jewish festival that celebrates when God passed over the Israelite houses and saved the Israelites from Pharaoh and slavery in Egypt.
Now many people are running out to meet him, crying out “Hosanna!” which is a cry of praise to God or a king; but is also the Hebrew term for SAVE US! So the cry means both: praise God! in celebration of Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem; and Save us! from the Roman empire.
They believe he is the Messiah, the Hebrew word for “Anointed One” or ‘Saviour.”
They hope he will be their king and overthrow the Romans. Jesus is their king, but not the kind they were hoping for…
REFLECTION
This is the beginning of Holy Week.
People are excited, waving palms or throwing branches on the road, crying, ‘hosanna, hosanna in the highest!”
It may be hard for us to hear this story knowing what happens next. Jesus comes triumphantly into the city,
only to be killed a week later.
Our celebrations may carry a hint of anxiety. We feel the excitement that Jesus has finally arrived, and we are also nearing Easter. But, we are also aware that this week Jesus will face his worst enemies and die on a cross just outside of Jerusalem.
Jesus meets us in the highs and lows of this moment. And perhaps this is how Jesus felt. He was human after all.
Jesus feels what we feel.
He comes into this messy world, experiencing all that we experience. Life and death, love, and loss.
Jesus meets us on the road to Jerusalem.
God meets us where we are.
GOD KNOWS HOW WE FEEL: CONTEXT OF JEWISH PEOPLE
There were many emotions in the crowd that day:
Hope, fear, love, joy…
Perhaps we can imagine Jesus surveying the crowd, and his followers, feeling what they feel. Maybe Jesus saw the concern on the face of his mother, Mary, or John and James as they followed the procession. Yes, they were excited. But they also knew Jesus had upset the religious leaders, and he himself had just told them his time had come, meaning he would have to die.
They knew there would be trouble, and even death.
Jesus also felt his calling, his mission from God. He was a Jewish man sent by God to save his people, to show them God’s love and mercy. But he might have felt apprehensive; he would not be spared the suffering and death. Even though he was God, he would not save himself from the task at hand. He said it was to fulfill the prophecy, so that he would rise again and they would know who he was and who sent him…
Jesus was both human and divine.
The Jewish people expected a Messiah, and many still do. But not a man of peace riding on a donkey, but a man of war riding on a horse, a conqueror who would reduce their enemies to ashes and restore the glory of Israel!
It is understandable.
The Jewish people had been persecuted for thousands of years. And still are.
They had been displaced.
They were slaves in Egypt for 400 years.
They survived another captivity in Babylon.
And when Jesus entered the city, the Romans had occupied the land and ruled over them for years.
Later the Jews would be persecuted in Germany, and suffer the holocaust where 6 million died.
Today, wars continue to rage in Israel and Palestine. Beyond our understanding.
But Jesus still meets us on the road to Jerusalem.
God meets us where we are.
HOW THIS APPLIES TO US TODAY
We may wonder how this applies to us today.
We aren’t Jewish, we don’t celebrate Passover. And we don’t live in Jerusalem, or in a war zone. Thank God.
But Jesus doesn’t just enter the gates of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus enters our hearts and minds.
We may wonder if we are ready for that.
We may not feel good enough to welcome Jesus.
Some of his followers may have felt the same way.
Many were confused, afraid, or worried, after following him for 3 years, only to have him tell them he would have to die on a cross. Some may have felt like cowards. I can’t follow you! You’re going to get us all killed!
Like Peter who denied him three times, or Judas who betrayed him.
But Jesus knows us all too well. We can’t hide anything from him. Even when we make mistakes or are afraid of God’s judgement.
Jesus tells us in another passage, not to worry that he would accuse them,
“For I have not come to condemn the world, but to save the world.”(John 3:17).
That is very reassuring.
Jesus doesn’t come to condemn us, but to save us.
He doesn’t judge us; he loves us.
Sometimes we may feel unworthy of God.
Maybe we feel lost at times, like we don’t have enough faith. Or maybe we feel angry at God like God isn’t there for us. Maybe we feel like we’ve made too many mistakes, so we avoid God. Or think God must be angry at us.
But God sent Jesus to disrupt all that.
Jesus shows us a new reality. Of love and forgiveness, and acceptance.
He dined with sinners, tax collectors, lepers, and saved the woman at the well.
God accepts us and meets us where we are.
Even on the road to Jerusalem, even to the death on a cross.
STORY: VIA DOLOROSA: GOD IS STILL WITH US
Yesterday, I happened upon a video of a Jewish commentator who was showing the streets of Jerusalem. It was practically EMPTY (because of the war).
Yet he still spoke about Jesus \where he entered the gates of the city, and where he walked carrying his cross in his final hours. It felt so real and intimate. The real streets where Jesus walked. Where the people celebrated and waved at his entry. And later cried and mourned at his crucifixion.
And I realized, Jesus was prepared for all of it.
He called himself the alpha and the omega, which means he knew the beginning and the end.
He is with us for the high points and the low points.
When we cry Hosanna! with joy and praise, and when we cry “Save us!” when we face challenges and fear.
He didn’t run away from any of it.
He was right there in the heat of it.
And Jesus is still there, in the streets of Jerusalem, waiting for the world to choose peace. The lowly king on a donkey. God still meets us where we are.
HOW GOD MEETS US WHERE WE ARE
Today is also called Passion Sunday or the Passion of Christ. Which is from the Latin word Pati “to endure or to suffer.” Jesus came to our broken world. And was broken for it. Like the bread of communion.
He entered the gates of a world where love and joy could easily turn to fear and hate. Where we cry Hosanna! in praise and Save us!God meets us where we are.
God is with us
when we are grateful and excited,
celebrating life in all its beauty and glory
the birth of a child or grandchild,
the first signs of spring,
or the beginning of a new dream…
And when we face challenges…
like news of a terrorist attack at a Russian theatre,
like war in Israel and Palestine, Russia, and Ukraine…
or the mental health crisis facing our world today..
God is with us in the triumph and terror.
In the hope and shame.
God is with us where we are.
Maybe it’s a personal crisis, or a world crisis.
God is there for us, no matter what is happening
in our world, or in our minds;
We can still cry out, “Hosanna,”waving our palms in joy, or as we sing our lord’s prayer,
“SAVE US from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil”
WHAT IF WE DON’T NEED SAVING?
Maybe it’s hard to relate to the “Hosanna!” today.
Some of us might wonder, what is Jesus saving me from?
I’m fine. I have a nice house, a good family, a job, or a well earned retirement. I have a good life. I am happy. I thank God every day. I don’t need saving!
THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE: GOD MEETS US ON THE CROSS
But, in 1 short week there will be another procession in Jerusalem. The man with his video showed us where Jesus will be carrying a wooden cross on his back along the “Via Dolorosa” – meaning Road of Misery, also known as the Way of the Cross or Stations of the Cross. For those who were cheering just a few days ago, it would seem unthinkable.
Now, another crowd cries out with hatred,
yelling for his crucifixion.
Life can do that.
In a blink of an eye,
everything can change.
A death,
a loss,
a war,
a terrorist attack.
What happened?
Why is everybody so angry, so afraid?
What did we do wrong?
We don’t’ deserve this! We are good people.
It’s those people over there.
They are the ones causing all the trouble.
We are innocent.
SAVE US!!
‘hosanna, hosanna in the highest!”
And we pray.
God save us, from our time of trial, deliver us from evil. And God does come to save us.
But not always in the way we think.
God meets us where we are.
We may not realize our need for God until something happens.
A health crisis,
Loss of a loved one
Or God forbid, a catastrophe, or tragedy.
We are all fragile human beings.
But Jesus offers Hope. Comfort.
Salvation.
No matter what our frailty or mistakes.
He comes toward us. To be with us. To heal us.
God meets us where we are.
WHY DO WE STILL HAVE PROBLEMS?
So how can we pray for Jesus to save us, when there are so many problems in this world?
We might pray
1. to bring peace in conflict or war,
2. to bring healing during a health crisis,
3. to protect our youth from the opioid crisis, or innocent lives from human trafficking or a myriad of other things…
And then we might wonder,
BUT does God really meet us where we are?
How come God doesn’t prevent these things or overcome them?
We still have problems.
So why doesn’t he save us from them?
Remember, Jesus didn’t overthrow the Romans – he told his followers to pray for their enemies. He taught them love and forgiveness. It’s not the way of the world. It’s the way to eternal life. Love is more powerful than fear.
He said, in this world, you will have many troubles, but do not fear, for I have overcome the world.”
Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem was nothing compared to his triumph over death on Easter Sunday and the promise of eternal life. – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves!
CLOSING
As I watched the man’s video moving through the streets of Jerusalem, he pointed out people of many faiths that were sharing the same street.
Different churches and synagogues and temples were erected here and there…
People were selling their wares, speaking in many languages… I thought – surely, God, this is the way it is supposed to be! Yet just outside was a war zone.
But in that moment there seemed to be perfect peace. Jesus came riding on a donkey, as a sign of peace.
Maybe this world is still not ready for him yet.
There is still more work to do. To work for peace.
But God still hears our cries, hosanna, hosanna in the highest! In joy and in fear, Save us! From the time of trial.
Jesus meets us on the road to Jerusalem.
FINAL MEDITATION
Let us take a moment to imagine that we are with Jesus entering the gates of Jerusalem…
Perhaps we can imagine being there, on the road or in the crowd in Jerusalem waving our palms…
Or maybe we are carrying on with life, like a shop keeper, or other worker, or someone getting the temple ready for Passover. Where are you in the scene? Can you see or imagine Jesus entering on a donkey?
What do you do?
How do you feel?
What do you hear, see, or smell?
Perhaps you can hear the crowd crying, “Hosanna!” Do you cry out as well?
Or do you watch silently.
If you could speak to Jesus, what would you say?
And if he looked at you, what would you see in his eyes? Allow yourself to feel his hope…. His peace…. His forgiveness…. His love.
PAUSE
May Jesus meet us on the road, wherever we are.
May we open ourselves to his forgiveness and love. May his peace be with us, no matter what is happening out there. May we walk with him and be that peace, everywhere we go. Amen.