When Jesus entered the gates of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday,
he did not sneak in under cover of night to avoid the risk of
arrest by the Sanhedrin who sought to kill him. He came in
broad daylight riding on a donkey, as the Messiah was
prophesied to come to establish his kingdom. People spread
their garments (half their wardrobe in a time when two
outfits was all ordinary people owned) upon the road in front
of Jesus, and others scattered branches before Him. Ordinary
people met Jesus the great prophet from Nazareth with
heartfelt hope that He was the long awaited Messiah who
would rescue them from the Roman occupation and their
collaborating religious leaders.
Likewise, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves
in--worldwide recession, national political gridlock, job
problems, our personal sorrows--God calls us daily to open
the gates of our hearts that the King of glory may come in.
We are to bless and praise Him. We are to lay down
everything that is not essential. We are to seek His face
above all else, for living in the presence of the Lord is His
most precious gift. We are to lift up the gates and ancient
doors: we are to remove the roadblocks to the daily coming
of the Lord by nailing our sins to the cross and setting aside
our doubts and fears. Then we can unreservedly welcome
the only One who can make us whole, the only One who can
restore our relationship with Him and with each other.
Psalm 24, 29; Zechariah 9:9-12; 1 Timothy 6:12-16
These Lenten meditations were written by the people
of St. Barnabas' for the people of St. Barnabas' as part
of our recognition of the 50th anniversary of the founding
of this church. We hope that you will find them helpful
in your own Lenten devotions.
