HOSANNA: BLESSED IS HE (3- 7-08)

TODAY’S SCRIPTURES:

Jesus, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away." Matthew 21:2-3

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Matthew 21:9

HOSANNA: BLESSED IS HE

How would you feel if you looked out and two men were taking your car? Would you yell at them to stop? What would you do if they said, "The Lord hath need of this car." Would you step back and let them take it?

What a day that must have been when Jesus entered Jerusalem. Riding on the back of a humble colt. No grand chariot. No big army walking in front and behind to guard him. Just riding into town. Just a man -- not quite!

I wonder what the disciples thought when Jesus asked them to get a colt for him to ride. After all this time of walking, why would he want to ride now? I wonder what they thought about what happened next.

Jesus was used to crowds. He was used to people listening to him. I wonder how it felt to listen to the crowd as they called, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"

Do you think the crowd knew what they were saying or did one person start and the people just got caught up in the moment? What would it have felt like to be in that crowd? To see Jesus? To be so close to Him? To be able to call Him 'blessed' and then see the look in his eyes?

As you prepare for Easter, try to picture Jesus as he prepared for the cross. Picture him being called blessed. Picture him teaching his disciples. Picture him preparing -- preparing to be betrayed. Crucified. Risen.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Would you have allowed the men to take your colt? Would you have laid your cloak on the ground? Would you have been yelling, "Hosanna?" Would you have been weeping at the cross? Would you have been leaping for joy at the empty grave?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

My Dear Jesus, As I prepare for Easter, I feel so many emotions. I want to shout Hosanna. I want to accept the cup and the bread sitting on the communion table. I find it hard to look at the cross. I find it easy to look into the empty tomb. As I prepare for Easter, let me ………………………………… Amen