Palm / Passion Sunday
Prayer
Pastoral Prayers For All Seasons
Object:
We wonder, O God, our King, what you felt on the day of your Son's triumphal entry. As human beings we imagine that you might have been proud of him. Your Son was being cheered. In celebration his path was covered with clothes and branches. "Hosannas" filled the air. But then we speculate that as God, the omniscient one, you would see more in that event than we would. We would have settled for the surface jubilation. You wouldn't have stopped there. Your mind would have probed beneath the distracting sounds and activity.
Less than a week later, the crowds shouted to Pilate, "Crucify him!" Did you weep, O Lord? Or did your sorrow begin in the garden when you insisted he drink the "cup"? We like to think that if we had been there, we wouldn't have shouted for his death.
We imagine that with all our sophistication, our knowledge of mass communication, our cleverness with words, we would have kept Jesus, the Savior, from harm and ushered him into his kingdom.
But you know that it wouldn't have been our electronic gadgetry and communication techniques that would have failed; it would have been our hearts. Fear is fear. Self preservation is to be defended at any cost.
So in our saner moments we come to you in the posture of confession. We seek your pardon and take confidence that we will be heard.
We shall not weep, "If only, Father, if only it could have been different." For it can be different. The difference is what happens inside each one of us. For we can welcome Jesus Christ the ruler of rulers into our lives this very day. History can be rewritten within our hearts. Hosanna! To our Savior and King, Hosanna! Amen.
Less than a week later, the crowds shouted to Pilate, "Crucify him!" Did you weep, O Lord? Or did your sorrow begin in the garden when you insisted he drink the "cup"? We like to think that if we had been there, we wouldn't have shouted for his death.
We imagine that with all our sophistication, our knowledge of mass communication, our cleverness with words, we would have kept Jesus, the Savior, from harm and ushered him into his kingdom.
But you know that it wouldn't have been our electronic gadgetry and communication techniques that would have failed; it would have been our hearts. Fear is fear. Self preservation is to be defended at any cost.
So in our saner moments we come to you in the posture of confession. We seek your pardon and take confidence that we will be heard.
We shall not weep, "If only, Father, if only it could have been different." For it can be different. The difference is what happens inside each one of us. For we can welcome Jesus Christ the ruler of rulers into our lives this very day. History can be rewritten within our hearts. Hosanna! To our Savior and King, Hosanna! Amen.
