We wish every day could be a Palm Sunday – Parades, celebrations, everything going the way WE want it to go. You want a Messiah? Here he is. You want power? You got it. You want something to feel good about? Celebrate. Wave the palm branches. Sing the songs of Hosanna. 

BUT, the reality is, every day is NOT Palm Sunday. 

We don’t always win. The weather isn’t always sunny and 75 degrees. Not everyone gets a job. Our kids are not always perfect. Relationships don’t always last. Sometimes we lose. We get sick. People die.    

AND IT HURTS. 

At the very core of who we are and what we are about, it hurts.

A LOT.

The reality is, we don’t always win. We don’t always get the job. We don’t always deserve an A. We don’t always stay in a perfect relationship. We don’t always experience the best of life. Things Break. We feel like we are all alone. We lose.

No. Not every day is Palm Sunday.

BUT – Jesus did not come for Palm Sunday. Jesus came for Good Friday. He became Broken, Alone, in the eyes of many, A Loser. He emptied himself and became obedient to death. EVEN death on a cross.

If we forget about Good Friday, we miss what Jesus is doing here. For on the cross he takes the losing, the brokenness, the loneliness, the separation and death. And, it is ALL God’s doing.

BUT Good Friday is NOT the final word.

Jesus also came for Easter Sunday!

Palm Sunday may be what we want.

Good Friday – the cross, and Easter Sunday – the empty tomb…

This is exactly what we need.

I invite you to join us in the coming days for services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil Saturday, and, of course, Easter Sunday.