Lord, on this Palm Sunday, we cast our minds back two thousand years to the week leading to the events of Good Friday and Easter.

We think of the time you travelled from the northern part of the land of Palestine down south to the city of Jerusalem.

You set aside all the possible excuses for not heading to Jerusalem, and you journeyed – resolute in heart and in mind – into the place where men in positions of power and authority would scheme and plot to put you to death.

Lord Jesus, you were unflinching – you travelled to Jerusalem in obedience to your Father’s plan, to the place of certain death because you understood that by doing it the Heavenly Father’s way, it would accomplish His plan exactly as scripted.

And so you submitted; you walked the way of the cross.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

You gathered your disciples, washed their feet, ate with them, allowed yourself to be betrayed, were arrested, put on trial, beaten, humiliated and crucified.

On Palm Sunday, as we celebrate your entry into Jerusalem, we want to remember what it took you to travel south and enter the city.

Lord Jesus, it took understanding your Father’s plan of accomplishing salvation for the world through offering a sacrificial lamb.

It took obedience to the Father’s plan that the drama of salvation would feature yourself as the sacrificial lamb.

It took courage to stick to a plan which would require you to suffer and to give up your life.

It took love and compassion for a lost world; love and compassion which overflowed from your heart in far greater quantities than the blood that flowed from your veins when nails pierced your hands and feet and spear pierced your side.

All these qualities – your understanding, your obedience, your courage, your love and compassion – you demonstrated as you entered Jerusalem. And as we celebrate that entry on Palm Sunday, grant your people these same qualities so that we can make a difference for you.

As we look around the world that we live in, Lord, may our hearts cry out to you for those who live in war-torn, famine, earthquake and flood-affected areas of the world.

As we look around the world that we live in, Lord, may our hearts cry out to you for those whose bodies are broken, minds are ill-at-ease, hearts are pained and deeply troubled.

Lord, hear our prayers and reach out your hand of mercy and grace to bring about the change, the relief and the turning points in our lives that we long so much for.

Where it is in our power to do so, help your people to be your agents of love, joy, peace, hope, and reconciliation in our homes, schools, workplaces, neighbourhood and even to communities around the world.

May we remember the cost of the cross and the triumph of your Resurrection, that we might live with the hope and joy of the redeemed this day and always.

In Jesus’ most precious name, Amen.