Tags
Liturgy of the Palms
Sixth Sunday in Lent
March 16, 2008
Matthew 21:1-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Liturgy of the Passion
Sixth Sunday in Lent
March 16, 2008
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 26:14-27:66
This Sunday always presents sort of a challenge. While traditionally Palm Sunday is a celebration Sunday remembering how those gathered around him that morning shouting, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” For most of the congregation, they will go from the celebration of Palm Sunday to the celebration of Easter Sunday, missing the whole Passion story completely. One of the things that I have done in recent years is start Palm Sunday traditionally with children and palms. One year I even led them in as we sang. As the service progresses we move toward the Passion story. We will be doing that this year. I will also be posting a devotional each day during Passion Week.
I believe God has been directing me toward this thought; “What are we here for?” Why did God put us here? Toward the Matthew passage during the Liturgy of the Passion, we find Jesus praying in the garden. He prays, “Father, let this cup pass from me, yet not my will but yours.” Jesus realized why he was here. Do we realize why we are here?
This week I was listening to our local Christian radio station. There was a short inspirational moment and the speaker asked the question, “For what purpose were you born?” She related that she had a friend who said she was born to be an encourager. Now, this wasn’t the way she was born. She worked on it as she stepped out of her comfort zone. Even thought this wasn’t in her natural gift set, she felt that God had called her to be an encourager. Is there something that you feel God is calling you toward that you don’t have the skills for? Something that may be way out of your comfort zone? God doesn’t always call us to something that is comfortable for us. I’m living proof of that. It’s been almost eight years since God called me into a pastoral/preaching ministry. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be a preacher. It’s times like that that I remember that God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. So, to what is God calling you? Is it out of your comfort zone? Go for it!
