Humble Adoration

As my mind moves to Palm Sunday and the images of that beautiful day, I'm sure there wasn't too much social distancing going on!  Who could blame them!  The King of Kings was joining them in their midst.  The Holy One was among them.  What joy that must have brought to Jerusalem!!  The picture of Palm Sunday brings to mind the humbleness of our Lord and Savior.

There are so many pictures of this throughout Jesus' life.  Yet, this week, Holy Week, projects so many of them at one time.  The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, riding into Jerusalem on a colt - the foal of a donkey.  No horse, no camel, nothing of grandeur - a humble donkey.  The incredible joy that people shared with their palms and cloaks as a pathway for the king!  Humble Adoration!

Jesus knew what He was walking into - the week that was ahead of Him.  As He received shouts of "hallelujahs", He knew that all of that would change within days.  Yet, He marched forward.   The tough days were ahead of Him, but this didn't stop Him from living out God's plan of salvation for all.  "Lord save us!  Lord grant us success!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.  From the house of the Lord we bless you!"  Psalm 118:25-26.  He came to fulfill the prophecy!

I love the words of this Psalm.   They set the tone for this Palm Sunday.  It also sets the tone for today.  Our world is going through an unprecedented time.  We move from a lifestyle of interaction and closeness to one of distancing and separation.  We continue to live our lives waiting for the days when we will be able to hug our loved ones again.  Similar to the passage above, Our Lord will save us and grant us success.  He is with us to guide us to the day when we will rejoice in humble adoration.  As God guided Jesus to our salvation, He will guide us to the day when we will be able to gather together again. 

This journey seems long for many of us.  Imagine how long Jesus' journey must have felt during Holy Week!  Although we may be finding this to be uncomfortable, the path Jesus took for us was far greater.  He paid such a greater price than we ever could pay.   All He asks for is humble adoration.  All Jesus asks for is time spent with Him.  

The week ahead will be full of emotions - the highs of Palm Sunday, the reflection of Maundy Thursday and the grief of Good Friday.  These emotions bring a reminder to us that our Lord and Savior lived a life with us here on Earth.  He came to us, to live with us, to die with us and to rise again - on that glorious Easter Morning, to give hope to us. 

May we give to our Lord humble adoration on this Palm Sunday.  We may not be gathered together, physically, singing our hymns and waving our palms.  Yet, we can each do this in the safety of our homes and collectively.  Let Jesus know how much we adore Him! 

Jesus, please receive our humble adoration as you received that first Palm Sunday.  As you entered Jerusalem, on a donkey, people adorned you with what they had - palms and cloaks.  May we adorn you with what we have - praises of joy and thanksgiving for giving your life for our sins.  Let us enter Holy Week, full of the emotions that bring us closer towards Easter Sunday.  In your name we pray.  Amen!