Parakalein

What an exciting day.  All Jerusalem turned out to see the parade and celebrate the coming of truth and justice to their world.  The Roman Rule with its injustice and enslavement will end as Jesus sets up his kingdom.  The crowd went wild with excitement.

I imagined they woke up Monday morning to the reality of the emotional drain of all that celebrating.  As you celebrate you can lose sight of what you are celebrating.  I just returned from an exciting conference that had the unlikely but appropriate name of "Epic Failure Pastor's Conference".  Nearly 70 people gathered in an upper room over a bar in what used to be a church building. Songs of praise again were song in this sacred space.  The excitement of a previous era was renewed in this place.  Pastor's told their stories of failure and received healing of their hearts, grief and loss.

One pastor talked about how when he laid his plans down God became more present.  The people of Jesus day had a plan which they felt Jesus had come to achieve namely, ushering in the kingdom of heaven come to earth, the reign of righteousness and peace.

Jesus had entered the city on a donkey.  Much like a donkey had brought his mother to Bethlehem for the day of his birth so now a donkey was carrying him into the city of his death.  The disciples in the excitement forgot that he had explained that he would leave them and then return.  They heard what they wanted to hear and believed what they wanted to believe.

God's ways are not our ways neither his thoughts our thoughts.  God was doing something inside the hearts of people not our side.  He was focused on inner justice and peace.  This was and is more important than external justice and peace.  The later are important just not the most important thing.

The day after is a day of great anticipation of a new day and a new order.  What will happen when their expectations are frustrated and their desires challenged?