Meditation for Palm Sunday
Collects
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Luke 19: 28-40
Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’
There are numerous stories of self-sacrifice in history – Captain Oakes, the Chernobyl Three, the people of the Derbyshire village of Eyam to name but a few out of many. Out of gratitude and thanksgiving, we should never forget their action of putting the life of others before their own.
And in literature, for me, the most moving description of loving self-sacrifice comes at the end of Charles Dickens ‘A Tale of two Cities’, describing the thoughts of Sydney Carton on his journey to the Guillotine to take the place of his rival Charles Darnay, out of love for Lucie, Darnay’s wife.
‘They said of him, about the city that night, that it was the peacefullest man’s face ever beheld there. Many added that he looked sublime and prophetic’.
There is no doubt in my mind that Dickens was inspired by his knowledge of the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in Luke’s Gospel.
We close our eyes, and it is Jesus’ face we now see, just as in turn He sees the faces in the cheering crowd who will soon be demanding His Crucifixion. He knows that this journey will end in humiliation, pain and death – but He rides on in love, not just for a few, but for the whole of humankind, including those who do not love Him.
He climbs His cross in our stead. He is sinless, we were not – but He takes our sin unto Himself, allowing us the freedom to choose to serve His purpose rather than our own – no amount of self-sacrifice on our individual part can ever equal His, but as we work together as one with His people worldwide, we can make the difference needed to bring in His Kingdom of peace and love.
We can do far, far better things… …with His help.
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