Jesus Enters Jerusalem (April 10, 2022)

READ: It was the time of year when the people of God went to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of the Passover, to remember how God saved them and brought them into freedom. Jesus and his disciples were going too. When they were close to the city, Jesus sent two disciples to bring back a colt for him to ride. They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats onto the colt’s back to act like a saddle. On the road people gathered to watch Jesus ride by, and they threw their coats onto the road in front of him. Some hoped that Jesus would be their king.
Soon the crowds began to sing and shout, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace and glory!
Some of the religious folk were upset at the rowdy parade, and they said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell your disciples to put a stop to this noise.”
​Jesus smiled back and said, “If the crowds were silent, the stones would shout out loud.” (Luke 19:28-40)    
WONDER: I wonder what people thought when they saw Jesus riding the colt into Jerusalem?
I wonder how Jesus felt when the crowd wanted him to be their king?
I wonder what kind of king Jesus would be?
I wonder what it would be like to live in Jesus’ kingdom?
I wonder why the religious folk wanted the parade to stop?
I wonder why the people started shouting and singing?
I wonder what makes you want to sing?
SAY: The season of Lent, when we get ready to celebrate the mystery of Easter, is coming to a close. We are watching Jesus as he makes his way to Jerusalem. He is showing us the way God wants us to live. Jesus says even if human beings are silent, the rocks--a part of God’s creation--will speak of God’s love.
PRAY: Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for music and times of celebration. Teach us to look for beauty and goodness in our world and to share that beauty with others. Amen.
EXTEND

• Affirmation prompt: I can share beauty with others. Visit the Kindness Rocks website and learn about this global art abandonment movement. Paint your own kindness affirmation rock and choose a place to leave your rock for someone. Be careful not to leave your rock in a national park or other place where it might endanger wildlife.
• ​Read They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel. In the book all kinds of creatures see the same cat, each one seeing the cat from a different perspective. How does our point of view affect how we see something? What different points of view are there in the story from Luke’s gospel?