Greetings to the loyal disciples of East Zorra!
This Sunday is Palm Sunday where we celebrate Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. It is traditionally celebrated with the waving of palm branches mimicking the festive journey of Jesus into Jerusalem where people shouted ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’. There was joy, there was excitement about Jesus. It was on this ride, that Jesus made the famous statement, ‘If these people don’t praise me, the very rocks will cry out’.
Loyalty is a rare quality. To be loyal means “to give or show firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution”. Human loyalty is often fickle – it waivers when we get busy or distracted, or engrossed in other things or people. Sometimes people become “too difficult” for us – they may let us down, so in turn, our loyalty fades.
This is not dissimilar to those people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, waving palm tree branches to welcome him as King, only to reject and betray him just a week later when calling for him to be sent to the cross.
Thankfully, God’s love towards us is the total opposite of this. When we betray him, he still loves us. The Bible says while we were still sinners he died for us. That means that he saw our failure but chose to die for us anyway. Although people can be loyal towards us in our lives – our friends, our family – none can be more faithful than Jesus has been and continues to be. The Psalmist says ‘the love of the Lord never ceases’. And we understand, ‘who will to the Lord may come’. Isn’t it grand that God is not fickle or arbitrary. He is faithful and true. And He is the changeless One!
May, in these days, we emulate the love and loyalty of Christ. He was reviled, but He did not revile back. May the Spirit of God, empower us!
May those who come behind us call us ‘faithful’.
Pastor Lloyd