Palm Sunday

This was supposed to be posted two days ago, but we haven't made it to a computer long enough. Sorry.

Palm Sunday in Arequipa!
Each Sunday I am understanding more of the reading and preaching. Today it helped that we figured we'd be reading the traditional Palm Sunday passages, so we read them in English during breakfast. As I read and heard exposition on these verses (in two languages), I began thinking of the implications of this King of Kings making his "triumphal" entry on a donkey. It seems that so much about Jesus' life and ministry was done in humility and meekness. We American Christians can be so crazy about success and winning and defeating our enemies (in culture wars, in politics, in evangelism, in theology) , but Jesus seems to turn all that on its head. Everything he taught and did was the opposite. He had no beauty, no home; he sought no reputation or power. The true Kingdom of God would not be political and would not come through force, through winning, but through serving, losing, suffering. It would not look like a conquering army but a tiny seed. It would not come through the rich and powerful and successful, but through the poor and the weak. He could not stop talking about the proud being humbled, and the humble being exalted. Loving our enemies? Serving and giving all to those who give us the most trouble? Yet this is how we are treated by God. We do fight, but as Paul says, they are not battles against flesh and blood. We struggle against unseen forces, not people, battles against unbelief, for our own hearts. We fight to believe this unbelieveable grace, that Jesus has really taken our brokenness and given us his perfection, given us himself, and this purely as an undeserved gift. What kind of love is this?! As we believe this, and see that this victory is already won for us, our hearts will change; we are freed and empowered to come to others, not looking for achievement or power, but with humility, love and servandhood, as Jesus did. This was His method, no more vivid than in his last week, from a donkey to a cross.