We are going to be looking at The Triumphal Entry in John 12 when we gather on Zoom this Sunday. Traditions of this season will be set aside this time as we “shelter in place.” Seemed a good idea to depart from the Epistle of James for a few weeks in order to focus on why we celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter. I took some time yesterday to explain the meaning of Palm Sunday to a friend from another country. Can you imagine waking up in Tunisia during Ramadan later this month and trying to figure out what everyone was doing? And not doing? And why? A number of years ago, I got stranded in a Tokyo airport for what I thought would be a brief layover. All flights out were full, and I was doing standby. Turns out, it was a big three-day weekend there. Evidently, Japanese people like to go to Bangkok at such times. I still have no idea what the holiday was even called.

No time of year should provide more reasons for hope and joy and peace of mind during these days of forced seclusion than Holy Week. I found it impossible to explain THIS Sunday to my friend without also explaining NEXT Sunday. He’s heard it from me before, but he appreciated getting the historical context and insight into a culture not easily understood. Let’s draw near during the coming week, worshipping our risen Lord in a fresh, simple way. And let’s tell somebody about it.

Gary