Daily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023 – Evening
By Rev. Tim Best, Senior Associate Pastor
Steadfast Love
Read: Psalm 118
It is always a little strange to read Psalm 118 on Palm Sunday. The sections we read are upbeat and filled with promise. At the start of the most solemn week of our faith, we start with a parade. Children wave palms, and we shout Hosannas. The music is often more upbeat on Palm Sunday than other Sundays in Lent. How strange that we begin a week filled with lots of somber moments with celebration and reading a Psalm that calls us to rejoice and give thanks.
The ending is revealed in the beginning. The somber and painful middle is clearly deeply significant and important. The suffering and pain is framed and interpreted by the promises of God and the knowledge that though Jesus is headed to the cross, he won’t stay there. As we journey through this week, attending services like Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or stations of the cross, we can remember the faithfulness of God that was promised on Sunday. The deep longing of the end of the week can reshape and enrich our understanding of what it means to cry out “Let his steadfast love endure forever.”
Prayer
Gracious Lord, indeed we pray that your steadfast love will endure forever. Draw our hearts close to yours during this Holy Week that our lives may more faithfully reflect your mercy and grace each day. Amen.
