St. Nicolai Notes

EXCHANGES ON THE WAY: LENTEN PRAYERS
Day 22: Fourth Saturday
Mark 11:1-11

     Hosanna! Save us now! We bless You, Jesus, for coming as God's agent and messenger. We bless You for renewing our hopes for a life of freedom and purpose in God's realm, which is already among us, in significant measure, by your presence. Hosanna in the highest!
     Jesus, we add our acclamation and praise to that of those who witnessed your slow ride into Jerusalem. Like them, we probably don't know all that was going on as you made that journey and received your acclamation. Like them, we are probably inclined to perceive this as a grand patriotic moment that is about making our country great again.
     It is easy for us to miss the fact that this moment is deeply political and deeply spiritual. It is easy to overlook your resolute movement to challenge all powers that imagine that they are ultimate and immovable. It is easy for us to shout, "Hosanna!" and still resist God's reign of peace and justice that You brought among us in your own person. While welcoming forgiveness for ourselves, it is easy to overlook your intention to defeat sin completely and generate a community that practices forgiveness and reconciliation with such courage and tenacity that it alters the political and spiritual landscape of the entire world. Jesus, it is easy for us to overlook the fact that this arrival increased opposition to You and kept You moving toward a death by which You would defeat death.
     Jesus, we know that we do not understand You fully, even when we are tempted to think we do. But we will keep praising You. We will keep trusting You. We will keep hoping for the day when your sovereignty will be evident to all, when God's reign comes fully, on earth as in heaven. Amen.