"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" - Matthew 2:9
That was Palm Sunday. The crowds were shouting. The palms were waving. Everyone was caught up in the moment.
But it's Wednesday now. The palms are wilting. The crowds are quieter. The mood has shifted.
By tonight, Judas will make his deal. Thirty pieces of silver. The chief priests are plotting. The religious leaders have had enough. Everything is closing in on Jesus
We're in that terrible in-between - after the hosannas, before the cross. When the excitement has faded, but the betrayal hasn't happened yet. When we can feel something dark approaching, but don't know exactly when it will arrive.
This is where most of life happens, isn't it? Not in the mountaintop moments of waving palms, not even in the valley moments of standing at the cross. But in the uncertain middle. The waiting. The not-knowing. The sense that something is shifting, but we can't quite name it.
Here's what matters on this Wednesday: Jesus knows what's coming. He knows about Judas. He knows about Friday. But he doesn't run. He stays. He keeps moving toward what waits for him.
Not because he wants to suffer, but because he loves us that much.
The hosannas have faded. The cross is coming. Jesus walks straight into it.
Today, in the middle of this hard week, remember: You are loved with a love that doesn't turn back when things get dark.
On the journey with you, Pastor Erin
P.S. We gather Thursday evening for Maundy Thursday and Friday for Good Friday. These services are hard, but they matter. Show up if you can. We need to walk this together.
