Scriptures: Zechariah 9:9 (NIV) – “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!  Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Psalm 118:25-26 (NIV) – “Lord, save us!  Lord, grant us success!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  From the house of the Lord we bless you.”

Matthew 21:6-11 (NIV) – “The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.  A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’  ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’  ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’  When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, ‘Who is this?’  The crowds answered, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.’”

Message: In June 2024, we happened to be staying in the same hotel as the pilots of the Royal Air Force Extreme Display Team “The Red Arrows”.  Over dinner the Commanding Officer came to our table with a signed photograph for our grandson and invited us to meet in the hotel lobby in the morning if we would like to take a photo of the whole team.  In the morning, the CO called our grandson by name to join them for the photo.  Afterwards our 13 year old grandson exclaimed, “This is the best day of my life!” and we shared his joy.

Imagine how the Disciples felt when they saw the crowds lining the road to Jerusalem, waving and laying palm fronds on the road, welcoming Jesus as their hero and shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest heaven!”  For the Disciples it was probably the best day of their lives.  They were on “Cloud 9”!  In the euphoria, Jesus’ teachings to them since the transfiguration were forgotten.  How on earth could Jesus be leaving them now!

Prayer: Father, we know that You share our joy when we celebrate something special in our lives.  Yet, on the day after, we need to continue our lives and follow Jesus’ command to “Love God” and “Love others as ourselves”.  Be with us on our journey, both on the high days and the low days, and especially those days when we forget to think about You.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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