Wednesday 23 March 2016

Palm Sunday - Expectations vs Hope

Expectations vs Hope - What's the difference?

It's a sunny Sunday morning, people are clutching their palms, children are playing in the streets, faces glistening in the light and there is a sense of celebration, sweet innocent expectation.


I had forgotten it was Palm Sunday. The evangelical church in Spain tends to respect the rhythm of hand clapping more than that of the church calendar ;-) ... But today I'm drawn into the festivities and I'm thinking. What do we wave our palms at in life? Why did the crowds gather that day to wave their palms at Jesus? Their salvation? Their answer? Were they asking the right question and did they know what they needed saving from and do we?

In first century Judeah, salvation was political. The Jewish people were searching for a figure strong enough to liberate them from their day to day oppressive circumstances, to raise them to a fair standing in society and to restore their opportunities.

I wonder what the refugees of Calais, Lesbos and Idomeni would be thinking if Jesus 'Saviour' rode into their midst. Maybe he could ride in giving out unconditional visas to Europe, material aid, or a good few slaps to certain world leaders? To a certain extent we have all found ourselves in circumstances where we await a fix it Saviour to arrive. And no doubt we need him to come. No doubt we need him to ride into our lives, as humbly and gently as he did then, as if in a whisper. But our salvation may not look as we expect.

Jesus was wholeheartedly for the poor and marginalized, but what did he do for them? He called them blessed, he joined them and eventually he died alongside them. In the wake of sacrificial love he brought healing and dignity. It doesn't sound too glamorous but it points to something very important. The Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke of is in this world but not of it, it transcends, ascends and re-invents it. It's not a new regime, it's a new consciousness. It breathes different air.

The Kingdom does not flourish amongst the powerful, but at the crumbling edges of the Empire, where empty hands are open. It may not get you the promotion you want, the lifestyle
you expect, the compensation you deserve. But just maybe this humble King can show you a life beyond what you could have asked for, a hope beyond what you could have expected, a citizenship beyond what you could have applied for and love beyond what you could have imagined.

I'll raise my palm to that :-)