Luke 19:28-40 (NRSV)
Read Luke 19:28-40 on biblegateway.com
Verse 28After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. Verse 29When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, Verse 30saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. Verse 31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it.'" Verse 32So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. Verse 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" Verse 34They said, "The Lord needs it." Verse 35Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. Verse 36As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. Verse 37As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, Verse 38saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!" Verse 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, order your disciples to stop." Verse 40He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out."
Devotion
The crowds marveled at him, recounting the deeds of power they had seen, and no doubt looking forward to what they expected his kingdom would be. Crowds shouting in joy, crowds believing that what they want will come to pass. Sound familiar? Yet the promises God has made, the promises Jesus embodies for us, are so far beyond what we can imagine. Joy, grief, anger, wonder—this week we are living in all of this, crammed into the entire Passion story. Give yourself permission to take a beat, to take a pause, and hear the resonance in your own life to this momentous story we share each year.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, breathe into us the courage to hear what the stones cry out, to listen for the whispers of a kin-dom far more thorough and loving than any we might imagine. Help us to inhabit the wonder of the coming of the Christ. Amen.
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