Palm Sunday

I LOVE Easter. What a joyous time to remember who we are and what we have been given. Our kids came home from church yesterday swinging their palms that they got during the worship service, and I was singing "Hosanna" right along with them!

Picture it. . . Christ is riding into Jerusalem to take his place and proclaim his kingdom. Everyone is yelling, singing and praising him, and only Jesus knows why he is truly there. In the middle of all this rejoicing, he knows what he is about the face. Amid all the love and celebration, he knows that these people will ultimately betray him. How often I do the same thing. I celebrate Christ, I sing his praises, I adore him and love him - as long as I think he is on my side. As long as I think he's going to defeat my proverbial Romans. But when his plans turn out to be something a little different than I had imagined, I start to wonder if he's for real. But then I remember Easter. The reason for hope. Because Christ is who he said he is. He is God, our creator, who came to earth to become like us so that he could take the punishment for OUR sins - not his own. And when he came into Jerusalem that Passover, he knew all this - even though the people didn't! They were praising who they thought Christ was.

For a really great discussion on Christ's words on "Palm Sunday", check out Logan's blog. And take the time this week to think about who Christ really is. He is God, who made himself into the likeness of a man, so that he could take the guilt and judgment of God the Father onto himself to pay the impossible penalty for man. The penalty for sin that we are completely unable to pay for ourselves, because only something perfect can pay it. Only something as spotless and pure as God Himself is perfect enough to satisfy the anger and wrath that the Father feels for our sin. And Christ took this anger and wrath onto himself. Anyone who calls out to Him, admits that they are a sinner who cannot work hard enough to get rid of their guilt, and trusts that the Father will accept the sacrifice that Christ made for them - they can have hope. A hope that can only come from knowing that they are forgiven completely and made into a child of God. Accepted by Him as if they had never sinned. Hallelujah! I LOVE Easter!