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Palm Sunday, "For
we have no city which remains, but we seek the City, which is to come." The
13th verse of the 14th Chapter of The multitudes proclaimed Him as their King, and they
envisioned, that the hour had come for them to be free from the Roman rule. This triumphal entry into However, Palm Sunday has deep, lasting, and most assuredly
eternal significance, because it is the Lord who comes to ride through every
city and land to make us truly free; --- free from the bondage of sin, --- and
herein lies our hope.
It is the hope, that our Lord Jesus, the King of Kings, and the Lord of
Lords will finally come to rule over the cities of all people. I can think of no other befitting words than those of our
text to describe the purpose, and the outlook of the Church: "For
we have no city which remains, but we seek the City, which is to come!" We envision a City, where justice is established, --- where
mercy abounds, --- where ignorance, privation and disease are overcome, ---
where purer lives and braver deeds are performed by free people, for the glory
of God! We envision a City where our King and Lord rides through the gates in
triumph, to receive, not a cross, but a Crown. The belief, that however bad the present condition of the
world, there is a better world ahead, has been the consistent and distinctive
contribution of the Church to Her people. We can almost envision If people can't find hope in the word of God through the
Bible, believe me, they will not find it anywhere else; and if they can't find
it anywhere, rest assured that darkness will prevail. If we truly believe the
Gospel of the Lord, we shall recognize, that the hope of the City which is to
come is valid, only if the intentions of God and the intentions of people are in
consonance, that they are one and the same. God's intention in creating the world was good; and surely
His intention in giving man the power to make unbelievable discoveries was, and
is good. But man has a choice to use his God-given free will; either to work
with, or against God. Build on the unshakable foundations of the teachings of
Christ, that is, on justice, on mercy, on truth, on faith and love, and the
house, like the house built upon the rock will firmly stand. Deny the Lord's
words, and rest assured that when the first tempest strikes, the house is sure
to crumble. The intention of God is good, and the But, nonetheless, the If, in your life and mine, and if, in our life in common
together in this Church God's intentions and our intentions are one, then we can
stand on solid ground, and raise high the banner of a reliable and enduring
hope. Also, we can truly find comfort in the fact, that society can be uplifted
and redeemed by its saving minorities. The City which is to come gives us our greatest hope and
strength, and the needed courage to endure, and persevere, and conquer. I
believe this very strongly when it comes to our effort to solidify and enlarge
the scope of our Church in this area. Our hearts and minds are focused on the
future. Let us not forget even for a moment, that the But, how can God's Kingdom be established in people's
hearts, when sometimes the hearts are filled with malice toward brothers and
sisters, with envy, with greed, with slander, with hate and other evils, which
form cataracts over the eyes of the soul, so that they are unable to see, not
only the City which is to come, but also the city which we inhabit. So easily many people permit themselves to lose control,
simply because they have neglected to learn and apply the art of
self-discipline. If we humans cannot
become masters of our own selves, be assured that we shall always founder
aimlessly in life. That is why the Church will continue to impress upon us the
admonition: "cast
away the works of darkness and clothe ourselves with the armor of light." When we are shielded with
the armor of light we joy fully receive
the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lord's as we have today saying; "Hosanna
in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." Today as we gloriously wave in spirit the palm branches of our good works
and intentions, we welcome anew our Lord and Saviour in our life. Embarking once again in
Holy Week, the question remains: "will we make an honest effort to free
ourselves from the sinful and often petty things, which keep us in the shadows
and darkness, so that we cannot see the light of the day?" Soul searching is always
a useful and rejuvenating act. We should practice this at all times, but I think
that there is no better time than Holy Week to unburden ourselves, so that
ultimately we can sense the full power and glory of the Resurrection of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. |
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