in preping for Palm Sunday I am learning so much from the study.  I knew that the people were waving palm branches to welcome Jesus and I thought it was that as Messiah he would deliver them (it was passover week, a celebration of God's deliverance) but the palm branches have nothing to do with passover and deliverance from the romans. I mean the deliverance the people were looking at was more too something than from something.  the palm branches were apart of feast of booths or tabernacles.  At the end of the harvest Jewish men were to build a booth (hut) and live in if for 7-8 days.  The booth reminded them that they wandered for years in the wilderness and that God gave them rest-peace.  It is a yearly reminder of heaven.  So every day for 6 days the men are to  recite Psalm 118:25 (a messianic psalm) "Hosanna" or "Save, I pray" and on the 7th day wave palm branches and say Hosanna 7 times.  so when the people wave palm branches and shout "hosanna" they put together the two feasts. that God would deliver his people to peace/rest.  The people show they got the idea by continuing in verse 26 "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord".  It is interesting because in recognizing Jesus as the messiah they were hoping that peace or rest would come.  Life would be heaven.  the messiah was to bring his kingdom to earth.  jesus was to rule on earth right now or so they thought. (Lord, will you let my sons sit on your right and left in the kingdom). still a jewish mind set today.  the messiah is not ruling in the future but when he comes he will establish his kingdom here and now.

Jesus just surprises me.  He turns the tables.  You want peace and rest...give up everything and follow me.  The stories before and after are stunning.  Rich young ruler; sell everything and follow.  Curses the fig tree that doesn't bear fruit, praises the widow who gives because she gave all she had,callsfor the honor to the son who at first rejects the words of his father only to obey and the fathers anger on his brother who with words acknowledges the father and disobeys.

No wonder we killed him.  We want heaven on earth for the followers of Jesus.  Jesus promises nothing, your reward is not here, you are in a hut waiting for the day to enter rest but till then you are to give everything and follow.  I am so ....  "Jesus I will follow you but give me peace"  and he says follow and pick up your cross.  I want a messiah that makes me comfortable and bubbles me in.  and he is a Savior who takes everything and promises to be there in the struggle.

No wonder he wept for the city before entering in on Palm Sunday.  He wepted for me.  A person who sees a Savior but doesn't want to make him Lord because of the cost.  I get so caught up in having a good life I miss the point that I have life in Christ.

Palm Sunday used to be a cute Sunday before Easter with kids waving branches.  Now I see how it cuts me to the core.

in last week's newsweek there was and article on culture that struck me.  it was about an art critic  (Dave Hickey)in the 90's who thought that viewing art should be pleasurable.  a radical concept in the art world.  Art world at that time thought art should have meaning and that meaning trumps any visual value of a piece.  today his view is valued and held, but at the time he was shunned and made an outcast.  He now works as a english professor at UNLV.  what really interested me was the 2 new books he is writing.  As newsweek puts it "He's working on two new books: "The Connoisseur of Waves," a follow-up to "Air Guitar," and "Pagan America," which, true to form, makes the provocative argument that America is a vast pagan republic—not that there's anything wrong with that. "Martha Stewart contributes more to our civility than the Baptist church," he says. "Where do you learn how to act? Not at church. America is a lot more like pagan Rome than we think. We still sacrifice to objects to gain our social goals." One thing is clear: Dave Hickey still knows how to breathe fire."

and I thought wow, this guy concisely puts forth what our church is struggling with.  we want people to come to church and worship the way we want them to.  for us to go out and witness they way we think we should.  Our mission field has changed and we were too bubbled to notice.  we fear our community now because it is so different.  it is easier to minister to my bubble than open myself up to a pagan world.

I guess it hit home for me yesterday.  I went to a swim meet with 2 youth leaders.  At the meet I waved to my youth group kids, smiled and encouraged the kids from my youth group.  About 1/2 hour into the meet 2 boys came buy to sell a seat cushion for their school (West).  I ignored them, in part I didn't know them and I didn't want what they were selling, but one leader starts clapping and chanting EAST! EAST! EAST! (the team they were competing against in the meet!)  I was stunned, "what is peter doing!" I am thinking.  The 2 boys were like "come on buddy" in their look to him.  Peter turns and says "Oh sorry, how about Pioneer! Pioneer!" (Pioneer is West biggest rival)  The boys waved him off and told him to shut up and such and walked away.  I was sat stunned and thought what was Peter thinking.  about 5 min later they come back.  Peter tells he was teasing and such and starts a conversation with them. He never bought the seat cushion but he knew how enter their world and get them to talk.

And I sat there watching thinking I wouldn't engage them because I didn't know them and didn't want what they were selling.