GT Easter Blog Palm Sunday

                                                            This post originally appeared on the GT Easter Blog

If I were to alphabetize all the quirky things about me and my family, three short letters down you would find under the letter “C” - Christmas movies.  We love to watch them.  All. Year. Long.  Don’t bother trying to shame us or talk us out of it because we aren't even sorry.  My kids have one DVD that has a variety of different Disney Christmas cartoons and on there is my very favorite one.  It tells the story of a small donkey (creatively named Small One) who is older and can no longer pull his weight, so the family insists he must be sold.  I could go into way more details here but I won’t because just thinking about this stinkin cartoon leaves me in a puddle!  At the end of the story though, after many failed attempts to sell this washed up donkey who has outlived his purpose, he is bought by Joseph to carry his pregnant wife Mary to Bethlehem.  See!  I totally warned you…Pass the tissues…

The story of that donkey has stuck with me.  We see Jesus being carried again by a donkey on Palm Sunday. In Matthew 21:2-5 Jesus tells his disciples;

2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

5 

“Say to Daughter Zion,

    ‘See, your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The humility of Jesus just overwhelms me at times.  He is God With Us.  He could have chosen anything to come riding in on for his triumphal entry.  He had the armies of heaven at his disposal.  But he chose to present himself as Messiah riding on a donkey, and I’m so glad he did.  

That donkey gives me hope.  If we are to carry Jesus and his message of forgiveness and love with us everywhere we go, then I’m sure glad he didn't pick a stallion.  It shows us that we don't need to be perfect to carry the message of Jesus with us.  He will take us and use us and all our quirks and faults if only we’d make ourselves available to him.  We don’t need to be eloquent- look at Moses.  We don't need to have a perfect past - look at Paul.  We don’t even need to be without doubts - look at Thomas.  We just need to be humble, and willing, and available to God when he needs us.  And like that donkey in the cartoon, just when you think you’ve outlived your purpose, God can step in and give you new purpose.  If you’re still breathing, he isn’t finished with you.  Maybe you don’t feel grand or spectacular like a stallion; maybe you feel more like that donkey with nothing more to offer than humble capabilities.  But when we take our humble capabilities and pair it with the unmatched glory and splendor of King Jesus amazing things can happen and our lives are changed.  

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”