He who comes in the name of the Lord
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
That I may enter through them. Psalm 118:19
Read Matthew 21:1—9
Let me picture this, how it would be to be in that crowd. No other crowd I will ever be in will be near as momentous. Not near. Jerusalem! He’s coming up to Jerusalem, the centre of our faith. It’s where we come to be at the centre. He’s come to Jerusalem, to the centre of our hope, if not of our love. He’s announcing God’s kingdom! It’s all so freighted with meaning and expectation. He appears among us on a simple donkey. (It’s hard not to laugh at a donkey.) If I follow him through the coming days I will encounter the world’s salvation in a most unexpected way. A foolish way, I could almost say.[1] I read these words at the time of Advent, four weeks before Christmas, to prepare for my own journey. Let me, over these weeks, see and believe that it is the same Jesus I look forward to. His coming is ahead of me still.[2] It is filled with expectation. He’s not only behind me. He’s ahead. He’s my future.
Blessed are you, Lord Jesus Christ. You come in the name of the Lord. You are the name of the Lord. You bring with you all that you have done for the world. You come bearing the scars of your suffering and your saving love. In them you have signed the promise of my own future with you. For the joy that is set before you you will come. Let me be humble enough to receive you, to long for you, to watch for you and to eagerly anticipate you this night.
[1] 1 Corinthians 1:18
[2] 1 Thessalonians 1:10