Steve Garnaas Holmes: A Reflection for Palm Sunday

Faith

”Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!” —Mark 11.9-10

Jesus presents some street theater,
the new life enacted among us.
People love it for the moment,
but the Powers will have him killed, and he knows it. He has a week to live.
How’s he going to create a kingdom?
One week. How’s he going to change the world?

He comes on a donkey. He talks. He heals.
No power, no strategy.
Really, not even a kingdom.

No plan but this: just
love people, and forgive them.
Share a meal. Wash their feet.
Love them and forgive them.
And trust God with the rest.

That’s it. No other power, no plan.
Just love and trust God,
who takes our love
and heals the world with it.

This is jesus’ faith:
Do what you can. Do it with love.
Bless and heal and forgive along the way.
And trust that’s good enough for God.
It was good enough for Jesus.

Facing your trials, dealing with conflict,
confronting injustice, small as you are:
do what you can, do it with love,
bless and heal and forgive,
and trust God.

That alone will change the world.
That alone will save.
Watch.

Steve Garnaas-Holmes, from the March 26 entry of Unfolding Light blog