Palm Sunday

I remember how much I LOVED palm Sunday as a little girl. I would get that palm branch and ever so carefully carry it home and put it in a special place to keep until it was dried out and falling apart...I don't bring the branch home with me anymore, but I love it just as much today, or I did yesterday anyway...

It was so fun to see that same expression on the faces of the choir kids when we worshipped yesterday. They were to walk with their palm branches at all three services , so in order to keep the oh so delicate palms from being completely stripped of every last leaf, we would collect them each time to use again. You could see it in their faces - will I get a big palm at the end of the day? What if mine is snapped in half by one of the other kids? What if this is the last chance I have to ever have a palm again for the rest of my life? I heard (and saw) all of these questions yesterday on their sugar coated faces...and once again, thanked God that I get to step into their world, if only for a minute.

I can just imagine that it was like this when Jesus came, the children clawing their way through the crowd to see what was happening that was so exciting...not wanting to miss out on the action for a second. I think that I could learn from the example they lived out right in front of me yesterday. This is important! I want to be sure that at the end of this, I don't miss out on what is going on. If I have to remind myself again and again, I'll make sure I'm in the center of the action...

"And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest" Matthew 21:8-9

Don't miss it! The Messiah is here

Permanence

So while ya'll were outside enjoying this fine day I was in class to get 2 more hours closer to the ever allusive MDiv. On my current program I'm looking at a little over 2 years to complete and that just seems like eons and eons and eons away....but I digress...

Today we were talking about some of the traits that were found in the Benedictine Monastic movement. Oddly enough, I saw some works by Benedictines last Sunday at the Dead Sea Scroll Exhibits - gorgeous St. Johns Bible that is due to be completed next year. but back to permanence.

The monks were requires to follow two rules - permanence (they could not hop from monastery to monastery) and obedience (without delay, and whole heartedly) and I got to thinking - how much permanence is there in my life? As a single person, it seems like so many of my decisions rest on the non-permanent. I still live in a condo, that is a blessing, but doesn't feel very homey to me - doesn't feel permanent. And I work in a corporate job, all the while hoping and praying that it will not be permanent. How often do I treat my singleness in the same way? non-permanent? How am I missing the call of God while waiting for this season to be over? how am I missing the permanent love of the father by rushing past him on my way out the door in the morning. And what if, maybe....this is where God is going to keep me? Can I worship God if my singleness is indeed permanent?

I wonder