<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 11;7-11<div><br></div><div><b>7. &nbsp;And they brought the colt&nbsp;to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it.</b></div><div><b>8. &nbsp;And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches, which they had cut from the fields.</b></div><div><b>9. &nbsp;And those who went before, and those who followed, cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed Is he who comes in the name of the Lord!</b></div><div><b>10. &nbsp;Blessed is the kingdom of our father David, that is coming! &nbsp;Hosanna in the highest!”</b></div><div><b>11. &nbsp;And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The&nbsp;‘irony’ &nbsp;of Palm Sunday, (and Good Friday) is that on both days, the perception of the people and the reality of what God in Christ Jesus&nbsp;is doing is just the opposite of what is really&nbsp;happening.</div><div><br></div><div>On Good Friday the people welcome Jesus to Jerusalem with the symbol of victory and triumph, the palm branch. &nbsp;They declare Him the long promised Messiah&nbsp;King, the&nbsp;son of David, who ushers in an eternal kingdom of peace. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Yet, a terrible battle awaits Jesus, when the kings and rulers of this earth assert their own dark demented powers, to put an end to&nbsp;Jesus once and forever, (they thought)<span>. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>In the midst of their glorious&nbsp;joy, and relief, there awaits the&nbsp;impending&nbsp;sorrow, fear, and tribulation of the cross.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Jesus knew fully all that was awaiting Him. &nbsp;He knew when those terrible moments came, His disciples and the people would be plunged into despair, believing all&nbsp;their hope was destroyed.</span></div><div><span>&nbsp;</span></div><div><span>Yet, Jesus received their praises, for He knew that after the cross and tomb, a victorious Easter resurrection was coming, when their palm branches would then be vindicated. &nbsp;The victory indeed belongs to Life.</span></div><div><span>Just as Jesus declares, <i>“I am the way, and the truth, and the Life. &nbsp;No one comes to the Father but by Me.”</i></span></div><div><span>(John 14;6)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div>The irony of our own Christian life is that while&nbsp;we share in the sufferings of Christ, in our hearts the palm&nbsp;of <span>victory is ours in Him. &nbsp;The sorrows and depressing&nbsp;</span><span>darknesses of the ‘</span><span>Vally of the Shadow of Death’ is where we are now, but,&nbsp;</span><span>Easter shines brightly in our hearts, lighting the way through this </span><span>vale</span><span>&nbsp;of tears.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Most merciful Heavenly Father, grant that we in faith, rejoice and give thanks in every circumstance, for You are at work for our good and the good of the world in everything, as we hold tight to our palm branch, which is&nbsp;the gift of faith You have given us in Christ our risen Lord. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”<br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 11;7-11
7.  And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it.8.  And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches, which they had cut from the fields.9.  And those who went before, and those who followed, cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed Is he who comes in the name of the Lord!10.  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David, that is coming!  Hosanna in the highest!”11.  And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
The ‘irony’  of Palm Sunday, (and Good Friday) is that on both days, the perception of the people and the reality of what God in Christ Jesus is doing is just the opposite of what is really happening.
On Good Friday the people welcome Jesus to Jerusalem with the symbol of victory and triumph, the palm branch.  They declare Him the long promised Messiah King, the son of David, who ushers in an eternal kingdom of peace.  
Yet, a terrible battle awaits Jesus, when the kings and rulers of this earth assert their own dark demented powers, to put an end to Jesus once and forever, (they thought).  
In the midst of their glorious joy, and relief, there awaits the impending sorrow, fear, and tribulation of the cross. 
Jesus knew fully all that was awaiting Him.  He knew when those terrible moments came, His disciples and the people would be plunged into despair, believing all their hope was destroyed. Yet, Jesus received their praises, for He knew that after the cross and tomb, a victorious Easter resurrection was coming, when their palm branches would then be vindicated.  The victory indeed belongs to Life.Just as Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father but by Me.”(John 14;6)
The irony of our own Christian life is that while we share in the sufferings of Christ, in our hearts the palm of victory is ours in Him.  The sorrows and depressing darknesses of the ‘Vally of the Shadow of Death’ is where we are now, but, Easter shines brightly in our hearts, lighting the way through this vale of tears.

Prayer:  Most merciful Heavenly Father, grant that we in faith, rejoice and give thanks in every circumstance, for You are at work for our good and the good of the world in everything, as we hold tight to our palm branch, which is the gift of faith You have given us in Christ our risen Lord.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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