Our journey through lent is ending, and we begin the journey through the Easter week. Luke chapter 9 verse 51 says “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem”. A journey travelled on foot, the final part of which was from Jericho to Jerusalem.  A 14-mile walk, through barren desert and a 3,300ft ascent, but now Jesus’s mode of transport changes. However, before we reflect on Palm Sunday, let us take a moment to pray for peace in the Middle East and for essential aid to reach those in such desperate need in Gaza.

In the 16^th century Saint Ignatius of Loyola developed a way of meditating on the Bible narratives, that focuses on using our senses. This means imagining the sights, sounds and emotions of the scene. One way of doing this is to listen to the reading using BibleGateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Luke.19. Take a moment to reflect on what has caught your attention, maybe it was the ‘colt’ tied up as Jesus had said or the crowds throwing their cloaks down for Jesus as he rode on it into Jerusalem. Are you in the crowds joyfully praising God or standing back watching from a distance, wondering what is going on? It can sometimes be hard to imagine how the crowds might have been feeling, because we know what is ahead for Jesus. The crowds would have been full of expectation and hope for what might happen.

As I listened to the reading, I was drawn to verse 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden.” This verse speaks of Jesus planning ahead, the people around Jesus might not have known what was going to happen but Jesus did. How many times do we wish that we could see clearly the road ahead and God says to us ‘Trust me’. Taking one moment or one step at a time is hard, especially if we try to take those steps on our own,
without praying and asking those around us for support and encouragement. Jesus had tried to prepare his disciples about what the road ahead would be like, but they didn’t really listen, or perhaps it just didn’t make sense. So often, God doesn’t take away the difficulties we face but instead, walks with us and gives us enough strength to face it. The two disciples that were giving the instructions to go and find the ’colt’, trusted Jesus and found the colt just as Jesus had said. Take a moment now to pause and pray for any difficult situation you may be facing this coming week, knowing that God has gone before you and is with you.

I also thought about the ‘colt’ who had never been ridden before’; suddenly being untied, a cloak laid on its back and Jesus’ riding on it. We do not know whether Jesus had had experience of riding, and we are not told anything about the animal’s reaction. However, I think all that information would distract us from the significance of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a ‘colt’. Jesus didn’t have a stately entry, that was rehearsed, like King Charles’s Coronation. Instead, humbly rode in on a colt that had not been prepared for the event. Despite which was guided perfectly by Jesus. On this Palm Sunday, could you set yourself a small goal, to be open to seeing something new as you read in one of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, Jesus’s journey to the cross and resurrection. Courageously, stopping along the way, with an openness to be met afresh by the risen Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Amen.