I love travelling. I enjoyed every school trip and church youth camp. Even now I remember those days when I used to prepare for travel. Whenever I went for a trip, I used to pack the best things I had. Because of that, my luggage was always heavy. I wanted to take everything I liked. I never wanted to leave anything behind.
But slowly I learned something. When we travel, we cannot carry everything. We must choose only what is necessary. Over the years I learned to carry less and travel light. Now my luggage is not heavy, because I take only what I really need. As a child, I did not like to lose anything, but life taught me that sometimes we must leave things behind in order to move forward.
On this Palm Sunday, we see something similar in the life of Jesus. When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, people spread their cloaks on the road. A cloak was not a small thing in those days. It was something valuable. But they were ready to lay it down for Jesus. They were ready to let go of what they had, to welcome the Lord.
The scripture says that the people laid down their cloaks as he went. This shows that it was not a one-time action. Again and again, as Jesus moved forward, they kept laying their cloaks before Him. It was an ongoing act of trust, honour, and submission.
This year our Methodist Lenten theme reminds us of let go and be open. We are invited to let go of what we hold tightly so that we may be open to God’s will, and open to God’s work in our life.
What are the cloaks in our lives today? Let us put down our heavy backpacks and carry only the things that help us walk with Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we want to receive you into our hearts today. Help us to welcome you not only with words, but with our life. Teach us to lay down our cloaks before you and the things we hold too tightly. As you walked the road to the cross, help us to walk with you with trust, with humility, and with courage.
Lord, lead us, guide us, and make our hearts ready to follow you. Amen.