Palm Sunday hero

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
(Verse 54)

Read Matthew 27:11–54

In 2008 Pope Benedict XVI visited Australia. Because of my position at the time I was invited to several events in Sydney. As I approached the venues I was struck by the high level of security – cordons, fences, guards, police and surveillance. Most of Hyde Park was off limits to the public, and St Mary’s Cathedral was encased in several layers of fencing. You could only get in if you had an official invitation.

In his day Jesus was alone, with a handful of followers. They moved through public places unguarded, available to anyone. Two thousand years later he has over 2 billion followers spread throughout the world. There has never been any group of believers on that scale in the history of the world.

You might not see huge crowds going to church on Palm Sunday. To most Australians it will be a day like any other day. That doesn’t mean it’s all over, and that God has given up. God has no more given up on us than Jesus gave up on Jerusalem. God is in this with us to the end, and Jesus is with you, to the end, one on one, and one with billions of others to whom he has also offered the gift of life.

Thank you Jesus for being approachable and never giving up on me. Empower me with your grace to praise you to others. Amen.

by Bishop John Henderson, for www.messagesofhope.org.au where you can read and listen to the full message.

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