Jesus, the gate
by Maria Rudolph
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This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation (Psalm 118:20,21).
Read Psalm 118:1,2,19–29
The Easter excitement is building – the season of Lent is drawing to a close, and Palm Sunday will kick off Holy Week tomorrow. Psalm 118:27 pre-empts the events about to take place: ‘With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.’
As we celebrate Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, we exclaim with the branch-waving crowd lining the streets, ‘Hosanna!’, meaning ‘Lord, save us!’ We also find this in today’s Psalm 118:25: ‘Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!’ And each time we cry out ‘Lord, save us’, we are assured that Jesus indeed hears our cry and saves us.
The psalmist sings: ‘Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord’ (Psalm 118:19). And as Christians, we are assured by the words of our Good Shepherd recorded in John 10:7,9: ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.’
As this Lenten season draws to a close, it is time to reflect on what we can praise God for. Reflect on your situation and the people in your life and give thanks to God. Let us give thanks to God, for he is good, and his love endures forever!
Holy God, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is Jesus, our Saviour. Blessed is the Holy Spirit who has come as our Counsellor and Guide. I give thanks to you for my life and for the blessings I receive from you every day. I give thanks to you for the people in my life and bring their needs and my relationship with them before you for your guidance and blessing. Loving God, prepare my heart for Holy Week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Maria serves at St John’s Lutheran Church in Perth, Western Australia. She is blessed with her pastor husband, Michael, who serves at Concordia Lutheran Church, Duncraig. With God’s help, they navigate ministry across two parishes and life at home with two beautiful high schoolers and one amazing boy in primary school. Pastor Maria also serves the Lutheran Church on the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.
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