Church of the Brethren Newsline
April 7, 2017
By Theresa Eshbach
“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118:26a).
Get ready.
Arrange the festal branches.
Open the doors, the windows, the gates.
Vocalize! Prepare a mighty chorus. Flood the streets with alleluias:
“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
But,
How can we sing a hymn of praise,
When Chibok girls, Syrian children, sex-trafficked slaves, homeless addicts, and broken families
Remain hostages–separated, ostracized, bound?
How can we enter a joyful parade, process, and sing:
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”?
Yet,
How can we not remember God’s faithfulness?
Like the Jews preparing for Passover, how can we not prepare for our Jerusalem journey?v Will we overlook God’s presence when we are faced with a cross?
Will we forget God’s endless streams of mercy and steadfast love?
“The Lord is my strength and my might.”
So,
We must sing!
We will not fail to join the mighty chorus for the One who comes to join us in our weakness.
We will remember God’s never-ending love and medicine of mercy.
“Blessed is the one who comes to us in the name of the Lord.”
O Lord, you are my God, and I will give thanks and praise to you in all of life’s circumstances.
—This is the April 8 meditation from “Medicine of Mercy: Devotions for Ash Wednesday Through Easter” by Theresa Eshbach, this year’s Lent devotional from Brethren Press. For more about the annual Lent and Advent devotional booklets published by Brethren Press, go to www.brethrenpress.com.
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