Palm Sunday: inspiring us to act

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus longs for a close, intimate relationship with you.

Jesus looks upon our lives, not with a focus on our perfect understanding, but with a deep desire for closeness. In the midst of celebration, His heart is moved by the distance we sometimes keep. He sees the potential for a profound and personal connection that goes beyond mere knowledge. His invitation is to draw near, to be gathered under His protective and loving care. This is the relationship He has always wanted. [47:55]

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34, ESV)

Reflection: When you consider your own spiritual life, do you sense a gap between your knowledge about Jesus and a feeling of genuine, personal closeness to Him? What might be one small, practical way you could respond to His invitation to be gathered in this week?

Day 2: Our understanding of Jesus is always partial and growing.

We can recognize Jesus as the Messiah and yet still not fully grasp the depth of who He is and what His kingdom entails. Our perception is often shaped by our own expectations and limited perspectives. This was true for the crowd on Palm Sunday, and it remains true for us today. The journey of faith is one of continually growing in our knowledge and experience of Christ. There is always more of His heart to discover. [46:20]

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you perhaps held a fixed image or expectation of who Jesus is that might be limiting your relationship with Him? How could you open yourself to discovering a new, perhaps surprising, aspect of His character?

Day 3: Visualizing Jesus as a real person deepens our connection.

Jesus is not merely a historical figure or a theological concept; He is a living person who desires to be known. Creating a mental image of Him can help bridge the gap between abstract belief and tangible relationship. This practice moves our faith from the head to the heart, making our prayers and our walk with Him more personal and authentic. It is an invitation to engage with Him not as an idea, but as a friend. [51:25]

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV)

Reflection: What image of Jesus comes to your mind when you think of Him? How might intentionally picturing Him as a real, present person change the way you approach prayer or your daily routine today?

Day 4: God actively removes barriers to reach us.

The story of our faith is not just about humanity reaching for God, but about God passionately reaching out to us. Jesus’s actions in the temple were a deliberate clearing of obstacles that hindered true connection. The tearing of the temple curtain signifies God’s powerful move to dismantle every barrier we erect. This reveals a God who is not distant, but who is determined to have an unobstructed relationship with His children. [54:44]

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:50-51, ESV)

Reflection: What are some of the ‘curtains’—like busyness, guilt, or distraction—that you sometimes feel separate you from God’s presence? How does the truth that God actively tears those barriers down change your perspective?

Day 5: Take a practical step to cultivate intimacy with Jesus.

A vibrant relationship with Christ, like any relationship, is nurtured through intentional practices. This is an invitation to move from desire to action, to take one simple step toward Him. It is not about a grand gesture, but a small, consistent habit that creates space for connection. Whether it is through prayer, meditation, or engaging with scripture in a new way, this step is a response to His open invitation. [50:15]

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific, manageable practice you feel prompted to adopt—or return to—this week to help you draw nearer to Jesus and cultivate a more personal friendship with Him?

Sermon Summary

A Palm Sunday gathering opens with procession, community invitations, and an appeal to bring others to Easter services. A personal immigration story recounts a nervous traffic stop, a mistaken identity, and the odd comfort found in ordinary human errors. The crowd’s palms, cloaks, and cries of “Hosanna” signal a messianic expectation that already names Jesus king, even as that same energy later turns toward condemnation. Jesus walks into Jerusalem and weeps over the city, using the image of a mother hen longing to gather her chicks, exposing a heartbreaking desire for intimate relationship rather than mere correct belief.

The narrative presses the difference between recognition and relationship: people can identify Jesus as messiah without grasping the full scope of his mission to change hearts and systems. Visual practices and images help bridge that gap; icons, film portrayals, and imagination become tools to meet the living person Jesus rather than reduce him to an abstract idea. An invitation encourages taking concrete next steps—restarting spiritual practices, watching visual retellings like The Chosen, and using prayer that pictures Jesus as near and responsive.

Jesus returns to the temple and clears the space, declaring the place intended for prayer and resisting transactions that block worship. That cleansing becomes an enacted sign of God’s desire to remove barriers between divine presence and human access. The torn temple curtain after the crucifixion reframes access: not only do people now approach God, but God reaches toward humanity, initiating intimacy. The gathering concludes with a call to cultivate a more personal, imagable faith—one that values relationship over mere information—and practical invitations for community involvement during Holy Week.

Key Takeaways

1. The Messiah can seem misunderstood The crowd greets Jesus with messianic praise and symbols of kingship, yet that same movement collapses into calls for crucifixion within days. This reveals how recognition of title or prophecy can coexist with limited understanding of mission and heart. Faith must move beyond correct labels to wrestle with what the Messiah’s kingdom actually reorients. [44:38]
2. Jesus weeps over lost intimacy The image of a mother hen gathering chicks reframes divine longing as tender, relational sorrow rather than purely judicial concern. That weeping centers relationship as the core of God’s mission: God desires closeness even when people respond with partial or misdirected expectation. Grief over distance invites a response of repentance shaped by longing, not merely obligation. [47:04]
3. Visualize Jesus to deepen friendship Forming an interior image of Jesus—through icons, film, or imagination—turns doctrinal knowledge into personal encounter. Visual practices build emotional pathways that make prayer conversational and present-tense, helping people move from abstract belief to everyday friendship. Such practices carry risk but invite a richer, embodied discipleship. [50:47]
4. Temple cleansing shows God’s initiative Clearing the temple models a deliberate work to remove obstacles to worship rather than passive acquiescence to corrupted systems. The torn curtain then signals an even deeper movement: God actively reaches into human life, not waiting for perfect approaches. Worship becomes reciprocal—God draws near as people are invited to respond. [53:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:11] - Mission statement and Palm Sunday
[06:01] - Community announcements and Easter invites
[41:16] - Arrival story and old photo
[42:09] - Traffic stop and mistaken identity
[44:15] - Messianic procession reflected
[47:04] - Jesus weeps over Jerusalem
[49:56] - Invitation to take a next step
[50:47] - Visualizing Jesus and spiritual practices
[53:32] - Cleansing the temple
[54:44] - God approaches humanity (torn curtain)
[55:13] - Prayer and benediction
[63:34] - Final announcements and dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
*Luke 19:41-44 (ESV)*
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

*Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV)*
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

*Matthew 23:37 (ESV)*
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

Observation questions

What were the two very different reactions the crowd had toward Jesus within the same week, and what does this reveal about their understanding of him? [44:38]
What was Jesus's emotional response to seeing the city of Jerusalem, and what specific, tender image did he use to describe his desire for its people? [47:04]
What deliberate action did Jesus take in the temple, and what reason did he give for doing it? [53:53]
What event at the moment of Jesus's death is connected to the temple cleansing, and how does it change the way we understand access to God? [54:44]

Interpretation questions

How can a person or a group correctly identify Jesus as the Messiah with the right titles and scriptures, yet still completely misunderstand the nature of his mission and heart?
The image of a mother hen gathering her chicks is one of protection, warmth, and intimate care. In what ways does this metaphor challenge common, more distant or formal perceptions of God's desire for a relationship with people?
The temple was meant to be a place where people could connect with God. What are some modern "tables" that might be overturned—things that unintentionally create barriers or transactions that block genuine worship and relationship today?
If the torn curtain signifies God now reaching out to humanity, not just humanity approaching God, how does this reshape our understanding of prayer and who takes the first step in our relationship with God?

Application questions

In what areas of your life do you find it easier to have correct beliefs or information about Jesus than to have a close, personal relationship with him? What might that gap look like in your daily routine?
Jesus wept over a city's refusal of his intimate care. Is there an area in your own life where you sense a similar divine longing to gather you closer, but you have been unwilling? [47:55]
What is one practical step you could take this week to move from an abstract idea of Jesus to visualizing him as a real, living person you can talk to? This could be watching a visual retelling of his story, using an icon, or simply imagining him sitting with you. [50:47]
Reflect on your patterns of prayer. Do you approach it more as a transaction or a conversation? How might picturing God actively reaching toward you change the way you pray?
The temple cleansing was an intentional act to remove barriers to worship. What is one specific obstacle in your life or schedule that you could intentionally clear out to create more space for connection with God this week?
The crowd's praise turned to condemnation when Jesus didn't meet their expectations. When has Jesus failed to meet a specific expectation of yours, and how did that impact your relationship with him?

Sermon Clips

it made me think that sometimes when we're talking about Jesus, we think, have we got it right? Do we truly understand who he is or do we do we not have it right yet? And we think about the knowledge that that takes and the information. And I think what Jesus is doing in this moment is he's not really as interested in my question which is do they understand him as the Messiah or do they not? What's going on there? He's interested in the relationship which is so Jesus, isn't it? [00:48:36] (29 seconds) #RelationshipOverKnowledge

one thing that has always fascinated me and it's in a different gospel account of this same story is that as Jesus comes and he enters into Jerusalem, he reaches a point in the city where he can look down over the whole of the city and he starts to weep. In the midst of the joy and the celebration and the honoring of Jesus, he starts to cry and he has this beautiful thing that he says. He says, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I have longed to gather you up like a mother hen gathers her chicks, but you were not willing. [00:46:39] (39 seconds) #JesusWeepsForJerusalem

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Palm Sunday: inspiring us to act - March 29, 2026