Commitment: Palm Sunday

Devotion by: Pastor Scott McAnally

Genesis 37:19-20

They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’

April Fool’s Day and Palm Sunday, on the same day. How ironic. Our text tells us of Joseph, who wishes that what his brothers did to him was an April Fool’s prank. But it was not. And neither was the triumphal journey into Jerusalem. By the end of the day, the cheers of “Hosanna!” turned into the jeers of “Crucify!”. Are these cruel jokes? No. Yet despite the events in their lives, they remained committed to a God who shows ultimate commitment.

We are entering the final weeks of Turning Silver into Gold. We have heard the words of promise and the words of consequence. As we ponder what it means to make a commitment, we don’t need to look much farther than Joseph and Jesus. Joseph, whose brothers betrayed him, who had more dishonest things done to him than anyone in the Old Testament, remained committed in a God who promised never to leave him. Times got pretty ugly, yet Joseph remained steadfast. God’s promise prevailed.

Jesus is riding into Jerusalem. The three days of betrayal, denial, torture, and death are coming. Jesus could have escaped, as the criminal said on the cross. Jesus probably could have gotten down off that cross – except he was committed. Committed to you and to me, committed to the world and to his work of love and redemption. Can we be so bold to ask the Holy Spirit to be with us as we think about our commitment to a God who has been, is and will always be committed to us?

PRAYER: Forgiving God, we know that your love for us is no April Fools. It’s real, undeserving, and free. For that we humbly give you thanks. Please be with us as we ponder our commitments to your work through “Turning Silver into Gold.” Most of all, we thank you for the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.