Psalm 118:19–29 (NRSV)

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,that I may enter through themand give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord;the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered meand have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing;it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made;let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God,and he has given us light.Bind the festal procession with branches,up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;you are my God, I will extol you. 29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,for his steadfast love endures forever.

The season of Lent is down to the final two weeks. This week we prepare for Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday. This is the moment when he allows his followers to fully embrace the fact that Jesus is the one true Messiah. Jesus enters the gates of Jerusalem riding a donkey to the chorus of “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. And that is enough. The visual of Jesus being honored is enough to fill our cups to overflowing for a while. Whatever is waiting on the other side of this moment can wait. In fact, whatever is waiting is only made better by what we witness in Jesus’ entry.

Lord Jesus, you who rode into Jerusalem to announce once and for all the that you are the one we wait upon, fill our hearts with your goodness and kindness today. Hear my cries of hallelujah!