O Servant King,
we hear you approaching.
The clip clop of hooves grows ever louder,
the rustle of palm branches and cloaks grows urgent,
we hear you coming, but we are not ready ...
Our expectations are not yours,
what we want differs from what you offer,
we want a Triumphant entry into the city,
we want victory and rejoicing
we want to feel the surge of Holiness ...
But in the coming hours our enthusiasm will wane,
our passion will cool
our cheers will turn to jeers
and like your disciples we too will abandon you ...
We will busy ourselves with other things,
plans for the long weekend,
dinners and gatherings,
chocolates and treats,
preparations for the celebrations to come ...
And we'll forget the long dark days
we'll avoid the shadowy places,
we'll stay clear of the loneliness and suffering.
It's all too much for us,
so we will leap from Hosannas to Hallelujahs
avoiding the horrors that lie between ...
Forgive us O God,
Forgive us and love us despite our shortsightedness.
Be with us today, and in the coming days,
let us hear the gentle clip clop of hooves on the stones,
let us hear the shuffle of sandals in the dusty streets
let us hear the echo of shouts in the halls and courtyards
let us hear the thunderous silence of your disciples,
let us hear the bloody thwack of whips, slaps and suffering
let us hear, even if we stop our ears,
the events and happenings in the streets ...
Events and Happenings that lead us from
the triumphant entry into the city
to the quiet prayers over bread and wine
to the empassioned pleas in a darkened garden
to the suffering and the dying ...
O Servant King,
be with us in the coming days ...
take us by the hand and lead us ...
lead us to the shadowy places that await us
and give us the courage to persist in our journey ...
O Servant King,
hear our prayer ... AMEN
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