Prayer About Practicing Social Distancing on Palm Sunday
Sunday April 5, 2020
It’s Palm Sunday as we head into Holy Week when I am recording this. The Queen has addressed the nation for only the 4th time in her reign outside of her Christmas message, thanking those who are putting their lives on the front line to fight the virus and also encouraging all of us to do our part and stay home.
People of this era don’t want to give themselves to any rule other than their own choices. We want personal freedoms protected at all cost – but in these days, it’s pretty clear that unless we are willing to sacrifice some personal freedom, stay home, and practice social distancing, others will die.
Jesus Christ is such a good example for us on this Palm Sunday. On this day 2000 years ago, He knew what lay ahead for him. He had already laid down the worship that was rightfully His in heaven, come to earth and taken on human flesh so He could live through all that we face, and now he knew it was his time to die in our place as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Even though the journey was ahead was going to be more difficult than we could ever imagine Jesus persevered, did what was needed, was present in loving ways to His friends and the crowds, spoke truth when it was needed - even in inconvenient circumstances and ultimately endured betrayal, beating and unjust death.
We don’t know what’s ahead of us this week, this month and the short term future. Some medical professionals are telling us that we are “In the thick of things” as far as the spread of the covid-19 virus pandemic and that these are weeks when we can expect larger numbers of folks getting sick and as places in the United States said yesterday, “a week of great death.”
On this Palm Sunday, as we prepare for Good Friday and Easter Sunday celebrations that remind us of God’s love for us and the death and powerful resurrection of Jesus Christ as our Saviour, let’s thank God for the distancing from the Father’s love Jesus was willing to endure for us and then give all we have to helping others not just get through this time of isolation during the covid-19 crisis, but help them come to know the great love of God that is offering them life with God forever.
None of you should look out just for your own good. Each of you should also look out for the good of others. As you deal with one another, you should think and act as Jesus did.
In his very nature he was God. Jesus was equal with God. But Jesus didn’t take advantage of that fact.
Instead, he made himself nothing. He did this by taking on the nature of a servant. He was made just like human beings. He appeared as a man. He was humble and obeyed God completely. He did this even though it led to his death. Even worse, he died on a cross! Philippians 2:4-8 NIRV
We take time each year to remember that Jesus died on the cross for us but somehow in this time of social distancing it’s pretty amazing to think about what kind of social distancing Jesus was willing to endure so we could have forgiveness for our sins and life with You forever.
Loving God,
We thank you today for the amazing gift, Lord Jesus, of Your life for ours; your suffering on our behalf; your enduring misunderstanding, false accusation, betrayal, beating, and then the distancing yourself like never before from the love of God by becoming sin for us. We try to understand what that meant but can’t wrap our heads around it. We know how horrific it had to be though, with the intensity of your own praying in the Garden on the night of your arrest when you sweat drops of blood, asking your father if there was any other way, yet not your own will but His. You were willing to be banned from the loving care and presence of Your loving father. You went not only into the grave but all the way into hell on our behalf. No one has practiced social distancing like You did. No goal was more noble than what You upheld in redeeming our lives from the certain death that sin brings to 100% of us.
It almost seems disrespectful to put our own need for strength to persevere in social distancing beside such this profound gift You gave on our behalf and yet you died so we could bring just these kinds of needs before you and have them taken seriously. Even more seriously though, Lord, is our need to be united with You by turning over our will and our life and asking You for the forgiveness of our sins that we so desperately need. We do not want to have to endure the eternal distancing that comes after our physical death if we have not bothered to receive this amazing gift you paid such a high price to obtain on our behalf.
Help us God, to do all that we can in a physical way to protect others in this time of social distancing but at the same time to give our attention and energy to helping others come into a living relationship with You that Jesus won for us that first Easter Weekend, but what He only saw as a dark time of separation from you when he experienced Palm Sunday and in the Garden of Gethesemane.
On this Palm Sunday during these times of social distancing, we simply pause to say Thank You and to recommit ourselves to your care and to Your mission. Not our own will by yours be done, we pray. Amen
Jesus Christ is such a good example for us on this Palm Sunday. On this day 2000 years ago, He knew what lay ahead for him. He had already laid down the worship that was rightfully His in heaven, come to earth and taken on human flesh so He could live through all that we face, and now he knew it was his time to die in our place as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Even though the journey was ahead was going to be more difficult than we could ever imagine Jesus persevered, did what was needed, was present in loving ways to His friends and the crowds, spoke truth when it was needed - even in inconvenient circumstances and ultimately endured betrayal, beating and unjust death.
We don’t know what’s ahead of us this week, this month and the short term future. Some medical professionals are telling us that we are “In the thick of things” as far as the spread of the covid-19 virus pandemic and that these are weeks when we can expect larger numbers of folks getting sick and as places in the United States said yesterday, “a week of great death.”
On this Palm Sunday, as we prepare for Good Friday and Easter Sunday celebrations that remind us of God’s love for us and the death and powerful resurrection of Jesus Christ as our Saviour, let’s thank God for the distancing from the Father’s love Jesus was willing to endure for us and then give all we have to helping others not just get through this time of isolation during the covid-19 crisis, but help them come to know the great love of God that is offering them life with God forever.
None of you should look out just for your own good. Each of you should also look out for the good of others. As you deal with one another, you should think and act as Jesus did.
In his very nature he was God. Jesus was equal with God. But Jesus didn’t take advantage of that fact.
Instead, he made himself nothing. He did this by taking on the nature of a servant. He was made just like human beings. He appeared as a man. He was humble and obeyed God completely. He did this even though it led to his death. Even worse, he died on a cross! Philippians 2:4-8 NIRV
We take time each year to remember that Jesus died on the cross for us but somehow in this time of social distancing it’s pretty amazing to think about what kind of social distancing Jesus was willing to endure so we could have forgiveness for our sins and life with You forever.
Loving God,
We thank you today for the amazing gift, Lord Jesus, of Your life for ours; your suffering on our behalf; your enduring misunderstanding, false accusation, betrayal, beating, and then the distancing yourself like never before from the love of God by becoming sin for us. We try to understand what that meant but can’t wrap our heads around it. We know how horrific it had to be though, with the intensity of your own praying in the Garden on the night of your arrest when you sweat drops of blood, asking your father if there was any other way, yet not your own will but His. You were willing to be banned from the loving care and presence of Your loving father. You went not only into the grave but all the way into hell on our behalf. No one has practiced social distancing like You did. No goal was more noble than what You upheld in redeeming our lives from the certain death that sin brings to 100% of us.
It almost seems disrespectful to put our own need for strength to persevere in social distancing beside such this profound gift You gave on our behalf and yet you died so we could bring just these kinds of needs before you and have them taken seriously. Even more seriously though, Lord, is our need to be united with You by turning over our will and our life and asking You for the forgiveness of our sins that we so desperately need. We do not want to have to endure the eternal distancing that comes after our physical death if we have not bothered to receive this amazing gift you paid such a high price to obtain on our behalf.
Help us God, to do all that we can in a physical way to protect others in this time of social distancing but at the same time to give our attention and energy to helping others come into a living relationship with You that Jesus won for us that first Easter Weekend, but what He only saw as a dark time of separation from you when he experienced Palm Sunday and in the Garden of Gethesemane.
On this Palm Sunday during these times of social distancing, we simply pause to say Thank You and to recommit ourselves to your care and to Your mission. Not our own will by yours be done, we pray. Amen
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