- by Anthony Siegrist, MCEC Executive Minister

At the beginning of Holy Week this year I was meditating on Luke chapter 19. Our reading of the Triumphal Entry story in this gospel often ends at verse 40. That is where Jesus tells the religious leaders that if his followers stop rejoicing at his entry into Jerusalem, the stones themselves will do it. It makes sense to end the reading there on a Sunday when there are cheerful processionals and children waving palm branches.

My prayer for our regional church is that we would recognize the two missed apprehensions that grieved Jesus...

What stands out to me from Luke’s account this year is the next set of verses. As Jesus approached the city, he broke down and wept. He says, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes.” The paragraph then ends with this haunting line, “. . . you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

My prayer for our regional church is that we would recognize the two missed apprehensions that grieved Jesus, the things that make for peace and the time of God’s visitation.

Oh God, as we move through Holy Week toward the celebration of Easter, may we not overlook your presence, and as we follow Jesus toward the violence of cross and the victory of empty tomb, may we come to know the things that make for peace. Amen.