Palm Sunday Service

Our church service last night was so powerful! The service started with a drama that ended with the conversation on the three crosses. My pastor followed up with a teaching on the choices made then, and the choices we make now. The choice of rejection, reception (receiving what God offers), and redemption. He encouraged us to not run to the empty grave, but instead to focus on those choices and what it would mean if Jesus had not made the choice he did. I know that I have no words to describe my thankfulness that the God who created everything cared enough about me to die a horrible death on the cross. One of the most healing times for me was realizing that as Jesus was beaten, he understood the unfair beatings I received as a child. As he suffered and hung on the cross, he understood my pain. When he uttered the words, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", at that moment, he was bombarded with all sin, all the ugly and horrendous things that we do to each other. At that moment, my Lord understood what it was like to be forsaken, forgotten, abused. He knew he would be alone through the pain. He knew he would have to face sin in its entirety. But he chose life for us, life for you, life for me. He chose to conquer sin so I could find freedom from sin and the effects of sin against me. There are no words to say thank you for something that encompassing.