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Jesus says, I am the vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Welcome to Pillar's Abide in Me podcast, a weekly opportunity to abide in Christ through weekly pillar sermon and worship reflections. I'm Trish.

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And I'm Christian. Hear these words from the book we love. When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. The next day, the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, Hosanna, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written, Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt. His disciples did not understand these things at first. But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. So the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify. It was also because they heard that he had performed this sign that the crowd went to meet him. The Pharisees then said to one another, You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

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John, throughout his gospel, keeps mentioning the glory of Jesus. Even here, his disciples did not understand these things at first, but after he was glorified, after he was glorified. For John, the glory of Jesus, the success of Jesus, the victory of Jesus, is the cross. The glory in a grave. The glory is devotion to the Father's will, even though it cost him his life. The crowds had glory in mind. The king, the king, blessed is the king, Hosanna. Jesus had the cross on his heart, and with that, he would establish a kingdom. It's so disorienting. Palm Sunday reorients us from the spectacle to the way. So the question on this Palm Sunday is what are we in it for? What are you in for? The way of the kingdom. Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Blessed are the peacemakers. The first will be the last, and the last will be the first. Whoever wants to save their life will lose it. Take up your cross and follow me. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them, the other also. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. I didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. All of the benefits that come with following Jesus come with going the way of Jesus. The crowd gathers, not only because of Jesus, but to see Lazarus. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem. The betrayal and the denial, the arrest and the trial, the cross and the grave, the resurrection too. The ascension, absolutely, but not without the cross. Not without self-emptying. Not without losing it all. It's the way of Jesus. Palm Sunday disorients us out of whatever we thought this whole thing was all about and invites us to reorient our lives and our hearts to the way of Jesus.

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For our part as a pillar community, we'd love to be praying for you. So feel free to reach out to us at abide at pillarchurch.com and if you're willing, receive this blessing. May the God who sent his son so that we could be adopted as God's own children, send his spirit into your hearts, especially in this week of remembrance and renewal, and equip you to live as God's own children, dearly loved and called to serve a needy world. Amen.