Palm Sunday

This week is Semanta Santa - holy week.  In Spain, holy week is marked by processionals in which effigies of Jesus, Mary, and/or various saints are carried out of their respective churches and taken through the streets.  I had heard of these, but was not sure what exactly to expect when Erin, Nick, and I went to watch the first one.

From a cultural standpoint, it was really interesting to watch.  From a ministry/spiritual standpoint, it's been challenging to process.  I wanted to/did jump to conclusions, which may or may not have been accurate.  So, here's a couple things I've been chewing on:

• In the hearts and minds of the people attending and participating, is this an act driven solely by tradition or is there a spiritual element involved?
• If there is a spiritual element involved, do people think by performing these processions that they have earned favor with God or what is their motivation for doing it?
• What impact, if any, does this have on people's daily lives?

I came away from it so thankful for the simple, yet profound truth of the Gospel of grace that all people can have a relationship with God through the person and work of Jesus.

It stands as a stark contrast to all religions that essentially say you can/have to earn favor with God through following rules, rituals, traditions, and whatever else they come up with.  Which is a total affront to Jesus.  It's basically saying, "Jesus, I know You died on the cross, but I don't actually think You took care of it all.  Therefore, I will step in and take care of it myself."  Yikes - bold move, probably not the best idea.

So, as I was contemplating these things, the song "Give Me Jesus" just popped into my mind.  It's interesting, because I can't remember the last time I actually heard this song.  But it was kind of a breath of fresh air.

Sadly, I can't use it in the video due to copyright, but if you want the effect I was going for just play "Give Me Jesus" by Fernando Ortega while you watch.  Otherwise, enjoy the pictures :).

One of the neat things about Semana Santa is that people seem to be more open to spiritual discussion.  So, please be praying for those conversations to happen, as well as for wisdom and discernment on our part. Also, there will be more processions later this week.  They start up again on Wednesday and go through Sunday, so those would be good times to pray also.