Today's Lectionary Text
Matthew 21:1-11
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:
“Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Today's Reflective Questions
- How will you begin to prioritize that commitment in the coming days and weeks?
- What additional spiritual practice(s) (scripture, silence, sabbath, prayer, fasting) might you experiment with as you seek to live this new commitment?
- What specific commitment do you hear God inviting you to make in response to this text?
Today's Devotional
This Week's Lenten Focus: Commitment
This Lenten season, Bishop David Wilson, along with some conference staff and members of the laity, are inviting the people of the Great Plains Conference and beyond to “Pay Attention to God’s Voice” during this season of Lent. The theme for this week is Commitment.Commitment, at its core, is about being dedicated to a cause or an activity, about setting an intention to do something. To be committed to something does not mean we will be perfect, it does not mean it will always be easy, but to be committed is to state our intention to make something a priority and to continue growing in our pursuit of that thing. As we grow in love of God and neighbor, we are invited to increasingly live lives of commitment. We commit to grow in love of God. We commit to grow in love of neighbor. We commit to spiritual practices that form us in Christ’s likeness. We commit to receiving God’s forgiveness when we make mistakes. We commit to extending grace to others when they let us down. We commit to joining with Jesus in praying that God’s will is done, on earth as it is in heaven. In all of this, the spiritual practice of commitment allows us to listen more attentively for and to hear God’s invitations in our lives.
Rev. Jeff Clinger
jclinger@greatplainsumc.org
- Watch a video featuring Hannah and the Rev. Jeff Clinger, Patrick and Itzel Woods talking about commitment
- Watch a video featuring Bishop David Wilson inviting you to observe a Holy Lent
- To learn more, check out this special page on our website dedicated to our Lenten topics.
