In Our Place: Lenten DevotionsSample

It’s time

If you ever come to my house, one of the first things you’ll see is that I have this thing about clocks--in my living room alone I have six of them. They are all mechanical; there’s something about the ticking and chiming that just soothes my soul. I must have an inner dread about being late. Perhaps all those clocks quell my fears that I’m going to miss something important.

Jesus always knew what time it was--time to heal, time to teach, time to rebuke, time to go on a retreat, time to attend celebration dinners. His Father let him know when it was time to die. Jesus told his disciples that their traveling teaching ministry was almost over. “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21). He knew that his royal entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday would be his last.

A great miracle happened amidst the palms. Great crowds of people recognized that the quiet man on the humble donkey colt was their Messiah, the fulfillment of all Old Testament Scripture. Their hosannas showed that they knew what time it was--that their King was riding right into their lives and claiming their allegiance.

Do you know what time it is? It’s time for you to quit dithering and claim, or re-claim all over again, Jesus Christ as your Lord and King. Through his Word, through the splash of baptismal water, through his body and blood given in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus comes to you as personally today as he did back then. The palms call you: worship him now.