Pastor’s Page

"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."

Matthew 21:5

With Palm Sunday, the end of Lent is fast approaching. Throughout Holy Week, we walk alongside Jesus in real time, from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, to His Last Supper with his disciples, through the agony of Gethsemane and then the joy of resurrection on Sunday morning. It is certainly a unique opportunity in our liturgical calendar – even when we celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas, we read stories about His conception by the Holy Spirit about four weeks before He is born.

This week, if you are able, I encourage you to join Wesley in worship throughout the week, and connect with God through prayer as you meditate on the experiences of Jesus and his salvific work for all creation. We will gather for a candlelit Communion service on Thursday evening for Maundy Thursday, then at 9am on Good Friday, and then at both 6am and 9:30am next Sunday.

On Palm Sunday, as Jesus enters into Jerusalem, He proclaims a new kind of kingdom. He is welcomed by the people, with all the fanfare they can muster among their humble and ordinary lives, but it is only a few short days before the crowds will be showing no mercy, and chanting for Jesus’ execution.

When we think we have everything under control, our lives can change in an instant. Due to its association with welcome, Palm Sunday is an occasion often associated with advocating for the plight of refugees and asylum seekers, encouraging compassion towards those whose lives have been upended by war or persecution. As followers of Jesus, we are urged to “look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27) and break down barriers which prevent others from experiencing safety and freedom.

In that spirit, a second chance is a wonderful example, that change can be disruptive but is not always a bad thing. A personal journey I have been undergoing within the last year or so has been recognising that change can be a good and welcome encouragement. Change can bring fresh joy into our lives, new relationships and new communities, and opportunities for connection and abundance, rather than solitude and scarcity. Resurrection is an overwhelming change, and I am ready.

Easter comes to us, ready or not. We behold the horrific injustice of the crucifixion as well as the glorious hope of resurrection. This gamut of emotions reflects the complexity of the human experience – we are aware of so much conflict, loss and destruction in our world, while holding firm to the hope that all shall be well and witnessing glimpses of God’s kingdom in-breaking into our present reality.

Blessings, Pastor Abbey Sim