Palm Sunday reminds me to ponder a simple question: does the world have an abundance of freedom? Or are we still longing to see a triumphant King enter our city? I suppose the answer depends on where you live, who you are, and any number of other variables. But whatever the answer, do we really spend enough time contemplating the importance of freedom?
If you read this blog you know that I’m an enthusiastic backer of The SOLD Project. There are many reasons why, but one of the most important is because of it’s uncompromising commitment to freedom. I’m continually reminded just how important freedom is, and just how often the search for freedom surrounds us.
Freedom is a longing that goes to the heart of who we are as people. History is filled with stories of freedom, battles for freedom, and images of freedom. America is built on the idealism of liberty and the nation remains a grand experiment in freedom. It’s an experiment that has changed history.
The book Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
Even this morning in church a reminder was put before me. Today is Palm Sunday, and Christians around the world celebrate the Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As Jesus road the donkey into the city all the people waved palm leaves and shouted “save us”, or “hosanna.”
The nation of Israel, subject to Roman rule and led by the tyrant Herod, longed for freedom. The palm leaf was the symbol for this longing and came to represent the self-identity of a nation. Thus all those people shouting “hosanna” were seeking freedom. Freedom from oppression, tyranny, spiritual stagnation, and economic corruption.
Pick up a copy of the paper and you’ll see story after story of groups seeking political freedom, of lawsuits about civil freedoms, and of people striving for economic freedom. It is inherent in who we are.
My parents taught me a lot of things. They made sure that certain core values were embeded into my hard wiring. And one of those was a keen sense of independence and freedom. We cannot be who we are — who God designed us to be — without liberty.
And that’s one reason why I admire the work of The SOLD Project. In a world where freedom is scarce, they want to make it abundant. In villages not that different from Israel of two thousand years ago, men, women, boys and girls still cry out “save us.”
Today, Palm Sunday, in remembrance of those who saved palm leaves along the road into Jerusalem, I lift up those who still cry out “hosanna” and seek a better life for themselves, their children, and their community.
