It was our first international trip together.
A little over 10 years ago, my wife and I were invited to come teach at a university in Zambia. I would spend my days equipping pastors and my wife would spend her days teaching workers at a community school about how to serve victims of violence and trauma. (At the time, she prosecuted domestic violence cases.)
Our preparation began almost a year in advance with a commitment to make this trip. Nine months ahead, we renewed our passports. Six months ahead, we began planning the content we would teach. We started getting shots four months before we left. Three months before we departed, my wife had a packing list along with a shopping list of what we didn’t have yet but needed. We were fully packed three weeks before our flight departed.
The trip was incredible, and it shifted the way we saw the world and people in so many ways. All of the time, effort, saving, fundraising, researching, prayer, and conversation was worth it.
That trip taught us a lot about preparation.
Preparation builds anticipation. The more we worked to prepare for this trip, the more we anticipated the day of departure.
Anticipation creates expectation. The more information we received and the more anticipation developed, the greater our sense of expectation for what was about to happen.
Expectations can be dangerous things, though. Anne Lammott calls them “resentments under construction.” Our expectations could have set us up for major disappointment and frustration. In the days before we left, we spent time consciously focusing on releasing our expectations. We celebrated that we were making this trip, but we literally and spiritually opened our hands to what God wanted to do in and through us while we were there. This kind of preparation may have been even harder than packing for a two-week international trip in a large duffel bag and two backpacks!
When I think about preparation, I think about the days and weeks before Easter. In America, Easter doesn’t get nearly the focus or attention that Christmas does. Sure, the stores are full of pastel colors, candies, and bunnies. But Easter is pretty much a weekend event and then it’s over. This is very different from Christmas which takes over the calendar for at least a month!
I believe Easter means less (both for followers of Jesus and those who are not followers) because of the lack of preparation. Preparation requires time, intentionality, and information. The way you prepare for an experience shapes how you walk through that experience when it begins.
For many years, the people of Israel anticipated a Messiah. They prepared by studying the Prophets and many knew the place and nature of his arrival. When the Magi from the East came to Herod looking for the newborn Jesus, the experts knew where to send them. The people were ready to welcome their king!
When Jesus began to head towards Jerusalem on a donkey, the people knew what to do. They greeted Jesus in the same way they would have welcomed a conquering king returning to his home or entering his new land.
On the Sunday before He was crucified, an incredible event occurred. Matthew records this in the 21st chapter of his gospel.
“They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and He sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of Him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around Him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven! The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as He entered.”
Matthew 21: 7-10
Full of people just a few days before Passover, Jerusalem was ready to get behind this new king. They welcome him as “the Son of David.” The Messiah was prophesied to be from the house and line of David. They were ready for Jesus to take charge, conquer the Romans, re-establish the throne of David, and bring peace and prosperity to Judea once again. That’s what they were prepared for when they sensed Jesus was the Messiah.
What they could not have prepared for was what would come next. Over the next few days, Jesus would make it very clear that He was not that kind of king. He wasn't the Messiah that fit their expectations.
This moment on Palm Sunday would feel like a moment of culmination and jubilation. But in the days to come, there would be feelings of confusion, anger, and rejection.
Preparation is important. As we learned earlier, preparation plays a key role in building anticipation and even creating the environment for celebration. But, our preparation can become a barrier to God’s plans.
Here are 3 lessons from Palm Sunday about preparation.
In his new song, "Morning by Morning (I Will Trust)," Pat Barrett sings, “I will trust where you lead. I will trust when I can’t see.”
Related Content: Pat Barrett Renews His Surrender in “Morning by Morning”
That’s the outcome of spiritual preparation, which sets us up to experience Holy Week with fresh eyes and an open heart. We make our plans, but then hand them to God. We align our preparation with God’s agenda and surrender our expectations to Him.
May you welcome the King of Kings this week as you prepare to celebrate Easter
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer with the coolest last name ever. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the parents of three “little savages.” He helps hurting people forgive others through his Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com
