It’s no secret that we become what we contemplate on, think on, focus on. So, if we want to become like Jesus, then we must look at Jesus. Contemplative prayer is central to spiritual formation-becoming people of love in Christ.

We are so used to performing our life with other people. We edit our thoughts to present a more polished image of ourselves to the world in order to be loved and not rejected, to succeed and not fail. It’s like we can’t help but carry that way of being over into our relationship with God. But this isn’t what God designed.

Today’s passage might be right up there with John 3:16 and Psalm 23 as recognized and quoted scriptures, even by those who would not claim Christianity as their own. But as we know with Scripture, we cannot take only one isolated verse or section of verses and dismiss the rest of the context.

I have been of a Protestant tradition of one kind or another for my whole life. What this means in terms of fasting is that I have not had any regularity or liturgical significance for this. But that does not excuse me from this vital spiritual discipline. Fasting is not optional.

Abraham’s story is told time and again in sermons and illustrations. But often overlooked is the life of Sarah. Sarah’s life mimics that of our own. When we peel back the layers of her story, we see a woman who endured hardships, struggled with her flesh, and was extended grace in her humanity. Ultimately, she was used in a powerful and miraculous way by God to birth a nation.

This message explores the story of Palm Sunday through the lens of a mirror and challenges us not to assume we are "good soil." It invites us to hold up a mirror as we examine the four characters of the familiar Palm Sunday passage and see where we find ourselves.

But in our final teaching, we come to what is arguably the most important of all four–the Sabbath is a day for worship. Now, where does this idea come from? Let’s read one last time from Genesis 2…'On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation. ' Genesis 2:2-3, CSB

Flip through any popular magazine, scroll on your favorite social media app, or watch any commercial on your free streaming service and you will see all sorts of advertisements–a couple drinking coffee and reading the morning newspaper in bed, a man lounging on the couch playing the guitar, a group of friends on the beach for a picnic… What exactly are they selling? They are selling sabbath.