Greetings to my Beloved Mt. Vernon Family and Friends,

Palm Sunday commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, it begins Holy Week, Jesus’ final week on earth leading up to His crucifixion. In normal times some churches gather to observe a Passover Seder, a Foot Washing, The Seven Last Words during this week. Palm Sunday is also referred to as Passion Sunday, for it is the beginning of Passion Week, the week that ends in Jesus’ betrayal, denial, suffering and death. Jesus knew how this week would end, yet He set His face to go to Jerusalem. There are times when followers of Jesus Christ are called to set our face, to resolve in our hearts and minds that we will do God’s will in the face of opposition, adversity or conflict. We are called to stand for faithfulness in our personal relationships, honesty in our business dealings, and integrity in matters of morality. 1We are advocates for the least of these and we stand for righteousness and justice. Jesus rides into Jerusalem humble and vulnerable, taking His stand for God’s kingdom with those in the temple and those in the political world. In this final week of our Lenten season let us ask God to help us identify those things we must take a stand for, and how we must stand. Let us pray for strength to stand. The words to pause, reflect and pray over as we fast next week, April 11-16 are as follows:

Be Richly Blessed,

Pastor Deborah Giles