Would you rather have the ability to fly or breathe underwater?
Would you rather eat the same meal or drink the same drink for the rest of your life?
Would you rather change your past or know your future?
Would you rather give or receive?
Would you rather endure the extreme heat of summer or the brutal cold of winter?
Would You Rather is a fun game to pass the time, while inviting interesting discussions.
Often, we operate with an “either/or” mentality. However, as Methodists, we approach and do theology with a “both/and” mentality… or better yet, spirituality. We have a tradition of holding things together in tension. As my colleague, Rev. Lisa Yebaugh, says,
“Is God mighty or gentle? Nurturing or challenging? Here’s what I believe to be true — it’s hard to have an imagination for God without a BOTH/AND, even if it’s difficult to fathom. Now there are some things about the character of God that are unchanging: God is good. Hard stop. God is merciful. Hard stop. God is love. Hard stop. AND God comes with might and also with gentleness. AND God speaks in a whisper and also with a voice of thunder. AND God is like a mother hen drawing us near and also has the power to make mountains quake. Faith in God requires making space for God.”
This Sunday, we arrive at a crossroads. It is Palm Sunday, the final Sunday of our Lenten series, Crossroads, and like every meaningful moment in this season, it holds tension. We wave palms and shout Hosanna!, even as we brace ourselves for the cries of Crucify him. We read Matthew 21:1–11, a parade filled with praise, and Matthew 27:11–31, a trial filled with rejection.
Palm Sunday confronts us with a deeper “Would you rather?” Would you rather follow a Jesus who meets your expectations or a Jesus who reveals God’s way?
In our texts, the crowd believed Jesus was the Messiah, but their expectations were shaped by what they wanted: power, control, and immediate change. So they praised him. But when Jesus didn’t become the kind of king they expected, their praise began to shift. The same voices that shout “Hosanna” will later cry “Crucify.”
And that’s where this story meets us. We all carry expectations of Jesus and how he should act, what he should fix, when he should show up. But what happens when God’s way doesn’t match our expectations?
This Sunday, we’ll explore what it means to encounter “Misunderstood Love.” Join us for worship, as we enter Holy Week holding both praise and passion together.
With love at the crossroads,
Pastor Corey
