The Stones
Sunday, April 13th 2025 (week 103)
Luke 19:37-40
As some of you may know, my wife and I are interested in genealogy. She is the expert, and I am merely her helper. We have travelled a lot around the UK in search of information before so much became available online. We are never sure what we might unearth, and occasionally, it can be slightly unsettling, particularly when we discovered one of my apparent ancestors was hung outside the walls of Chester after he plundered the Chester Coach! Another, however, was a man of strong Christian faith, even though he was pilloried within the family for carrying a billboard announcing the end of the world and people’s need for God.
Today is Palm Sunday. It's one of the most important days in the Christian calendar. But this morning, having enjoyed my normal quiet time, walked the dogs and listened to the news on the television, I couldn’t help but wonder who knew!
My billboard-carrying great, great uncle would have known. But in the society we live in and are responsible for creating, he would have probably been arrested for upsetting someone just as a Christian woman was recently arrested for silently standing near to an abortion clinic with a card saying “(I’M) Here if you want to pray”.
I remember when, as a young boy in the church choir, on Palm Sunday, there would be a procession of the whole church around the local streets, reminding people of what Jesus was about to do for them in the coming days. It was always a family and community affair, with people outside of their homes encouraging family members as they passed by in the procession. It’s been a very long time since I saw such a procession proclaiming the Christian faith, and many of the traditions we grew up with have already been eroded. Similarly, a British school recently decided to cancel Easter for fear of upsetting some people.
Jesus warned against ignoring who He is and failing to praise Him in today’s passage from Luke 19. When the crowds shouted, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of Lord”, the Pharisees ordered Jesus to tell the disciples to be quiet. In asserting that His sovereignty must be acknowledged, Jesus's response was almost sarcastic: “If they keep quiet, (even) the stones will cry out”. I believe he was saying, “You have no idea what you are doing in trying stop people praising me”.
Jesus, as always, was clear in His instruction to us, and we must continue to proclaim the miracle of his birth, death and resurrection, and the new life He alone can offer to all who turn to him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help us to be strong in continuing to praise you in our homes, workplaces, churches and on street-corners where you are needed. In our efforts, please help us not to be afraid to speak your Word but to be gentle and considerate as we proclaim your love.
Neil has been a Christian for nearly thirty years and prior to joining Gatehouse Church spent all his Christian life at Christ Church with All Saints Blackpool, where amongst other things he was a leader in their Campaigner Ministries children and youth work.
Neil is an award-winning and widely published writer. Over twenty-five years he has written for a range of mainstream media including The Times, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail, and Financial Mail on Sunday as well as Reuters and numerous magazines. How To Books published his first non-fiction title 100 Ways to Make Your Business a Success and he has recently added The Great British Property Scam.
He has also taught Creative Writing extensively for Blackpool and the Fylde College, The WEA, and Lancaster University and launched www.seasiderswrite.com a community-based creative writing project funded by Arts Council England. Writing as C.J.Neill he is also a published novelist.
You can find out more at www.neilbromage.com or drop him an email at neil@neilbromage.com