"Are you sure you want to go to church today?" Sherlock asked his wife in some concern. Molly was having one of her bad days, where the baby's positioning was obviously affecting a nerve and making it rather difficult for her to walk.
Molly rubbed at the aching spot on her groin. "I'll be okay. I don't want you to miss Palm Sunday service. It is so much fun watching the Brigade kids carry palm fronds down the aisle to lay them at the front of the church."
"Well, if you're sure. But I don't like seeing you in pain."
"From what I hear, labour will be much worse," she responded.
Sherlock put an affectionate hand on his wife's belly. "I'm almost as excited at the thought of her arrival in a few weeks as I was about our wedding night."
"Well, our life is going to change drastically very soon."
When the couple arrived at church, Sherlock gave Molly his arm to support herself a a little better, and they went inside.
As soon as they entered, he looked at the wooden cross at the front. Each week of Lent a new thing had been added to the 7 foot high cross. There were now 6 things, this being the 6th and final Sunday of Lent, Palm Sunday. Attached to the cross were nails, a whip, a spear, a purple cloth to represent Jesus's clothes, a crown of thorns, and now a sign that said "King of the Jews."
The branch of Lenten candles was now primarily unlit, as each week, one less candle was lit to begin with, as the countdown continued towards Good Friday. Today the center candle and one beside it were lit, but the side one was snuffed out after the initial reading.
Then came the procession of children down the aisle as the congregation sang the hymn "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna."
The detective watched the procession in fascination - one day his own child, or hopefully children, would be part of that procession heralding the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Sherlock gave a worried glance at his wife as she struggled to stand up and sit at the correct times. "Molly," he whispered, "Just stay seated."
She looked at him and nodded her assent.
The Palm Sunday reading was Mark 11:1-11 and described how Jesus rode a colt into the city of Jerusalem as people shouted "Hosanna" and laid palm branches and their coats on the path in front of him.
After the reading, Pastor Briggs began his sermon.
"In today's reading, it said Jesus rode a colt into Jerusalem. You might think that to mean a horse, but translated from the Greek, it is actually a donkey, not a horse."
The pastor continued. "There were shouts of Hosanna, which originally meant "save!" The people were looking for someone to save them. We've heard the story of how the Jews were looking for the Messiah to be a conqueror. But were you aware of the significance of the colt?"
There were murmurs around the congregation and people shook their heads.
"In the first chapter of 1 Kings, King David declares his son Solomon as king by having him ride his own mule into Jerusalem. So Solomon was then declared king."
If you look at the genealogy of Jesus through both Mary, and through Joseph, who was considered his father, although not in actuality, their genealogies both trace back to King David. Jesus came from a royal line. He was even proclaimed and accepted as rightful king by the people who were shouting 'Hosanna'."
He continued, "In 2 Samuel chapter 7, God made a covenant with David that He would establish the throne of David's kingdom forever. This was accomplished by Jesus, who even now sits on the throne at the right hand of God. That covenant has been fulfilled. So let us not downplay the importance of this day as we look forward to Holy Week."
Sherlock was fascinated by what the pastor had said. Pastor Briggs went on to explain how other prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus, including Zechariah 9:9 which spoke of a king coming riding on a donkey.
Following the sermon was another hymn, "All Glory, Laud and Honour."
At the conclusion of the church service, once they had arrived home, the detective said to his wife. "I'm glad we came today. I have so much yet to learn. Sometimes I feel so ignorant about everything when it comes to the Bible."
Molly squeezed his hand. "Sherlock, I've been a Christian for many years and I'm still learning new things all the time. We never stop learning. That's what the process of sanctification is. It's the ongoing process of being made holy that will continue until we leave this earth behind."
"I have learned a whole new vocabulary since becoming a Christian - sanctification, being justified by faith. It's a new world for me."
Molly laughed. "Remember the days when you thought you knew so much more than anyone else?"
He grimaced. "I'm not proud of that. I'm glad you never gave up on me, despite my behaviour."
"Me too," said Molly, standing on tiptoes to kiss him. "You were definitely worth the effort, Sherlock."
Sherlock was glad that God had never given up on him either. It just went to show that nobody was beyond redemption if they had an open heart.
Author's note: I wasn't planning on doing a Palm Sunday story, but I was inspired by the sermon I heard in church this morning, on which the sermon in this story is based. Hope you didn't find it too boring. I welcome your thoughts.
Keep an eye out for my Good Friday/Easter Sunday story later this week.
Are you looking forward to Holy Week and Easter?
Blessings!