“Whosoever” invited to come

The downtown area congregations, led by ecumenical ministers, walked along Main Street. The Methodist praise band filled the air with music, calling the crowd to worship on this Palm Sunday. The believers follow a 50-year tradition as they walk with palm branches upheld, uniting for the joint outside service.

How wonderful to be part of a community that gathers on the Sunday morning before Easter to join together, to hear the Word, to sing psalms and songs, to unite in prayer, and to witness with their presence the work of the Spirit among them. The churches' five to seven block walk echoes the steps of predecessors who saw value in being a group traversing a common way to meet God in preparation of Holy Week.

I am a proponent of walking. Lacing my shoes most days of the week, I trek my neighborhood along a path forged months ago. Most days, I am a solitary walker; some days I walk along with others, encountering like-minded neighbors. The discipline is important since sometimes the spirit is weak, but I am always glad to have walked when I return to my desk, lungs filled and limbs limbered, ready to tackle my work once more.

From baby's first steps, to walking to the front of the room to give a speech in the fifth grade or across the stage to receive a high school or college diploma, to walking down an aisle to begin the journey of matrimony, to stepping into the hospital room of a dying father or mother and putting one foot in front of another with hands held firm, carrying the body of a loved one to their final resting place, walking is a natural part of living. We are made to walk. From the design of our hips to the construction of our feet, walking is intended as our primary form of locomotion.

Walking benefits both physical and mental health. Weight management, reducing risks of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, and lowering risks of chronic disease such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Walking releases endorphins, reducing stress and anxiety. I contend it benefits the spirit as well.

Our Savior while on this earth demonstrated the benefits of walking as He ministered along His way, meeting people where they were and journeying with them as He taught and counseled, calling them to better versions of themselves. His example, in more ways than one, showed His people the way to be fully human.

Jesus walked in and out of the desert where He repelled temptation and communed with the Father. He walked from Nazareth to Cana and performed his first miracle at the request of His mother. He walked on water and walked in triumph on that first Palm Sunday to the adulation of the crowd. He walked up to Jerusalem and to death upon a cross to save you and me from our sins and unrighteousness. And He walked out of a borrowed tomb in resurrection glory three days later!

Scholars estimate from New Testament accounts that Jesus walked approximately 3,125 miles during his three-year ministry, traveling throughout Galilee and Judea. In all of that walking, our Lord encountered a range of people with various intents and beliefs, with both common and unique needs, and He walked with them. He does the same for us now. Many are the believers who can testify to the eternal benefits of walking with the Savior.

Kathy and I walk on vacation trips. We hold hands, window shop, and talk as we observe the world around us. We slow down and find ourselves smiling at people, offering a friendly hello as we pass by or when our paths intersect. In San Antonio, we walked with jubilant crowds after the Spurs won a regional championship at the Alamodome. In New Orleans, we trekked all the way down Carrollton Avenue from the French Quarter to Audubon Park. We walked through each of Savannah's twenty-two squares and along harrowing mountain cliffs near Abiquiu, New Mexico. We strolled arm in arm along Michigan Avenue in Chicago with no particular destination in mind—each time, united by a life-long love for each other.

Walking, celebrating God's incredible creation, being renewed by the Spirit through prayer and thanksgiving. Walking, following Jesus. He calls us to come after Him. He invites us, time and again, to commune with Him, to learn His ways, to unite with other like-minded believers to accomplish what He sets for us to do in this life.

For more than an hour, following the services at the downtown churches, congregants worshiped together in the town square. The people, called by Christ's own name, bowed heads, raised voices, smiled, and listened. This crowd waved palm branches and called Hosanna! It was a beautiful flashback to Jesus's triumphal walk to Jerusalem. And just a few days later, He gave His very life to save us from sin. He still ushers "whosoever" into everlasting fellowship with the One God upon profession of faith. He still invites "whosoever" to walk with Him in spirit and in truth. And, dear people, "whosoever" surely means each of us. Let's listen and respond as the Lord Jesus Christ speaks: "Come. Follow me."

Written by  Jim  Edminson, Editor of Charity & Children