We – like Christ – have the opportunity to walk our own unique path of obedience toward God. 

 It is a path which may see us surrounded by enjoyment,

possessions, and popularity, it may lead us into loneliness, misunderstanding, and poverty.

 But none of these things will finally give life its meaning. 

 Up hill or down, it is the destination which counts

and no one’s life can be more well spent than in seeking to find and do God’s will.

 Because, after all, the journey from Palms to the Cross

wasn’t just a good news – bad news joke. 

 There was the final good news which redeemed it all and which reminds us that God can take any situation – no matter how bad it seems, and make it into good news for all of us. 

 Practically everyone has known the sweetness of success and popularity, and nearly all of us have tasted the bitterness of failure and rejection. 

 What saves us from an endless round of ups and downs,

   what frees us from the tyranny of events over which we have no control is our commitment to press forward in obedience to God – it is trust in God’s love to bring about Easter morning, knowing that the meaning of life is to be found in the knowledge and love of God,

     – and in sharing that knowledge and love with those who accompany us on the way.