Opening Prayer: Psalm 24

¹ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;
² for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.

³ Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
    Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴ The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not trust in an idol
    or swear by a false god.^[a]

⁵ They will receive blessing from the Lord
    and vindication from God their Savior.
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek your face, God of Jacob.^[b][c]

⁷ Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
¹⁰ Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory

Gospel: Luke 19:41–48

⁴¹ As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it ⁴²and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

⁴⁵ When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. ⁴⁶ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’[c]; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]”

⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. ⁴⁸ Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

A Closer Look: Tears on the Road to Triumph

The palms are waving. The crowd is singing.

And Jesus is weeping.

Luke alone gives us this jarring detail. As the procession crests the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem comes into full view, the object of praise stops to grieve. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace,” Jesus says (v. 42). The shouts of “Hosanna” cannot drown out the sound of God’s own tears.

John Wesley knew something of this holy heartbreak. His spiritual development was influenced by a belief in a God who does not remain detached from human suffering but actively enters into it, experiences it, and grieves alongside us. Because of His prevenient grace, God reaches toward every soul before that soul ever reaches back. Jesus’ sorrow over Jerusalem is prevenient grace with a broken heart — a Savior who has offered peace and watched it be refused. The city could have known. The grace was available. The door was open.

Then, Jesus enters the temple and drives out those who had turned a house of prayer into a marketplace. This is not a contradiction of His compassion — it is a furthers expression of it. Wesley understood that genuine love for people demands a zeal for holiness. A God who weeps over the lost is the same God who cleanses what is corrupt. The tears and the cleansing belong together: both flow from a love that refuses to leave us as it finds us.

This Palm Sunday, we are invited to pause amid the celebration and let Christ’s weeping land on us personally. Is there an area of our hearts — a habit, a hardness, a hidden corner — that He longs to cleanse? Our holiness is not about achieving perfection but about offering full surrender. The same Jesus who wept over Jerusalem is standing at the door of your heart today, offering a peace the world cannot give.

What might Jesus be weeping over in your life or community today? What would it look like to open that place to His cleansing peace this Holy Week?

God’s Voice:

• Old Testament (covenant): Zech. 12:9-11; 13:1, 7-9
• Psalm (song): 103
• Epistle (letter): 1 Tim. 6:12-16
• Gospel (good news):   Luke 19:41-48

Pursuing Holiness

• Prayer: What is God saying to me today? How will I respond?
• Fasting: What can I deny myself today (food, drink, behaviors) as an act of worship?
• Charity: How can I help someone in need today with my time, money, or goods?

Closing Prayer: Psalm 29

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his^[a] holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
    Sirion^[b] like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord twists the oaks^[c]
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people;
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.

How to Use this Devotional

1. Read the “Opening Prayer” from scripture to the Lord as your prayer
2. Choose one or more of the scripture passages under “God’s Voice” for further reading
3. Answer the questions under “Pursuing Holiness”
   1. Your reflection on the scriptures and how you sense the Holy Spirit leading you today
   2. Identify how you will practice self-denial today based on God’s leading
   3. Identify how you want to practice giving today
   4. Let prayer, fasting (self-denial), and giving be your living, spiritual worship
4. Keep notes in a journal or planner to enable your follow-through and create a record
5. Read the “Closing Prayer”

Since the third century, Christians have used Scripture, Prayer, Fasting (Self-denial), and Charity (Almsgiving) as spiritual preparation for Easter.

What is Lent?

Lent  is the season in the Christian calendar that leads up to Easter. Lent is 40 days long because Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days before his public ministry. The Israelites, because of their disobedience and rebellion, were made to wander for 40 years in the wilderness before arriving in the promised land. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai engaged with God in receiving the Ten Commandments. In the Bible, the number 40 is often used to indicate a period of preparation and testing.

In the wilderness, nothing is hidden. We are laid bare to God. We do not have our creature comforts. We are separated from common distractions. We ultimately return to our lives when the time of preparation is complete. We focus our passion on God while He refines us to fulfill His calling.