Having knowledge of the events of Palm Sunday did not increase my faith. Experiencing a church taking a risk and moving on Palm Sunday increased my faith in God and the church. The church decided to move, literally. The pastor, Erwin McManus made the announcement at the end of the service. “Join us next week for Easter at our new location in Hollywood.” I would like to explain the reaction of the congregants that day, but I can’t because I wasn’t there.
Our church met on the campus of
Beverly Hills High School. The announcement of the move would create commutes
for the people who attended the services at the school campus. In Los Angeles,
commuting can be an inconvenience. You can leave with time to spare and get
caught in a traffic jam on side streets and arrive for the worship service to
start in the evening. I had no idea how this move would end.
Not only did the congregants go
to that worship service on Easter, they took time out of their week to go to
the location and prepare the old church for an Easter service. With all the
sweeping and dusting, we could see the particles of dust shining through the
windows in the service, but God worked in ways because we moved.
Since that move, Mosaic Hollywood
has made an impact on the community in Hollywood. People from all walks of life
came to Jesus. The tour buses stop at the front of the church and explain how
the church renovated the old building and has many services. The praise team
created their own praise songs that many churches have added to their
repertoire.
That Palm Sunday that the pastor
informed the congregation about the move allowed God to work in my own faith in
the church which had been tarnished after sixteen years of full-time ministry.
I come from a home church that fought over the color of carpet. I worked in
churches that whenever people wanted to do something innovative, they created
committees that sat around and talked but did not act. This time, a church acted.
Having a church service in a school
requires payment for rent. The owner of the building on Hollywood Blvd. offered
us a year of free rent. We moved in on the first week of that free rent. God
supplied and the church responded. We must all move when God calls us.
On the first Palm Sunday, most
Christian teachers focus on the people waving palm branches for Jesus when he
entered Jerusalem on a donkey. What most people omit is the part that since
Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead, the religious leaders wanted to
arrest and kill Jesus if he entered Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t just enter, he came
in with pomp and circumstance. He exemplified living by faith and not fear.
We had to move. It meant that we
would change. Our small gathering grew into many gatherings because we added
more people. Change comes because we have grown. We must always grow. We can only
grow and change when we take a step of faith and leap and not fear what the
future could hold.
Too many Christians choose to
live in fear. They want to be comfortable. Jesus said that the peace he gives
is not of the world. He gives us contentment throughout our trials. He doesn’t
take the trials away from us. He gives us the tools to thrive during trials. We
must decide if we will choose comfort and fear or faith and risk.
Risk, change, and growth bring trepidation,
but they all create a way for God to work in our lives. Palm Sunday will always
be the day that God worked in my heart and revealed people who step up and step
out.
This next week, many Christians
all over the world take time to remember the sacrifice Jesus did for us. He
died for us. He could have had angels rescue Him, but he took the leap of faith
and died for us. This next week, find a way to live in faith and not fear. It
may be inconvenient and uncomfortable, but it will be life changing.
