A lot of things had happened in Jericho.

Over the time, a lot of darkness had come up, robbery, worship of idols, wrongdoing and sin, curse and all its negative effects. In such a sense, the city can be a symbol for the world: over shadowed by darkness.

But Jesus approached the city.

How many people in the city understood who Jesus is and the relevance for their life?

Similarly in the world, also nowadays: it seems as if only a minority is ready to receive the good news with God’s grace for their life.

Let's be joyful together with them and let's make sure that we are amongst them.

The light of the Lord shines brighter than any darkness can be.

What gives you distress? What do you fear and worry about?

People of different times and in different places, have different kinds of worries and fears.

People who live in good times, in wealth, in freedom, they may have relatively smaller kinds of worries and fears.

But one thing is same for everybody: we all know that one day there will be a time, when this earthly life will come to an end and then the question whether we have made the best of our time. We may not be aware of it, but in the background, in the subconsciousness, that fear is often behind other distress.

Jesus was fighting with death on our behalf. He went through all the pain, so that we do not get punished.

When we work in the garden or outside, cutting the hedge, it may happen, if there are thorns, they may cut our skin. It may hurt.

How much more the thorns of which the crown was made by the soldiers by that time that was put onto the head of Jesus.

But not only the soldiers of that time. We all bear responsibility for the pains of Jesus.

He suffered on our behalf and has won the victory for us.

Does it have relevance for your life?

Does the message of the bible apply to your life?

Many of its statements do not sound familiar.

For example “the punishment is on him, so that we may have peace”.

What is it all about?

What did Mary think when she stood at the empty tomb?

Sadness, fear and worries filled her heart.

The resurrection seems to be impossible and too good – and yet it is true and real.

What does your heart fill today?

What a joy it must have been for Mary, when she understood.

Distance and proximity.

Do you also know both in your life?

At times, we want to come close to the Lord.

And many other times we are drawn away from him by various things of this world, its glamour and so forth.

What is the purpose of the mouth and the lips?

What is your slogan of life?

Usually people will reply with their dreams and goals.

Or they define oneself by the group they belong to.

Or someone might say “I try to become a better person”.

But hardly anybody would describe oneself as “dedicated”.

Do you get harmed by other people?

Do you suffer from their behaviour?

Or do others at times suffer from your selfishness?

Even in good times, people harm each other.

Let alone the severe injustice in crises, such as war times.

Yet, “Love is patient and kind, not irritable”.

Holiness – what comes to your mind?

Is it something old fashioned?

Is it something only for special people?

Nobody can become holy by oneself. We are all far from perfect.

But God in his holiness is patient.

And in Jesus the victory over all evil has already been won.