The Omni of God

I have mentioned friendship in several of my prior posts as to what it is (in my viewpoint) and those who we include in our lives as true friends.  The following is a condensed narrative which I have written in honor of our Ultimate Friend, Who is the heartbeat of relationship.   

The shadow of the Cross  stretches back throughout all the centuries from this present age and reaches into the abyss of space and time when creation began in the Omni of God.   

 He is Omni-sicent – all or total knowing

He is Omni-present – present everywhere all the time

He is Omni-potent – all powerful
He is Omni-benevolence - all love

The essence of these four Omnis of God, issued a force of love so sacrificial, it altered heaven, earth and hell in its wake.  This sacrifice, already in motion in the Triune Thought of God, came into fruition a mere 2000 years ago beginning in Bethlehem and ending in Jerusalem.  He knew that His beloved creation, mankind, would choose to experience not only good but evil out of disobedience in free will.  This led to the resulting fall in separation from God's embrace and required a redemptive plan of rescue for the fallen nature of man and woman.   That rescue plan meant the relinquishing of His Son to the human race, to be ever identified as human as well as Divine.  The Word, that expression of God, was made flesh in the form of Jesus, and dwelt among us.   So powerful was this sacrificial Word, that the brokenness which Christ experienced upon the Cross, shattered the chains that came with the consequence of darkness to God's beloved mankind.  

So great a love! So great a price! So great a salvation!... to bring mankind back into the embrace of the Father of Lights in reconciled relationship.   I don't pretend to understand fully.  I am not a theologian and many theologians themselves are mystified when they come to the end of intellectual knowledge explaining the nature of God.  But, what I do understand is His Hand of grace, mercy and forgiveness, which is always open to receive and never closed to reject.
  

We celebrate Palm Sunday... the remembrance of the triumphal entrance of  Jesus into Jerusalem.  People were shouting Hosanna, "Save Now",  waving palm leaves and scattering them on the ground before the donkey that He was riding.   The palm leaves were waved as freedom flags, representing victory,  liberation and Kingship. In the years to follow, it also became a symbol of martyrdom.   

Many of these people greeted Jesus not as the spiritual Messiah but as a potential political leader who would overthrow the Romans. Some of these same people were shouting "Crucify Him" not many days later. 

He who was glorious, yet for my sake

Put away glory to die upon the cross

The above video "Entry into Jerusalem" is presented by Richard Seel.   The lovely song "See the King riding on a donkey" is set to pictures of the entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday from the BBC version of the Passion.

 You can also view at this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVxeDPN81xA

I publish this post a day earlier than usual in reflection of Palm Sunday.  Please return to the Turn-Up Patch next week for celebration of  Easter Sunday.