Our Cornerstone

A Reflection for Palm Sunday, April 13 by Melanie Marie Myatt

Lectionary reading for 04/13/2025: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Luke 19:28-40

Selected passage for reflection: Psalm 118.1-2, 19-29 NRSV

Read 

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 NRSV

The passover praise psalm

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever."

Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.

This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.

The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Reflect 

When we read the Psalm, we read a celebration of God’s faithfulness and steadfast love. His love endures forever! Let’s say it again: his love endures forever! God makes a gate for the righteous! The LORD has made this day and so we rejoice! God is good, and we give God thanks!

Right in the middle of this passage however, is the warning that God’s people are not going to be faithful. The love of the people is not steadfast and will not endure forever. The stone will be rejected. The crowds cheering for Jesus as he enters Jerusalem will turn around and ask Pilate to crucify him. We are not steadfast. Our love does not endure. 

In Daniel 2, God promised that a time would come for the Roman empire to be brought down and for God’s kingdom to be established on earth. The symbol for this event was a rock that was not cut by human hands, a rock that would destroy the earthly empire and turn it into rubble. The people weren’t just tired of being ruled by tyrannical emperors who thought they were gods, they were horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by their leaders. They were ready for God to come, smash the oppressors, and establish God’s kingdom. 

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, it seemed like that moment had come. The “rock” had arrived. When the people didn’t see their expectations fulfilled, they rejected God’s rock and asked for him to be crucified. Their love did not endure. The people were not steadfast.

We may not see God doing everything we would like God to do in our country and in our world. We may even be horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by our leaders. But we continue to trust that God is steadfast. We trust that God’s love endures forever. 

And now that we see the fullness of God’s plan, and we understand that Jesus is indeed our cornerstone, God asks us to be steadfast. God asks that our love, for God and for each other, would endure. 

Respond 

Wherever you are right now, take a few moments to settle yourself into your space. Close your eyes and take some deep, cleansing breaths. As you breathe in, say to yourself, “Give thanks to the LORD.” As you breathe out, say, “God’s love endures forever.” Repeat this 5 times. Listen quietly for God’s image or words in response to you. 

Rest 

Glorious and loving God, like Israel, we struggle to remain faithful, steadfast, and loving when we don’t see you act or rescue in the way we hope and long to see you act. Over and over, you remind us that you are a good and loving God, even when we can’t see it. As we watch and wait, give us glimpses of your glory and majesty, just like the people witnessed as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. Strengthen our “weak knees” and our faint hearts so that our love can endure, and we will remain steadfast in our faith. 

About the Author 

Melanie Myatt currently works as a chaplain at a retirement community in Glenview, Illinois and as program assistant for the C. John Weborg Center for Spiritual Direction. She is also a spiritual director, writer, mom of four, and master of the 15-minute nap. If you like her writing, you can also find her on Substack.