{"id":10344,"date":"2024-03-19T09:23:47","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T14:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=10344"},"modified":"2024-03-19T09:23:47","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T14:23:47","slug":"march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"March 24, 2024&#8211;Expectation and Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Sarah Fryman, Bayonne, NJ<\/b><\/p>\n<h4><b>Warm-up Questions<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What has it looked like for you when the anticipation of an event was better than the event itself? Worse than the event itself?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What about when the event doesn\u2019t even end up happening?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>An\u2026wait for it\u2026ticipation!<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I am notorious for putting the cart before the horse (or maybe the cart before the donkey???). I get really excited about new things or adventures. I build up all this anticipation. And then the Thing happens\u2026and it wasn\u2019t what I expected. Or, even worse, the Thing doesn\u2019t happen at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The past couple of years have been filled with this anticipation. I anticipated going to seminary, and it didn\u2019t turn out the way I expected, mostly due to a global pandemic. In some ways, it was worse than I expected, but surprisingly, thankfully, it was better than I could have imagined. For as long as I can remember, I have looked at the world through the lens of \u201cWhat if this doesn\u2019t work out?\u201d It hasn\u2019t been until recently that I was challenged on this by someone I trust. She said to me, \u201cSarah, but what if it does work out? What if it is even better than you anticipated or expected?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A great poem that touches on this theme is \u201cImaginary Conversation\u201d by Linda Pastan:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You tell me to live each day<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">as if it were my last. This is in the kitchen<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">where before coffee I complain<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of the day ahead\u2014that obstacle race<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of minutes and hours,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">grocery stores and doctors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But why the last? I ask. Why not<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">live each day as if it were the first\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">all raw astonishment, Eve rubbing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">her eyes awake that first morning,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the sun coming up<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">like an ing\u00e9nue in the east?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You grind the coffee<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">with the small roar of a mind<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">trying to clear itself. I set<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the table, glance out the window<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">where dew has baptized every<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">living surface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are so many things as young people that we are told to anticipate&#8211;first jobs, getting into college or trade schools, dating, marriage, children, advanced degrees, traveling&#8211;and yet, sometimes we hype these Things up, or they just don\u2019t end up being what we expected. Managing disappointments can be a sign of growth, of maturity, and yet it is still so, so hard to do. As people of faith, we sometimes put expectations on God, as we anticipate what our lives in Christ may look like. While there will inevitably be disappointments and let-downs, God usually has something better in store than we could have ever anticipated.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take a moment and reflect on your life so far.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What are some things you anticipated to happen by now?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What are some things you anticipate to happen soon or in the near future?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When things haven\u2019t gone the way you anticipated, how have you navigated the disappointments?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Palm\/Passion Sunday<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Procession with Palms: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=577264277\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mark 11:1-11<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=577264337\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">John 12:12-16<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=577264371\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Isaiah 50:4-9a<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=577264420\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Philippians 2:5-11<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=577264447\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mark 14:1 \u2014 15:47<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=577264484\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mark 15:1-39[40-47]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Text links are to <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/\">Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elca.org\/Our-Work\/Congregations-and-Synods\/Worship\/Lectionary\/YearB\">Lectionary Readings.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.agnusday.org\/\">Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><b>Gospel Reflection<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>\u201cA little thought for Palm Sunday&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Think about the donkey that rode Jesus into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday. People were lining the streets to see him. Shouting &#8220;Hosanna!&#8221; Waving their palm branches. That donkey might have started to think he was the star of the show. But the donkey had to learn the same thing we all have to learn. The glory is not ours. We&#8217;re just the asses that get to carry Jesus in.\u201d<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; Shane Claiborne<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The disciples of Jesus, and the many, many people who followed him around, had expectations. They anticipated the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One. And so far, Jesus wasn\u2019t necessarily meeting those expectations. He was hanging out with the \u201cwrong\u201d types of people. He wasn\u2019t advocating for military or political power. I imagine the disciples were saying to themselves, \u201cWell, if this is who he says he is, then sooner or later, he\u2019s going to have to do something we expect a king to do!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Enter: Palm Sunday. Or so one may think.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the surface, the processional gospel for today does indeed have an air of triumphalism, of kingliness, of a sigh of relief. Finally, this Jesus guy has come to Jerusalem to take what is rightfully his: the title of King. The people are putting their cloaks on the ground, along with leafy branches. It\u2019s like a royal parade. But, things are still a little weird. Jesus is riding in on a humble donkey. In those days, a king would have a huge procession of fancy chariots and horses and it would be extravagant because of course, a king deserves this!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We hearers of the good news, on this side of the resurrection, know that in the days to come, the expectations, the anticipation, the hopes and dreams of these<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10345 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-250x375.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-233x350.jpg 233w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280.jpg 853w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a> desperate people will &#8211; again &#8211; not be met. The lives they thought they would have are about to be hung on a cross, under the title, \u201cKing of the Jews\u201d. The One who was supposed to come and be the King, the Messiah, the Chosen One, is entering into the holy city on a donkey, heading toward his death. And not just any death, but a horribly brutal, shameful, traumatic death. This isn\u2019t how it\u2019s supposed to be, right? This wasn\u2019t the hope, the anticipation, or the expectation that any of the disciples or the crowds had in mind. Truth be told, it\u2019s not that we, today, want to read. Questions are racing through our minds: What if Jesus isn\u2019t who he said he was? What if this is the end? <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What if all of this was &#8211; and is &#8211; for nothing? But if we change our negative \u201cwhat ifs\u201d, look how this changes our questions: What if this isn\u2019t the end of the story? What if this is a path God has laid before us? What if this is Jesus being EXACTLY who he said he was?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being a human means there will be disappointments. But, being a human means there will be successes, too. How we view the world, the lens through which we experience Things, impacts our responses to them. When we put our trust in God, our hopes and dreams and anticipations may still not work out the way we expect, but we have a God who abides with us in those let downs and disappointments. We have the gift of not only anticipating what is to come in this life but in the one after, too. We have the gift of viewing the world through a lens of hope. Hope is a \u201cwhat if it does work out?\u201d As we continue our journey with Jesus to the cross, may we anticipate his death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What are some things you anticipate or expect God to do?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How do you anticipate or expect these things to happen? What is your role in making these things happen?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What does Jesus Christ as King mean to you?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Activity Suggestions<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take some time to think about the expectations people had, and still have, both for the Messiah and for God.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a piece of paper, write those on the left side.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the right side, write what <\/span><b><i>actually <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">happened, as well as the results of those expectations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Using your discernment, decide if the result was greater than the anticipation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Considering using this as a framework for evaluating how things go in your own life.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Closing Prayer<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Surprising God, we know that every good gift comes from you. In our expectation and anticipation of your work in the world, remind us that you have always been with us. Show us that your goodness, love, and mercy are far better than we could ever imagine. Help us again and again to remember we are just the donkey; this isn\u2019t about us. As we journey with your Son to the cross, abide with us. Lead us on the path that you have set out for us, and may we always trust in you and your will. In the name of Jesus, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ, we pray. Amen. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sarah Fryman, Bayonne, NJ Warm-up Questions What has it looked like for you when the anticipation of an event was better than the event itself? Worse than the event itself?\u00a0 What about when the event doesn\u2019t even end up happening? An\u2026wait for it\u2026ticipation! I am notorious for putting the cart before the horse (or maybe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>March 24, 2024-Expectation and Reality - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"March 24, 2024-Expectation and Reality - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sarah Fryman, Bayonne, NJ Warm-up Questions What has it looked like for you when the anticipation of an event was better than the event itself? Worse than the event itself?\u00a0 What about when the event doesn\u2019t even end up happening? An\u2026wait for it\u2026ticipation! I am notorious for putting the cart before the horse (or maybe [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-19T14:23:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"drewtucker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"drewtucker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"drewtucker\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eb8164fecc71a7ee17d36d60d5d16a33\"},\"headline\":\"March 24, 2024&#8211;Expectation and Reality\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-19T14:23:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1439,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Post\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/\",\"name\":\"March 24, 2024-Expectation and Reality - Faith Lens\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-19T14:23:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eb8164fecc71a7ee17d36d60d5d16a33\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/15\\\/2024\\\/03\\\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"March 24, 2024&#8211;Expectation and Reality\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/\",\"name\":\"Faith Lens\",\"description\":\"Weekly Bible studies that engage youth and young adults in connecting world events with the Bible, faith, and everyday life.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eb8164fecc71a7ee17d36d60d5d16a33\",\"name\":\"drewtucker\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc953721f4aca1d0ea0ef847ce42c5e57f711b3351bac208c8d56e83e70e9f54?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc953721f4aca1d0ea0ef847ce42c5e57f711b3351bac208c8d56e83e70e9f54?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc953721f4aca1d0ea0ef847ce42c5e57f711b3351bac208c8d56e83e70e9f54?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"drewtucker\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.elca.org\\\/faithlens\\\/author\\\/drewtucker\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"March 24, 2024-Expectation and Reality - Faith Lens","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"March 24, 2024-Expectation and Reality - Faith Lens","og_description":"Sarah Fryman, Bayonne, NJ Warm-up Questions What has it looked like for you when the anticipation of an event was better than the event itself? Worse than the event itself?\u00a0 What about when the event doesn\u2019t even end up happening? An\u2026wait for it\u2026ticipation! I am notorious for putting the cart before the horse (or maybe [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/","og_site_name":"Faith Lens","article_published_time":"2024-03-19T14:23:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":853,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"drewtucker","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"drewtucker","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/"},"author":{"name":"drewtucker","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/eb8164fecc71a7ee17d36d60d5d16a33"},"headline":"March 24, 2024&#8211;Expectation and Reality","datePublished":"2024-03-19T14:23:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/"},"wordCount":1439,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg","articleSection":["Post"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/","name":"March 24, 2024-Expectation and Reality - Faith Lens","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg","datePublished":"2024-03-19T14:23:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/eb8164fecc71a7ee17d36d60d5d16a33"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/03\/palm-sunday-4903110_1280-200x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/march-24-2024-expectation-and-reality\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"March 24, 2024&#8211;Expectation and Reality"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/","name":"Faith Lens","description":"Weekly Bible studies that engage youth and young adults in connecting world events with the Bible, faith, and everyday life.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/eb8164fecc71a7ee17d36d60d5d16a33","name":"drewtucker","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc953721f4aca1d0ea0ef847ce42c5e57f711b3351bac208c8d56e83e70e9f54?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc953721f4aca1d0ea0ef847ce42c5e57f711b3351bac208c8d56e83e70e9f54?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc953721f4aca1d0ea0ef847ce42c5e57f711b3351bac208c8d56e83e70e9f54?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"drewtucker"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/author\/drewtucker\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10344"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10349,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10344\/revisions\/10349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}