The Ride Ain’t Free

“The door’s open but the ride ain’t free.” Bruce Springsteen

I am not certain, but I’m pretty sure I was the only one thinking theological thoughts as Bruce Springsteen performed to the sold-out crowd last week. During the captivating rendition of Thunder Road, I heard one of my favorite lines and thought only of the coming of Palm Sunday and how we are asked to consider the cost of discipleship. Yes, the door is open, but the ride ain’t free.

This Sunday, churches throughout the world will gather and lift palm branches as if standing on the roadside two thousand years ago welcoming Christ into Jerusalem. The moment was not a geographic one as much as it was spiritual, and, like them, we are invited to stand beside one another and welcome Jesus into our lives as if for the first time. Through God’s grace, that invitation is given to us all, or, to use the lyrics, the door is open.

The catch is, the ride’s not free. Yes, it’s wonderful to stand with others and celebrate God’s triumphant entrance into the gates of our hearts, but that’s only the beginning of the story. There are lessons to learn, tables to turn, and nothing short of death waiting inside. No wonder churches and people love to skip from Palm Sunday to Easter with little attention to what happened in between.

This week, as I make my way to Jerusalem, I want to think not only of the triumphant entrance, but of the cost of letting Christ enter the “city.” At times, the cost seems too great, but I know that on the other side of the work is an empty tomb and new life.