Words of Reflection
During Holy Week we often face a temptation to “fast forward.” We normally talk about that in relation to the time between Good Friday and Easter, but there is another temptation to jump ahead that we face: moving too quickly from Palm Sunday to Good Friday.
This is our last “mini-Easter” before the real thing. And as we’ve learned on our Lenten journey, these are days of celebration. We may not embrace the Easter imagery in all of its fullness, but on these Sundays we remind ourselves that what is taking place is something amazing, wonderful, and worthy of praise. We remind ourselves that the cross we are journeying towards is not the place where the story ends. On these days we let our rejoicing be loud and real.
In that respect, the crowd welcoming Jesus into the city had it right. They may not have understood the real reason the Messiah had come, but they certainly recognized that the Messiah was in their midst. Their shouts confirm this:
“The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
‘Hosanna!’
‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’
‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’”—John 12:12-13 (NIV)
These are purposeful words. The shouts of Hosanna literally mean, “Save!” The imagery of palm branches is often linked to Messianic victory, and Jesus is referred to as “King" (and is even linked to King David in Mark’s account), all of which point to the crowd’s clear understanding that something historical is taking place. The Messiah has come to Jerusalem. The promised deliverance is about to be made real in their midst. Even if they don’t see clearly how it will take place, they at least see it.
And they celebrate.
The coming days are not for the faint of heart. They weren’t 2,000 years ago. They aren’t now. They are filled with anger, grief, injustice, false accusations, torture, and death. And we do well to meditate on them before we proclaim the fullness of the empty tomb.
But as we enter into this week, we also do well to celebrate what God is doing. So let’s welcome Jesus into our midst anew. Let’s throw the doors open wide and let the music play. On this mini-Easter, let songs of hope and joy lift our spirits, even as we know what the coming days hold. Because what they ultimately hold is our deliverance. The darkness is trembling, sin and death are facing their defeat, and the injustices that have defined humanity’s existence since the garden are about to meet their match.
We can celebrate that today.
Scripture for Meditation:
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
—Isaiah 52:7-10 (NRSV)
Song: Hosanna (Praise is Rising)
Praise is rising
Eyes are turning to You
We turn to You
Hope is stirring
Hearts are yearning for You
We long for You'Cause when we see You
We find strength to face the day
In Your presence
All our fears are washed away, washed awayHosanna hosanna
You are the God who saves us
Worthy of all our praises
Hosanna hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here Lord JesusHear the sound of
Hearts returning to You
We turn to You
In Your Kingdom
Broken lives are made new
You make us new'Cause when we see You
We find strength to face the day
In Your presence
All our fears are washed away, washed awayHosanna hosanna
You are the God who saves us
Worthy of all our praises
Hosanna hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here Lord Jesus
Brenton Brown | Paul Baloche
© 2005, 2006 Integrity's Hosanna! Music; Thankyou Music
Questions for Contemplation:
Today we simply focus our time of contemplation on our celebration of this day:
-How will you celebrate today?
-What will you do today to rejoice at the coming of the Messiah?
-How will you shout “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” on this Palm Sunday?
-What makes you thankful and overflowing with praise at the arrival of Jesus?
Here are some additional celebration songs to help you enter into the joy of this important day:
Here’s a song that was written for Christmas, but pay attention to the lyrics and how they speak to our Lenten journey and especially Palm Sunday: