What Image Comes to your Mind When Palm Sunday is Mentioned?

The image that comes to me is not a palm branch, but Jesus riding on a colt. 

Painting by James Tissot, Brooklyn Museum

In my imagination, the crowd welcoming him shouts “Hosanna in the Highest!

Hosanna is an Aramaic word meaning "Save us, we beseech you".  The phrase "in the highest" suggests a plea for divine intervention and salvation from heaven.

As we near the end of our Lenten journey, we come to Palm Sunday, the day when all of those contradictory names for Jesus begin to come to a climax in a grand yet humble, celebratory yet weeping mystery…a triumphant(?) entry into Jerusalem. In one short story we see the demonstration of the King and Servant, Shepherd and Lamb.  If ever there was a mystery story, this is it…so much contradiction…a king on a colt.

Luke 19. 28-48 MSG (excerpts)

Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem. When he got near the mountain called Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: “Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you’ll find a colt tethered, one that has never been ridden.   Untie it and bring it.If anyone says anything, asks, ‘What are you doing?’ say, ‘His Master needs him.’”

 

The two left and found it just as he said.

 

They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode, the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street.

Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed:

 

Blessed is he who comes, the king in God’s name! 

All’s well in heaven! Glory in the high places!

Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!”  

But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”

When the city came into view, he wept over it.  “If you had only recognized this day, and everything that was good for you!”

I hope you can join us on Sunday to tell the Palm Sunday story. Please come 10 minutes early for a "Story Rehearsal."  We are going to enter into the Palm Sunday parade as full participants.  (We've sung all the music we'll be singing before, but some is not super familiar.)

We will also continue to share our Joys and Concerns with each other.  As we greet each other before worship, celebrating and checking in with friends we haven't seen for a week, remember that the news we share are joys and concerns that we can all pray for!  Simply pause, make a note on the slip provided and drop it in the plate.