Palm Sunday

Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week.

Even the Stones Will Cry by Lauren Wright Pittman, A Sanctified Art

It’s the beginning of a journey that contains the human story – the highs, the lows, the hopes, the fears. In the span of seven days, we do it all: we praise, process, break bread, wash feet, make promises, deny, betray, condemn, abandon, grieve, despair, disbelieve, and celebrate.

And it begins with Palm Sunday. We’ll wave palm branches, we’ll sing our praises, and we’ll shout “Hosanna!” as we welcome Jesus into Jerusalem.

There will be a certain celebration to the day. And there was more than two thousand years ago when Jesus first rode into Jerusalem. Because in this moment, all the hopes and expectations for Jesus come to their climax. Jesus was riding into Jerusalem to take his rightful place as King.

Or at least the crowds thought he was.

Because almost as quickly as the crowds assembled to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, they dispersed as they watched Jesus be arrested, tried, and ultimately crucified.

And their hope turned to disappointment and despair.

And so, in some ways, Palm Sunday becomes about our human hopes and our human disappointments.

But perhaps, Palm Sunday is also the story of God. A God who hears our hopes and our cries of despair and carries them to the cross. A God who shows up and saves us in ways we didn’t know were possible.

I hope you will make plans to join us this Holy Week.

Grace and peace,

Kimmy