Wednesday, April 1

…so they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel...” John 12:13


Palm Sunday is one of my favorite Sundays – or days – of the year. I love the celebratory feeling of gathering together with palms waving over head, singing “Hosanna!” I love all of the music associated with Palm Sunday and the anticipation that the day seems to bring to all. Even though we know that the most somber of days lies just ahead, Palm Sunday always feels so full of promise. This verse speaks to that promise and reminds us that our tradition of passing out and waving palms overhead is rooted in a seemingly spontaneous reaction of a crowd of people in Jerusalem, two thousands years ago as they greeted the biggest “celebrity” of their time. Here, in the person of Jesus, was their promise of hope for a better future; they couldn’t contain themselves as they joyously greeted his arrival into their midst. The promise of hope for a better future is still just as irresistible to us, some two thousand years later.


Dear Lord – may be always maintain our hope for a better future, and may we trust that through our belief in you, that future will be here for us. Amen.

Deacon Melanie Ward