Sing Hosannas
Scripture Reading: Matthew 21: 1 - 11
1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5“Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Message: Sing Hosannas (Palm Sunday)
Hosanna - Save us
Palm Sunday is known for the celebration of Jesus as our King
Palm Sunday brings intersting perspectives to our faith…
There’s the whole theme of misunderstanding - how the people expected Jesus to be the new political king to replace the rule of the Roman Empire, that they so dispised
There’s the use of a donkey - we hear the donkey was the animal for a king, but it is sometimes hard to grasp this concept (there’s quite a few references in the Bible of donkeys being associated with kings)
What about the public impact this event had - it was probably what led to Jesus’ execution, He was creating a stir and causing a politcal upheaval
And on that note, it is clear that this Rabbi, entering Jerusalem on a donkey, hit a nerve with many people… something was moved inside them that culminated into them shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Meaning of Hosanna: “The Hebrew words yasha (“deliver, save”) and anna (“beg, beseech”) combine to form the word that, in English, is “hosanna.” Literally, hosanna means “I beg you to save!” or “please deliver us!”
On Palm Sunday, imagine the scene… a comotion coming down the streets, political leaders being upset, and audatious statement by a controversial Rabbi, the people being excited and shouting: “I beg you to save us” or “please deliver us”
The need to be saved
Even though they misunderstood who Jesus was and what was about to unfold, these people had a deeply rooted need
It is is evident in the energy that was tangible when Jesus entered Jerusalem
Something was burning inside of them when they shouted “Hosannah!”
“I need to be saved”…“Please deliver me”…
Easter is about being saved
This King on a donkey, did come to save
Today we know what happened that week
We know today that we are saved through what He did on the cross
But might it be that in some way we still need to be saved?
For the struggle in this world is real
We face the challenge of living with our own brokenness
The cry of “Hosanna!” is still our cry today
We still need Him to come and deliver us
Embracing the King
Palm Sunday is about embracing this King with our deepest spiritual need - the need to be saved
It is about throwing ourselves down before this King
It is about crying out to Him from our vulnerability and spiritual need
It is about letting go of my pride and embracing Him
It is about being honest with yourself about your deepest spiritual needs and letting go
It is about admitting to myself that I need to be saved and then to act on it
To cry “Hosanna!” today is to embrace the King who is here to save me
Holy Hosannas
Palm Sunday is an invatation for me and you to enter this holy week before Easter by humbling ourselves before the King
Holy Week is about remembering that I need to be saved
You are invited to bring your deepest spiritual needs before Him
You are invited to let go of all that is holding you back
You are invited to embrace the King who is here to save you
Join me in singing Hosannas today!
AMEN
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