Hosanna

"The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 

took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

The King of Israel!” John 12:12-13 (NKJV)

Easter is a season of sorrow and a season of hope. Sorrow because of the circumstances surrounding the death of our Savior. 

Times were hard in Israel. Oppression, injustice, and instability were the law of the land. People were afflicted by sicknesses, their own burdens of life, and the burdens of their oppressors. 

Hope because God sent Jesus, our Immanuel to be with us. 

Palm Sunday is a special time of the season. For years, I've been finding creative ways to teach this passage to the kids. 

This year, as we go on with our daily lives, we do not cease the cries of help around us. We cry with those who cry. We grieve with so many who lost loved ones. We carry our own sorrows as we strive to live in this world. 

Palm Sunday reminds us of the hope of a Savior. We read about multitudes crying out "Hosanna." Hosanna, in the original translation, sounds like prayer for it says "Oh save us!"

Saving He did. Jesus died and rose from the dead with all victory and power. He is coming again. He did not leave us helpless or hopeless. The Savior Jesus is still in the business of intervening in our earthly situations as we cry out to Him. 

I'm not in the mood of observing Easter as a fairytale or a feel-good social event. Easter is for the heart that is tired of suffering. Easter is for those who are exhausted by so much violence and pain. 

Let us cry out Hosanna for the triumphant Savior still hears us. He is marching on with this truth. He is the hope of the world. He is the Savior and He will save.