Palm Sunday Spoken Word

When Jesus entered Jerusalem
On the first day of the week
As peculiar as the scene appeared
The only feeling in the crowd
Was hope
Our whole life we had been told
About the one promised from of old
The one who would overthrow Rome
The one who would bring us home
And make Israel real again
Turn our shame into joy, again
Set us free and make us whole, again
But again and again and again
Hopes like these were thwarted
All the same, as Jesus was escorted
Into the Holy City
We were not yet filled with pity.
No, our hearts were filled with hope
Could it be?
Could the one we’d been waiting for
Really be entering through the proverbial front door?
Just imagine the emotions; picture the scene
We were expecting the Messiah or a king or something in between
Palm branches were tossed astray
Cloaks were strewn to line the way
And the guy rides in… on a donkey
What was this Rabbi trying to convey?
There was an awkward gasp as he road in
It took a second for all this to sink in
But our expectations were too high; our hope too strong
So we all just played along
Someone shouted Hosanna – blessed is he
And I didn’t understand then, but now I see
That sometimes hope is able to discern
What your mind can’t yet comprehend.
On the first day of the week, despite what we saw
Our deep-seeded hope led us to proclaim Jesus as king
And one tumultuous week later,
We finally understood,
why Friday was Good
And why a Great Military leader riding in on a war horse
Actually, would have been worse.
That kind of Messiah is actually not preferable
To a baby born in a stable
Or to a rabbi riding on a donkey
Or a Lord dying on a cross
Through that strange yet Holy Week
Our eyes continually saw disappointment
But at times our hearts glimpsed
The ways that humility and sacrifice and love
Were actually the prophetic fulfillment.