See and be stunned—the righteous king Abba promised you comes to you with a salvation beyond all you can imagined. He comes in humility and weakness—not riding on a mighty stallion but on the foal of a donkey… He comes to free you from multiple slaveries, and imprison you to hope (Paraphrase of Zechariah 9:9-12)
Lord Jesus, on the “calendar of grace,” today is Palm Sunday. The day which both commemorates your entrance into Jerusalem and the reason you came into our world. You didn’t come to impress us, but to save us—to rescue us from sin and death, defeat the devil and vanquish all evil. Hallelujah, and thank you.
A few of us may wave green, leafy palms to you in our worship services today. But all of us should forever lift our 5-diget palms—our grateful hands to you in praise and surrender. No one is more worthy of our adoration. No one can be more fully trusted or more deeply treasured. Jesus, thank you for living and dying in our place. Thank you for freely giving us a salvation we could never earn. Thank you for not merely encouraging us, but making us prisoners of hope.
But Jesus, on this Palm Sunday, your palms—your mighty and merciful hands cause us the most joy and ignite our love for you. From creating the cosmos to holding your mother’s hand… from wielding the tools of a carpenter to healing broken bodies… from holding the reigns of a foal to washing the feet of your disciples… from being bound to the cross to rolling back the stone of your grave… all the way and beyond the Day you will gather us, wipe our tears, and finish making all things new … Jesus, we praise, bless, and adore you. So Very Amen.