PALM SUNDAY

 

Today is Palm Sunday and around the world they celebrate this day in many ways.  We will celebrate it by having Communion.

 

 

1.      Palm trees don’t grow in Poland, so people make artificial palm leaves, decorating them with tissue paper flowers and ribbons. Some of these fake palms can be higher than 30 metres and need multiple people to carry them! There are competitions for the best ones.

2.      People in the Philippines will decorate and weave palm fronds into complicated shapes, called palaspas. They’re blessed at a church and carried home.

3.      People in Norway decorate their homes with birch twigs and painted eggs for Palm Sunday.

4.      In the Netherlands, it’s all about the rooster. In some towns, kids have a procession where they carry crosses decorated with ribbons. On top of them is a rooster made from bread.

5.      Pussy willows are a lot easier to find in Latvia than palms, so the day is known as Pussy Willow Sunday. Parents even wake kids up on the Sunday with pretend swats from the willow branches!

6.      In Ethiopia call Palm Sunday Hosanna (say 'ho-san-nah'), after the cheer people were said to have greeted Jesus with when he arrived. People weave palm fronds into elaborate rings to wear on the day.

7.      Willow branches are a big part of the celebration in Bulgaria along with flowers. Palm Sunday is more often called Flower Day because of all the springtime blooms. People will make wreaths of pussy willows and flowers and decorate their homes, often having big family dinners on the day.

8.      In some towns in Belgium, there are Palm Sunday processions and kids go door-to-door offering palm leaves in exchange for coins.

 

Things about Palm Sunday that Remind Us Christ is King

 

1. God's Word tells us the people cut palm branches, waved them in the air, and laid them out on the ground before Jesus as He rode into the city. The palm branch represented goodness and victory and was symbolic of the final victory He would soon fulfill over death.  “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Cor. 15:55

 

2. Jesus chose to ride in on a donkey, which directly fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of Zech. 9:9. In Biblical times, it was common for kings or important people to arrive by a procession riding on a donkey. The donkey symbolized peace, so those who chose to ride them showed that they came with peaceful intentions. Jesus even then reminded us that He is the Prince of Peace.  "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Zech. 9:9

 

3. When the people shouted "Hosanna!" they were hailing Christ as King. That word means "save now," and though in their own minds, they waited for an earthly king, God had a different way of bringing true salvation to all who would trust in Him.  "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!" Ps. 118:26

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Rom. 10:9

 

4. The Bible says that Jesus wept for Jerusalem. Amid the praise of the moment, He knew in His heart that it wouldn't be long that these same people would turn their backs on Him, betray Him, and crucify Him. His heart broke with the reality of how much they needed a Savior.  "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes." Luke 19:41-42

 

5. Palm Sunday reminds us that the reign of Christ is far greater than any man's mind could ever conceive or plan. Man looked for someone to fight their battles in the present-day world. Yet God had the ultimate plan of sending His Son to fight the final battle over death. This is the greatness of why we celebrate this week. Because of Christ's ultimate sacrifice, we can be set free of death.  "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,'" John 11:25

 

We have so much to be grateful for this week. The enemy knows that, and you can bet, he will do everything he can to distract us from this Holy Week's true meaning. Don't let him win.  In this Holy Week, may God direct our thoughts and attention towards what matters most, Jesus Christ our King...

Let's choose to focus on worshipping our Lord, thanking Him for the gift of His sacrifice, celebrating the power of the Resurrection, and the new life found in Him alone. Grace.  "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Cor. 9:15

 

Conclusion

 

1.      Palm Sunday is the beginning of the Passion Week.  It is the final week of Christ’s life.  He will culminate with his body being broken and His body being shed.  He will die, be buried, and then rise again.

2.      It is the most important event in human history.  God became man and then died for the sins of all mankind. 

3.      The Irony is that Jesus will always be something we don’t expect.  The crowds waned a conquering king not a suffering servant.  Paul puts who Jesus is in this simple greeting.  The Lord Jesus Christ.  He is master, Lord and ultimate authority.  He is God with a face 100% God and 100% man and perfect union of God and man.  He is the Savior, Messiah, and Redeemer of Man.  Don’t confuse Who he is and what he has done. 

4.      Communion brings that all into focus.  His broken body was for our healing and His shed blood brought our redemption.  Let us remember and celebrate that today.