Hosanna! Save us! Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

This Sunday is Palm Sunday ~ one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It is the Sunday we remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. When I was a kid I thought Palm Sunday was all fun. We sang Hosanna! and waved our palms. Some years the Sunday School kids even paraded into the sanctuary and handed out palms to the congregation. This was the stuff of good memories.

It wasn't until much later than I began to realize that Palm Sunday is not all fun. While the parade of palms is joyous, it is also the beginning of a dark week, the week of Jesus' crucifixion and death. It is not long before the crowd's shouts of "Hosanna!" turn to shouts of "Crucify Him!" And, riding on the back of the donkey, Jesus knew how the week was going to unfold.

On this Palm Sunday I invite you to remember where the parade will lead us. The parade must lead to the cross before we get to stand before the empty tomb.

Hosanna! Save us! Son of David!