This is a day, Palm Sunday, shaped by two words. 

Hosanna means “give salvation now” or “give victory now.” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” is the proper greeting for the king’s arrival. We find these words nestled within Psalm 118:25:

”Lord, save us! Lord, please grant us success!“

The palm branches had been used as symbols of Israel since the days of the successful rebellion led by the Maccabees nearly two centuries before the time of Jesus. 

Jesus received the acclaim as savior, but rejected the symbols of earthly rule. We see this in the next thing we read in John 12:14. Jesus rides a young donkey, not warhorse in all its regalia. 

Jesus was the king who came to save. Jesus did not come as a warrior to fight national foes and political enemies. 

The victory Jesus fought and won began with a gruesome loss. It was that bloody and torturous death that paid the due penalty for the sinful rebellion of all humanity, including you and me. 

Hosanna and Blessed are words we need today. They remind us that we cannot save ourselves. They declare our openness to what God wants to do in us. We can sing praise because Jesus has won the victory. We can join him in liberating souls by extending his welcome to everyone we meet. 

Sing Hosanna. Live a most blessed life. 

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I will sing my hosannas and live a most blessed life.

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Our Father, you did for us what we could not do for ourselves. You did it your way in your timing. Now you continue your work through us. We sing your praise with joy and gladness. We bear your welcome to those who need to know and experience you. Amen.