Listen

They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes upon it, and he sat on it. Many people spread out their clothes on the road while others spread branches cut from the fields. Those in front of him and those following were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Mark 11:7-10

Think

“Hosannah!” the people cry as Jesus rides into town. “Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD.” The people aren’t just shouting this for no reason. It comes from Psalm 118. The people are drawing on their tradition to help them make sense of the world in the present moment.

The Hebrew word hosannah translates to “save us.” It is a prayer for deliverance in the midst of overwhelming circumstances. This prayer of the psalmist is given new meaning as the people wave branches and spread their cloaks, asking Jesus to deliver them.

As we hear the cries “Hosannah, save us” ring out from this ancient text, it should draw our attention to the crying in the world today, and pull us into the march for deliverance.

Nick Carson

Question to Ponder:

How can you be in solidarity with people crying out for help?

Pray

Hosannah! Save us, God.

From complacency, from hatred, from violence, from scarcity, from indifference, from fear, from all that keeps us from loving one another.

Hosannah!

Go

Go and sing loud and dance wild,

speak truth and stand strong,

hold beauty in your heart,

love hard and be soft,

make mistakes and say you’re sorry,

and try always to be you,

because all of life is a hymn singing God’s praise.