Everybody Loves A Parade

Scripture: The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" John 12:12-13

As a kid I loved parades. They were exciting. I love a parade! Chasco Fiesta is coming up. It’s like a party. We often have parades to celebrate special events such as a circus coming to town or the opening of a fair. Sometimes we have a parade to honor an important person who has come to our town.

Another thing we use to celebrate are balloons. I had some last week. I got a year older. It was a very nice thing the church did for me.

Now sometimes in parades there are important people who march down the street. Perhaps the Mayor of the city for instance.

That is a little bit like something that took place in the city of Jerusalem about 2000 years ago. A king was visiting their city. People lined the streets of the city hoping to get to see the King. The King came riding on a small donkey, and as he rode through the streets of the city, the people waved palm branches and shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" PALM BRANCH

I'm sure that you know who that King was—it was Jesus. Today is Palm Sunday. Today we remember the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the people cheering and waving palm branches. It was a day that marked the beginning of a week that would see Jesus cheered, then arrested, tried, beaten, and put to death on a cross. But as that week came to an end, another week began just as the previous week had begun, with a celebration. I can hardly wait until next Sunday!