This day kicks off Holy Week and the recollection of the final week of our Lord to the cross and His resurrection. Today, churches will celebrate in different ways. Some will simply acknowledge it, or not, while others make a big deal about it. At some churches, the people meet and process around the outside of the church, waving waving palm branches, playing musical instruments, and shouting and singing, “Hosanna.”
However we celebrate, it is certain that Palm Sunday is a day of rejoicing, for OUR King is coming! Please join me daily this week as I blog about the journey of our Lord to the cross and His resurrection during this Holy Week.
I read pastor and seminary professor, Dr. Walter Bruggemann’s story: \u201cHe and the rest of the Palm Sunday procession, were singing and praising God, and heading toward the church when a young man living in an apartment across the street threw up the window and shouted, “What’s all that noise? You sound like the Salvation Army!” Dr. Bruggemann looked up at him and said, “Son, we ARE the Salvation Army!”
YES! I agree. We ARE God’s Salvation Army as we honor and praise Him today! On this day, Jesus’ “ragtag army parade” processed into Jerusalem. He came — not on an elaborate float or riding a magnificent white stallion, but on a donkey, followed by His “ragtag army” of disciples and peasant followers.
There were no loud brass bands playing triumphant music to acclaim the King\u2019s arrival. There were just lowly pilgrims waving palm branches and shouting \u201cHosanna, blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord\u201d. (Luke 19:38)
Today, we visualize “being there” with those who had witnessed the miracles of Jesus, His kindness and love. They KNEW He was their long-awaited King who would set all chaotic things in order.
Just three years after appearing on the scene, Jesus’ \u201cSalvation Army Story” on this earth was coming to a fast close, but His story just began because it would ultimately become our \u201cSalvation Story\u201d. Jesus knew what He was doing. He set His destiny into motion when He arranged for a donkey as His transportation. Jesus set the stage for the fulfillment of Isaiah\u2019s prophecy referred to in Matthew 21:5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.”
We know that \u201cpomp and circumstance\u201d comes with kings and royalty, but it isn\u2019t so with King Jesus. He is a different kind of king. His throne isn\u2019t about determination to rule. His is determination to serve. Most royal figures spend time building their egos; His comes with total humility. Kings, today, ride in majestic, streamlined jets. King Jesus rode on a donkey — a symbol of meekness and peace.
Our King is a different King. How different His entry was \u2013 not a 21-gun salute, but swishing of palm branches. A king\u2019s death was hailed by royal salutes, but King Jesus knew His was to be a cross.
Not only did our King know precisely who He was when He entered Jerusalem, but right now He knows who He is as He enters the Jerusalem of OUR lives. He healed the blind and lame. He touched ALL people \u2013 those with rank, and those who were broken, rejected, and unloved. He never refused anyone who came to Him for help.
Jesus came for those \u201cragtag\u201d people — people like you and me. His \u201cragtag army\u201d \u2013 His SALVATION ARMY continues to lift His banner high as we worship, praise, and are His ambassadors to a world that needs Him so much.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This day kicks off Holy Week and the recollection of the final week of our Lord to the cross and His resurrection. Today, churches will celebrate in different ways. Some will simply acknowledge it, or not, while others make a big deal about it. At some churches, the people meet and process around the outside…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23377,23376],"tags":[23375,1210,1769,4444,23373,873,8381,3335,3361,40,23374,23372,23371,3365,44,3366,3368,3369],"class_list":["post-15871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-palm-branches","category-salvation-army","tag-all-hail-king-jesus","tag-blog","tag-christian","tag-donkey","tag-dr-walter-bruggermann","tag-easter","tag-healed","tag-holy-week","tag-hosanna","tag-inspiration","tag-meekness","tag-our-king-is-ocming","tag-palm-branches","tag-palm-sunday","tag-peace","tag-ragtag-army","tag-salvation-army","tag-triumphant-entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15871"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15873,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15871\/revisions\/15873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypeacezone.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}