Sunday, March 24–Palm Sunday
When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.‘ –Luke 19:29-40
Every year, on Palm Sunday, we do a “dramatic enactment” of the Palm Sunday story during the Words with the Young People. It’s one of my favorite moments of the year, because I love the way we gets into our roles. The people who are supposed to be excited are really excited–waving their palm branches and shouting hosanna with exuberance. The people who are supposed to be suspicious grumble more loudly than they would normally allow themselves to grumble.
The parade we reenact on Palm Sunday was an “all-in” parade. People donated their coats to the event. The disciples praised God joyfully with loud voices. Whatever reservations or worries they had about Jesus were, for the moment, put aside. The expression of hope was so all-encompassing that it even affected the stones!
There are lots of things in our lives that keep us from going “all-in” with our hopes. We are cautious. We worry. We doubt. We hedge our bets.
On Palm Sunday, as we dramatize exuberant hope, we ask ourselves what it would mean for us, in real life, to go “all-in”–to put our whole bodies and minds and hearts into hope in the power of God’s love.
Give us courage, God of hope, to go all-in. Amen.