Holy God,
On this Palm Sunday we come to you as people who sing with joy. But we also come to you as people who sometimes struggle.
We want to shout, waving branches with the excitement of your presence – but some days we can’t. Some days, the best we can do is put one foot in front of the other. We face times of illness, we have lost loved ones, we are not sure what the future holds. In those times of struggle, may we remember your peace and love given to us through your son.
On Other days we struggle as people who do wave palm branches, thinking that glory and fame are the goals for life. We want the things that are bigger and better, we want to be more popular, we want to be the best at work or school. But that is not who you have called us to be.
You have called us to be table kickers. To speak out for the oppressed, to speak up for the underdog, to strive to increase love – not power.
As we sing Hosanna’s today, may we remember to whom those words of honor were first sung. And may we seek to live lives that share the same kind of love Christ shared so long ago. On days when we can joyfully sing your praise, may we do so with uplifted voices. On days when strive to simply put one foot in front of the other, may we feel your comfort and peace.
We pray these things in the name of Christ – our rock and our redeemer.
Amen.