A Reminder That God Will ProvideSample

Blessed Is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord 

By Rev. Joel Gaertner, Vice President of Ministry 

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9)

Have you ever hugged anyone? How about a handshake and an embrace? Or, maybe it was an exuberant high five. You are probably wondering, “What is the point?” 

If you have ever given any of those expressions of welcome, then you can begin to understand what it felt like to be there on that first Palm Sunday and sing Hosanna. Imagine you are standing with the crowd on that first Palm Sunday. 

You would have been a Jew who heard the following from your parents and grandparents, as well as those from many generations before them: “The Savior is coming!” “The Savior is coming!” “The Savior is coming!” 

As you stood there on that first Palm Sunday, you would have understood that this man riding through Jerusalem on a donkey was different from those who had come before him claiming to be the Messiah. 

Do you now start to see why we are encouraged to join them in shouting “Hosanna?” We need him – Jesus approaches God on our behalf. Perhaps you have joined fellow Christians in confessing the following: “Heavenly Father, I have sinned against you in the things that I have thought, spoken, and done over the past week, as well as the things that I have failed to do to show your love to other people.” 

We join them in shouting “Hosanna” because, like them, we recognize that Jesus is the only solution to the problem of our sin.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I join the people on that first Palm Sunday in shouting “Hosanna” not just today but every day. I realize how much I needed you to have lived on this earth and then enter Jerusalem to ultimately die to pay for my sins. 

No matter how many times I shout “Hosanna,” it is never enough to give you proper thanks for all that you did for me. May my life reflect the gratitude that I have for your coming as my Savior. Amen.