Why "Hosanna" In Our Lives?

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, 

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

(Matthew 21: 9)

Palm Sunday brings in a lot of childhood memories. As Sunday School students, we have always enjoyed preparing for and conducting this service when the church is decorated with fresh green palm leaves. The procession, the songs, the role plays, a week's hard work of the parents trying to make their children remember the Bible verses, rehearsals of songs, written papers of prayers read with half-closed little eyes, a youth member dressed as a donkey trying to bear the weight of the child Jesus (probably ending with a back-ache throughout the holy week), tensed Sunday School teachers, action songs, a restless sound technician clueless of the movements and placements of his/her microphones and anxious and shy teenagers waiting for their moments in the service are very common scenes of the day. And to calm it all down, one senior student will be leading the whole service steadily while another senior will preach her/his first sermon. 

I have personally come across all of these thrilling experiences through different stages as a child and finally preached my first sermon at the 2002 Palm Sunday service at Puliyanthivu Methodist Church, Batticaloa. More than all of these, there is a sound that resonates in everyone's mind on this day - "Hosanna!" And that is the word we are going to look at today. 

"Hosanna" on this day reminds us of two essential parts of Christian living. The word, on the one hand, is praise, adoration and glorification, but on the other hand, it reminds of the essence of what it means - the yearning to be saved. "Save us" will be the phrase that we could be reminded of if we try to further understand the word. On that day, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, seated humbly on a donkey, there were many different shouts of praise but only the word Hosanna prevails over the centuries as the one that we would remember after a palm Sunday. 

My curiosity about this word over the years was leading me towards a further understanding, and I interestingly understood this word within this important context of this day, the palm Sunday. The word Hosanna, as I have mentioned above, on the one side shows the importance of praise and glorification in our lives, and on the other, it stresses the importance of yearning for God's salvation. Hosanna is praise, and Hosanna is an SOS! And, interestingly, these are the two most important parts of Christian daily living. The word Hosanna should remind us throughout the year that we are called to praise and glorify God in our everyday lives, while we continue to trust and ask God to save us. We are called to lift up His name every day and also to seek the salvation of our souls. 

Even though "Hosanna" is always connected and paralleled with the cuteness of children's service on a palm Sunday, the resonating word invites us to live a life of efficient Christian life. This is a calling to live a life of praise and salvation. "Hosanna" draws us near to the throne and encourages us to exalt the Lord our God while we sit at His feet every day and ask Him to keep us safe from worldly pleasures, sins and evil. This is the calling today. This is the invitation on this palm Sunday. Let Hosanna drive us further as we continue our walk of faith. 

May the blessing and power of God the Father, the grace and love of Christ Jesus the Son, and the fellowship and presence of the Holy Spirit be with us, as we continue to sing Hosanna in God's presence while praising Him and seeking His salvation. 

May God bless you.

Yours in Christ,

"Hosanna..."

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