We are in Mark 11. Jesus sent two followers from Bethany where he was staying outside of Jerusalem. They were to go to the next village and find a colt of a donkey that had never been ridden and bring it back. The crowd put their cloaks on the back of the colt and Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the cheers of the crowd. We will celebrate this next Sunday. Palm branches were laid on the road before the donkey and so we call next Sunday “Palm Sunday.”
The people chanted:
Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
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Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
Mark 11: 9-10
I was surprised when I looked up “hosanna” on the Internet to read
“Hosanna is a liturgical word in Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism it refers to a cry expressing an appeal for divine help. In Christianity it is used as a cry of praise.”
I have always associated “hosanna” with praise. The crowds were quoting from Psalm 118:25-26. When I read the whole psalm, it started with thanksgiving for God’s help in the past, but then at verse 25 it changed to a plead, ‘Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!” Perhaps the crowd on Psalm Sunday was welcoming Jesus whom they anticipated as the coming Messiah to rid them of the Roman oppression. “Hosanna” is a word that bridges the reality of our present oppression with the faith that God will save us and deliver us. AND often as with Psalm Sunday, the deliverance does not materialize as we expect. Somehow those Romans, those things that irritate us, do not just disappear.
Perhaps the cry of your heart is for being saved from a situation that has become a quagmire for you or perhaps you are feeling praise for deliverance from a burdensome situation. Let us use the word “Hosanna” as an acrostic for the prayer of your heart today. H is for ______, O is for _____, S is for ______, A is for _____, N is for _____, or N could be for _____ and A is for _______. Thank you LOrd for I know you are working.
On the Way to Wonder 