When Palms Wave and Hosannas Rise!
The next seven days are deeply meaningful for many of us. It’s Passover Week for our Jewish friends and Passion Week for believers, leading us into Easter.
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the importance of honoring traditions, and one of the best ways to honor them is to understand where they came from. So, let’s begin with a little context on Passion Week.
Some of you may have heard of Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival marking the end of the planting season. Its name comes from Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, time, and abundance. Saturnalia brought joy to the low daylight hours of winter with gift‑giving, feasts, and lively celebration. As Christianity grew within the Roman Empire in the early 300s AD, the celebration of Christ’s birth began to occur around this time. Over generations, Saturnalia faded, and Christmas rose to prominence.
Easter has a similar story, though it formed even earlier than Christmas. Before Easter became a Christian holy day, it overlapped with spring equinox celebrations honoring a Germanic goddess named Eostre (pronounced “EE‑oh‑struh” or “YOH‑struh”). This pagan festival celebrated renewal, fertility, and the returning light after long winters. Eggs, rabbits, and sweet treats symbolized new life and new beginnings.
Over time, Eostre name evolved into the English word “Easter.” As the Lent and Easter traditions spread across Europe, most Eostre rituals faded away, but a few symbols remained: colorful eggs, sweets, and rabbits. And no, enjoying chocolate bunny ears or coloring eggs does not make anyone a participant in pagan rituals. We are not worshiping an idol or a mythological deity.
Jesus addressed these concerns long ago:
Mark 7:17–18
“Don’t you know what I am talking about by now? You surely know that the food you put into your mouth cannot make you unclean. It doesn’t go into your heart, but into your stomach, and then out of your body.”
By saying this, Jesus declared that all foods were fit to eat.
Today is the sixth Sunday of Lent, Palm Sunday, the day we remember Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It brings back memories of Sunday School lessons that taught us the paradox of Palm Sunday: Christ’s majesty wrapped in humility.
Matthew 21:1–4
When Jesus and his disciples came near Jerusalem, he went to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives and sent two of them ahead. He told them, “Go into the next village, where you will at once find a donkey and her colt. Untie the two donkeys and bring them to me. If anyone asks why you are doing this, just say, ‘The Lord needs them.’ He will at once let you have the donkeys.”
So God's promise came true, just as the prophet had said,
“Announce to the people of Jerusalem:
‘Your king is coming to you!
He is humble and rides on a donkey.
He comes on the colt of a donkey.’”
And the disciples did exactly as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their garments on them, and seated Him thereon. A great multitude laid garments on the road, while others cut branches from palm trees to pave His path. The crowds before and behind Him cried out:
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna (i.e., Savior!) in the highest!”
People placed palm branches before Him because palms symbolized honor, hope, victory, royalty, and salvation in Jewish tradition. God Himself commanded their use in worship:
Leviticus 23:40
“On the first day gather branches from magnificent trees, palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy before the Lord your God for seven days.”
What a profound message Christ’s entry into Jerusalem sends. The magnificent Creator of the universe rode into an earthly city not on a chariot pulled by Clydesdale horses, but on a humble donkey. His presence declared His posture:
“I am meeting you where you are.”
Humility. Nearness. Grace.
The crowds misunderstood Him. They laid palms to His celebrate power, but they didn’t yet understand His purpose: redemption, restoration, and a closer walk with Him.
I sincerely hope you find a moment of solitude during this Passion Week, a space to sit with the wealth of His love and the wonder of His sacrifice. Let the rustle of palm branches waving in the wind and the calls of “Hosanna” draw you nearer to the One who chose humility over grandeur and love over power.
Let His gentle arrival on that donkey remind you that the King of all creation still comes close, still meets you where you are, and still invites you into a deeper knowing of His heart. His grace has shaped your steps, and His love continues to call forth a billion hallelujahs from within you.
Hallelujah! Sing a New Song to GOD. Sing HIS praise in the assembly of godly people. Psalm 149:1.
Great duet with cascading harmonies. Lyrics can be found by clicking closed captions on the video. St Louis, Missouri-born, Destiny Adia Andrews is a rising Gospel music Artist. She was the Dove Awards 2025 Artist of the Year.
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