Gracepoint Church, Peabody
Palm Sunday is one of those odd Sundays because we’re not really sure how to treat it. Is it a sacred Sunday? Or is it just a little bit above a regular Sunday? It seems to be somewhere in the middle, in that place that draws a polite nod from Christians before they quickly turn their attention to Easter Sunday.
But Palm Sunday deserves a certain amount of respect because it is the first of two bookends that frame the last week of the life of Christ. It marks his entry into the city of Jerusalem — his city — and brings him closer and closer to the cross. When Christ entered the city, many people celebrated. However, their celebration was short-sighted and short-lived. The expected something different, a Messiah of their own making.
Two millennia later many people still do.
But Jesus came with a predetermined purpose, and not in search of one. He was never confused as to who he was or why he was on earth. He was no longer a baby lying in a manger in Bethlehem to be adored. He was a young man headed for the cross. The Lamb of God was ready to be sacrificed.