Readings for Lent - Palm Sunday

'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord' [John 12:13]

They lined the road, palm branches held high,
Reciting familiar words from well-known Psalms.
'Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest -
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'

Word-perfect; well-rehearsed;
True to every line of the script.
Playing their part in this human tableau
That acted out their deepest hopes and longings.

One day, maybe one day, it would all be for real.
There would be a King; God’s King;
A liberator; Saviour; Messiah;
A true Son of David, enthroned again as King of the Jews.

But for now they must content themselves with the annual ritual.
Acting out the past; hoping for a future
But living in the painful present.
Words and actions that said everything, yet meant nothing.

And through the crowd came the man from Nazareth, Riding on a Donkey

And those with eyes to see could see,
The king had finally come;
God, present with his people,
To be welcomed and proclaimed.

And those with eyes to see could see,
The usurper had finally gone too far.
The rebel, present with his people,
To be crushed and put down.

And those with eyes that could not see,
Waved and cheered the stranger into town.
Then put down their palm leaves,
Took up their cloaks,
And went away
To learn their lines For the next act in the drama,
Crucify! Crucify!

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