Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday - Matthew 21:1-11 - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr

 

March 29, 2026 - Matthew 21_1-11

There was a man named David who had received a serious cancer diagnosis. He was recommended to the best oncologist in the country. He spent a lot of time with the doctor, going through treatment options and the best route to take for the best outcome. The doctor explained everything very clearly and David found comfort in the way the doctor communicated with him and the hope she gave him. He even told his family, “I trust her. She knows what she’s doing.” In those words of trust came relief and hope.

David did everything he was supposed to do. He went to every appointment, took his medicines as they were prescribed, and followed every instruction given to him. When he talked, you could hear the positivity in his voice, “This is going to help me. This is going to save my life.”

Soon things changed for David. As the treatments continued, side effects started to set in. The progress was slower than he had hoped. There were setbacks along the way. Slowly, David’s attitude started to change. While he once said, “I trust her.” He now said, “I don’t know if this is working. Maybe we should try something else.” Things continued to get harder. Now David was asking, “Why did she even recommend this in the first place?” He started to lose hope.

The reality of it all was not that anything was changing. The doctor had been very clear with David about progress, setbacks, and side effects. What changed was that the path David chose became harder than the hope he had at the beginning. When the path he was on became hard and difficult, his trust changed to questioning.

Today we follow Jesus into Jerusalem with expectation. Jesus is riding into town on a donkey.  “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Hosanna, which means, “please deliver us.” The Messiah is here! The Jews had been waiting and praying for this king to arrive and save them from oppression. Jesus is the king they had always wanted. They lay cloaks on the ground in front of him, and they wave branches in the air to honor their king as he enters Jerusalem – his triumphal entry.

But Jesus knows that it’s not that simple. He knows that this triumphal entry is different than what the people are expecting. They want a Messiah; a king covered in purple robes. This king will only wear a crown of thorns. They want a king who will sit on a throne. This king will only hang on a pagan cross. They expected Jesus to rescue them from evil and oppression, but Jesus was going much deeper than that. He was rescuing them from evil at its fullest depth.

After Jesus comes into town, the voices start to change. Things are different. Jesus is not doing what they had hoped they would do. He is not fixing the things they expected to be fixed. He’s not leading them to where they thought he would lead them. Things were going to be harder than they hoped when they followed him into the gates of Jerusalem. When they saw the path he was on their trust changed to questioning.

Today we step into that story. We began our service celebrating the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. We processed in, carrying our palms, praising the Messiah, “Hosanna!” But, as we continue through our service, after communion, our praise will change. You see, the bookend to the triumphant entry into Jerusalem in our service today is the reading of the Passion Gospel. Before the service ends, we will shout, “Crucify, crucify him!”

David, the man with cancer, trusted his doctor when his path felt hopeful. When his path was easy. Everything changed when the path became hard. He began questioning his doctor and questioning his choices.

The people trusted Jesus when their path felt hopeful. When it was easy. But everything changed when the path became hard. They began to question Jesus… and even his choices.

We trust God when our path feels hopeful. When our path is easy. Everything changes when our path becomes hard. We begin to question God and even question God’s choices. We know what it’s like to cry out “Hosanna,” please deliver us. We want to trust and hope that God is at work taking care of whatever is going on in our lives. It’s beautiful when our prayers are answered or when things in our lives are falling into place just as we ask. When the path becomes hard, our trust can turn into questioning.

But we also know what it’s like to pray and not see the outcome we had hoped for. We know what it’s like to say we trust but we still feel uncertain. We know the uncertainty to say we are following but still question whether we are on the right path. It’s in those moments that things can begin to shift. Quietly and slowly, our prayers become a little less confident. Our hope is a little more guarded. Our trust turns into questions. Questions like, “God, what are you doing? God, where are you? God, can you hear me?” We don’t ask these questions because we lack faith. We ask them because we are human. It’s human nature to want healing to come quickly. We want to see things clearly instead of being confused. We want the path to be easy, steady, and sure.

Jesus didn’t enter Jerusalem the way the people expected. Jesus doesn’t move in our lives the way we always expect either. Jesus comes gently and unexpectedly. Sometimes it’s in ways that are slower, quieter and harder than we ever hoped. And yet, he still comes. He comes and meets us in places deeper than just on the surface. He comes to hold us like we never expected.

Today, notice where you are in Jesus’s story. Notice when the voices inside you sound like Hosanna and when they sound more like questioning. When you find yourself in that place, uncertain, struggling, even saying, “Crucify him,” remember this: Christ does not turn away. He keeps moving toward the cross and toward you. And even when our voices change, his love does not. Amen.