A Reflection for Palm Sunday: Blessed is the One
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider that preparation is often a necessary process — it shapes the path for what is to come.
Despair and hope. They travel the road to Jerusalem together, as together they travel every road we take—despair at what in our madness we are bringing down on our own heads and hope in him who travels the road with us and for us and who is the only one of us all who is not mad. Hope in the King who approaches every human heart like a city.
— Frederick Buechner
Mark 11:9
Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Food for Thought
I was helping my mom plant a garden while I was home recently. She acquired some zinnia seed packets and was hoping to add some color and beauty to her yard in the upcoming season. But before we could plant, we had to prepare. We had to think about a place in the yard that would be conducive for growing zinnias, with sunshine and warmth being preferable. We had to acquire the proper tools. We had to prepare the soil and dig things up a bit to get the soil loose enough that the roots could more easily find a home.
A few days later, my mom excitedly shared a picture of all these baby plants popping up. Now, while some might be zinnias, the truth is that a lot of baby plants look the same when they are just coming out of the ground. So there is also the preparation of knowing what to look for — of being attentive to what’s growing so you know if it’s something you need to encourage or something you need to pull out.
In this Lenten season, we’ve been preparing our hearts and lives through simple practices to better attend to where God is showing up, and to all that is growing in our hearts and in our world. What needs encouragement, and what needs to be uprooted? How do we prepare our hearts to know and recognize the things of God? This Palm Sunday we acknowledge that not everything that shows up on the streets of our communities is coming in the name of the Lord.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he didn’t come like a Roman conqueror. He didn’t ride a majestic warhorse or arrive with a parade of extravagance as was the custom for celebrated rulers of his day. He came on a donkey—a young colt. He had no velvet robe or military display. Instead, he brought a demonstration of peace, healing, and radical humility. Jesus showed us that the kingdom of God doesn’t look like domination—it looks like service, like mercy, like compassion, like justice.
Jesus showed us how to open our eyes, hearts and minds to the signs of Christ’s kingdom.
Those who followed him knew: This was one who came in the name of the Lord—not the lord of empire, but the Lord of Liberation; not Caesar as lord, but the “Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt,” who uplifts the lowly, who feeds the hungry and heals the sick; the one who shows up for the least and the lost, who blesses children and calls us by name, and speaks goodness over all of creation.
Jesus’ triumphal entry wasn’t a spectacle of power, but a procession of purpose—a declaration that the kingdom of God stands in sharp contrast to the kingdoms of this world. He went on to the temple not with sacrifices of animals, but with the offering of his whole self for the sake of the world. From the wilderness to the temple, from the manger to the tomb, Jesus shows us the manifestation of God's kingdom: love over power, humility over pride, community over conquest.
So again: What does it look like when someone comes in the name of the Lord? Are we prepared to recognize it? It is a different kind of kingdom, with a different kind of King.
To see it, we must look not for a warhorse but a donkey. Not for a robe, but a servant’s towel. Not for silver, but for broken bread.
And so, we ready ourselves to know and welcome one who comes in the name of the Lord — not just in this moment, but again and again in our lives, our choices, our communities. We till the soil of our hearts. We nurture what is good and pull out what harms so that something of Christ may enter in to meet our moments of death-dealing cruelty and injustice with a life-affirming hope of resurrection and renewal for our world.
“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Learning is a life-long preparation of the mind and heart. What is something you would like to know about more fully? In studying we prepare ourselves with new knowledge and awareness. Take some time to learn more deeply about something of interest to you.
As we move from Palm Sunday toward Easter, maybe try learning how to make a palm leaf cross from a palm frond. If you don’t have a palm leaf, try using some craft paper. Here is a short tutorial video that you may find helpful.
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
Blessing
God of Revealing Truth,
Help us to better recognize the signs of your glory and majesty – found in mercy more than might; in peace more than power; in humility more than hubris. Enter the gates of our hearts so that we might know you better, and in knowing your love and sharing your love, we might indeed be saved. Hosanna!
Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
What are some ways learning and preparation have helped you in your journey through life?
What are some things you have learned about who Jesus was and what he cared about? How does that shape how you understand the world and how you care for it?
How do you prepare your heart to know something of goodness when you encounter it? How do you bear witness to it?
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Ask your kiddos why they think it is important to prepare — to study for a quiz, to get your ingredients together for a recipe, to get your supplies together for a camping trip, etc.
Talk with the children about Jesus’s ministry with the world. What were the things Jesus cared about?
How does knowing more about the world and our neighbors help us to better care for them?
Meet This WEek’s Writer...
Rev. Daryn Stylianopoulos is originally from North Carolina, but has called Boston, MA home for nearly twenty years. Daryn is an advocate for the marginalized and works against injustices in her community. She believes in creatively cultivating a spirit of cohesion, welcome, and healing in the world. A lover of art, music, gardening, and, most of all, family, she often looks to these for inspiration in her work and ministry. Daryn is on staff with American Baptist Home Mission Societies serving as Program Director for the Nurturing Children Initiative, and also serves as a Baptist pastor in the Boston area. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Boston University School of Theology.
To hear more from Rev. Daryn throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!