Palm Sunday was never on our church calendar back in the day. As a conservative Baptist kid I wondered why exactly my Catholic and Protestant peers made such a big deal out of Palm leaves and a donkey. For us Palm Sunday was just the Sunday before the big event, “Easter”, with its big hollow chocolate bunnies. (The hollow part was always disappointing!)

But now here I am preparing for Sunday and readying myself to lead our church in Palm Sunday worship. I don’t know that we will have any actual Palm leaves, but we will talk about them. As well as about a borrowed donkey and the Blessed King.

So why the change? Why do I, along with our church, celebrate Palm Sunday?

We want to understand the truth of Jesus in the event and not be confused by the event itself.  Jesus really did ride a borrowed donkey into Jerusalem and people really did wave Palm branches and put their garments on the path ahead of Him. But it’s not about the Palms, coats on the ground or even the donkey. It’s about Jesus.

It is a significant event in the life of Christ and the nation of Israel. This is the only time Jesus allows Himself to be placed as royalty among the people. This was the formal presentation of the King of the Jews to the Jews. This is important given the events come Friday.

What Jesus did that week changed everything. Our sins are forgiven because that week Jesus presented Himself as the Messiah, was rejected as the Messiah, died as the Messiah and rose again as the Messiah. That week He went to the cross to bear our sins in our place, forever satisfying the just wrath of God that resided upon us.

The birth of Christ claims great significance on our calendar (even though the date is questionable). Shouldn’t the events of Passion Week from Palm Sunday through Resurrection Sunday merit our attention? Given what the events of the week mean to us even now, I say yes. And I welcome you to join me as we begin with a Palm Sunday celebration this weekend.