Palm Sunday: A Day That Changed My Life

Palm Sunday holds special significance in my family history. It was a day that changed the entire course of our lives. In Christian tradition, we use this day to commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It was the beginning of a week that would change the world. We remember the crowd who took palm branches and cried out to Jesus, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord, even the King of Israel” (John 12:12-13). On that great day, Jesus came riding in on a young donkey in fulfillment of ancient prophecies. Yet, his purpose in coming to Jerusalem was to give his life for the sins of the world as Isaiah had foretold centuries earlier (see Isaiah 53).

This day was also the beginning of a dramatic change for those who followed

Jesus. In one week, the chanting of the crowd would change from “Hosanna! Hosanna!” to “Crucify! Crucify!” Their hopes for a messiah who would liberate them from the rule of Rome would be dashed. Soon they would helplessly watch their teacher be crucified by the power of Rome.

Jesus’ disciples would have been incredulous to hear us call the day of his death

“Good Friday.” But in a few days, their hopes would be powerfully restored when Jesus broke the power of death. We refer to this as Resurrection Day-- Easter Sunday. It was the event that gave birth to the Christian Church. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ became the gospel message that the disciples of Jesus would boldly proclaim to the world. It was not a message of salvation from Rome, but salvation from sin. They preached forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name everywhere, and the world has never been the same.

Thirty-four years ago on Palm Sunday, that same life-changing message dramatically changed my family. Let me give you some background. For the first seven years of my life, we only attended church nominally. My father says we were CE Christians---Christmas and Easter. (This is why I only remember Sunday school papers with Christmas and Easter scenes.) My mother says we went to church a few more Sundays than the holidays. But when I reached the third grade, we stopped going to church. We even gave up church attendance on Easter and Christmas. As my father recalls, the local banker came to our house to collect our tithes and offerings on behalf of the Church. This deeply offended my father and ended our association with church for the next four years (except for a few summer VBS programs).

As a senior pastor (for more than twenty years), most people assume I grew up

with a Bible in my hand. This was not my history. But on Palm Sunday, 1971, our family made a significant change. We had recently moved from the Philadelphia suburbs to a house my father had built in the country. Not long after moving, a caring neighbor lady came to welcome us to the neighborhood. She also invited us to come to church with her. But church was not in our family plans. We had begun to enjoy Sunday as our family day. However, there was something irresistibly real about this lady. She simply wanted to tell us how Jesus had changed her life.

My father was deeply touched by her story, but my mother thought she was too emotional about religious matters. Yet, they both agreed that it wouldn’t hurt to visit the church. On Palm Sunday, 1971, we visited her church and --for the first time in his life-- my father heard the story of God’s love for sinners. The sermon was based on the New Testament verse, “God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This was why Jesus was entering Jerusalem. When an opportunity was offered for people to respond to God’s love by asking for his forgiveness, my father responded. He asked God to forgive him, and he acknowledged his need for Jesus as his Savior. Several weeks later, my mother also received Jesus as her Savior. The cry “Hosanna!” means “Save now!” Jesus is still the one we should call to for salvation. His salvation is not from difficult earthly circumstances (as the early followers of Jesus desired) but from our sins. Steven W. Cornell Senior pastor Millersville Bible Church Millersville, PA. 17551