Palm Sunday is different when you have walked the route that Jesus took from the Mount of Olives to the Temple. 

As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭29-40‬ NLT

The crowds cheered, and it bothered the Pharisees. They wanted him to tell them to quiet down. But Jesus wouldn’t play by their rules. He told them that if he did as they asked, the very sones would cry out. 

Because God will not be denied. The King had arrived, and his praises would be sung by humanity or by the very stones that were created through him when the world was begun. 

In worship at St. A’s today, Geoff encouraged us to make certain it isn’t necessary for the stones to sing. To instead use the gifts that God has given each of us to sing the praises of the King. 

When we were in Israel, we were constantly surrounded by stone. If the stones had sung, I am certain that the sound would have been overwhelming. Maybe they would have done a better job than us. 

But that was not what God wanted, that’s not why Jesus went to Jerusalem, knowing he would be persecuted and executed. God wants us to sing. With him, for him and in his honor. 

As we head into Holy Week, may your life song sing for God. May you praise him so well that the sones need bever make a sound. And I pray that your life may be continually transformed by the King riding on a donkey. 

   

Mom and Dad together as Mom reads the Palm Sunday passage on the Mount of Olives with the temple in the background. 

  

Mom reading the Palm Sunday passage on the Mount of Olives. 

 The Temple Mount as seen from the Mount of Olives. 

A wider view of the Temple Mount as seen from the Mount of Olives.