As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowds cried out "Hosanna!" This is the Hebrew word which means "Save, now." It was originally a prayer, "Please, God, help us now," but it became a cry of faith that God surely would save, so the meaning was slightly changed to a praise word, "God Saves!" In this sense it becomes the same as "Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!" Hosanna was a word filled with hope for the people who were waiting for the Messiah to come and save them. When the people saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem, they were filled with the hope that he was the Messiah. They were almost ready to make him their king, so the word Hosanna on that day was like "Long live the King," or the Japanese equivalent, "Banzai" which means "long life." When people shouted this greeting, they often raised their hands into the air. If they had a flag they would have waved it, a handkerchief perhaps, flowers maybe, and as was the custom then, branches from trees, especially leafy branches like palms. Banzai to Jesus! Long live the Savior! Hosanna! Amen!

Today is the First Sunday in Advent, but our Gospel lesson is from the beginning of Holy Week, the week before Jesus died on the cross. In Advent we are looking forward to Christmas, the birth of Jesus, not his death. So this Gospel reading may seem inappropriate. This isn't Lent, we want to celebrate his birth, not his death, we want to be happy, not sad. But actually, this passage is very appropriate, in order for us to remember why Jesus was born. Jesus was not born so that we could exchange gifts, it was so that we could have the biggest gift of all which is Salvation and Eternal Life. And the way God gives that gift of grace, is that His Son, Jesus Christ must die for our sin. For that to happen, God, in the form of Jesus, becomes human on this earth. In human form He dies on the cross, as a sacrifice for sin. Then, to prove that the sacrifice was effective, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. In that resurrection we have reconciliation and peace with God, and so eternal life. Hallelujah! Hosanna!

This is the Hosanna of Advent. We see Jesus coming into the world. Before we can be happy about the little baby born in a stable, we have to be sure that we are happy about what this little baby will become. If we can accept Jesus as our Savior and King, then we can accept Jesus in the manger as more than just a little baby. We can see in the child the Son of God. It is the Hosanna of Hope: Hope that this child will be the one to give the full blessings of God to us. Since that hope is in the Lord God, it is a sure thing. This hope gives peace and comfort and joy and a song which sings, "Hosanna in the Highest." When Jesus was born, the Christmas angels sang, "Glory to God in the Highest, and peace to his people on earth!" They could probably also have sung the Palm Sunday song, "Hosanna in the Highest, and peace on earth!"

Hosanna is the greeting we give to the King who comes. Christ the King came to Bethlehem, to be born into this world, He came to Jerusalem, to die and rise again, and He will come again at the end of the world to give us eternal salvation. Our Hosanna that we sing, is the prayer that Jesus would come soon again. In the Lord's Prayer when we say, "Thy Kingdom come," it is like praying "Hosanna." It is a prayer that God would "save us now." That His "will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We pray that the angel's song about peace on earth would be done. Hosanna is a word of hope, and that is why Christians are an optimistic people. We know God has a promise, we are just waiting for it to come! Hosanna is a prayer for help and salvation, and that is why Christians are persistent in prayer. We pray for ourselves and others, and we even pray for the whole world, "peace to his people on earth." Hosanna, the Savior is coming, coming again!

Hosanna is a word for a parade! People lined the streets of Jerusalem and shouted Hosanna to Jesus. They were not silent on-lookers, they were active participants, going before and following after, waving their branches. And where was end of the parade? It was at the temple. This is where we will always end up if we follow Jesus. Our journey ends at the temple, for this is where we see Jesus as Priest and Sacrifice and where we pray and worship. There is another trip that Jesus takes at the end of Holy Week. That time the destination is the temple of the cross. That is where we follow with our Hosannas. Help us Lord! And it is from the altar of the cross that Jesus does help and save us. He lifts up his palms, the palms of his hands, to be nailed to the cross, and to be lifted in prayer to his Father. When we follow Jesus, we too lift up our hands, not to be crucified like Jesus, but to pray to the Father like he did. To lift our hands to bring that message of salvation to others.

When volunteers are asked for, we lift our hands and say, "I'll do it. Let me go." Ask children, "Who wants ice cream?" They lift one arm and say "I do!" They lift the other arm so that they get noticed better, "I do!" It looks like a Hosanna gesture! If someone asks, "Who's a Christian?" How high does your hand go up? Stick it up high and shout "Hosanna! Hallelujah! Amen!" You might get your head shot off, but, hey, that's what happened to Jesus!

In our Sunday morning worship when we celebrate communion, during the Lord's Supper Liturgy, there is the song that Christians have been singing for almost two millennia, "Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might; Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!" We are greeting our Lord who is coming to us in a very special way in the Eucharist Supper. We talk about his real presence, his real Body and Blood in, with, and under this bread and wine. He comes to us. We accept him into our hearts, into our lives. He brings salvation, the forgiveness of sins. Our Hosanna shows our faith and our hope. This is the time to not only "lift up your hearts," but to lift up your hands. It's the natural thing to do, but we Lutherans are often reluctant to do it, it doesn't seem appropriate. Have you ever gone to or seen a Pentecostal Church service? People lift up their hands in praise and prayer. They are filled with the Holy Spirit. This same Holy Spirit fills us today, gives us faith to say "Hosanna." We may not show it in gestures, but we can if we want. Try it, you might like it. Maybe a little Hosanna, like this -- v --. Or a big one like this -- V --. You might hit your neighbor's arm or slap your palm branch in his face, but that's okay! A good Lutheran is a Spirit-filled follower of Jesus. We follow with our Hosannas, we follow with our prayers, we follow to the temple, we follow to the cross, we follow to the empty tomb, and our whole life is following Jesus. At times our hands are folded and our heads bowed in deep prayer, at times our heads are lifted in joy and our arms are open to receive people to whom we can open our hearts and hands.

Hosanna is a good word! It means, "Save us now!" It means, "God does save us now!" It means, "Thank and praise God for salvation now and forever!"

Amen! Hosanna!

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