We Shout hosannah

* THIS POST CONTAINS BOTH AFFILIATE AND PRODUCT LINKS,
​ALONG WITH LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES AND VIDEOS MENTIONED IN THE POST.*

Palm Sunday. It's the day that Jesus rides into Jerusalem upon a colt, a young donkey. It's a celebratory event as people flood the streets of Jerusalem for Passover. As Jesus arrives, he's met with shouts of Hosanna, cheers, praises, waving palm branches, and the welcome of those longing for a king.
​
It had to have been an incredible scene, perhaps like that of a sports team parading through their city after bringing home a championship. Regardless of who you are, there's a sense of pride, excitement, and community. On that day, everyone's a fan. On that day, everyone celebrates! And so, here we are, among the crowd of fans, cheering on the king.

At least, that's what everyone thinks. Jesus, the miracle worker. Jesus the healer. Jesus the great teacher. Jesus the king. He was finally here.

---

---

When was the last time you were excited about Jesus? Maybe we should ask this way, DO you get excited about Jesus? Do you get excited about going to church, to the student ministry or the kids ministry? Do you get excited about serving others? Do you get excited about reading your bible and spending time with God in prayer? Do you get excited about opportunities to be with other believers to talk about Jesus or study his word together?

These might sound like strange questions, but I think the people in Jerusalem, in a small way, got something right. Often, we look at this story and focus on how the people cheered for Jesus because they thought he would be their next king. That like David, he would rule over the people of Israel and protect them from their enemies. But while the people might not have understood who Jesus was, they were still excited when he entered Jerusalem. They cheered for him, praised him, and celebrated his presence with them.

order now

[ affiliate link ]

---

the story of easter

The Kid's Ministry at Saddleback Church, in California, offer a great resource. As part of the teaching materials, they include these great short-form videos that help tell Bible stories.  We will share a few of their videos throughout Holy Week. Take a few minutes to watch the video below with your littles one.

---

something to think about

Take a few minutes to ask and discuss the following questions together.

• When was the last time we got excited about Jesus?
• Take a few minutes as a family and think about times throughout the year when you might get excited about Jesus.
  
• Why should we get excited about Jesus, at Easter?
  
• How can you be excited about Jesus every day?

​Try This Activity

​We found this great craft. Grab some green construction paper, a couple pairs of scissors, a handful of popsicle sticks, and some glue. Trace your kids hands onto the green construction and cut them out. Glue the palm prints onto the popsicle sticks. When dry, you will have your very own palm branches. 

Read the story of Jesus' arrival at Jerusalem. When you come to the part where the people wave their palm branches, have your kids wave their palm branches and shout, "Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Click Here for More Details

close with prayer

Close your time of family devotion in prayer. Take a minute and ask everyone what you can be praying about together as a family. Pray that your family might find ways to be excited about Jesus this week.

---