So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him,
shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of
the Lord—” (12:13)
The words of praise captured here in John’s Gospel—“Blessed
is the one who comes in the name of the Lord”—are well known
to Anglicans throughout the world. These words form part of the
“sanctus,” which in the Eucharist is part of the response of praise the
people make during the Great Thanksgiving.
Yet the people uttering these words of adoration and celebration at
the beginning of this week become people who utter words of hatred
and anger by the end of the week. This is the fickle nature of the
crowd. One moment the crowd loves and praises God, the next it
becomes cruel and vindictive.
Today, let us give back to God all our confusion and brokenness.
Let us recognize that consistency is not always there. In the work
of witnessing to those in our world who are living in need, we will
sometimes have to oppose the fickle crowd. On this day, let us
recommit afresh to being agents of love in this world—ones who are
willing to stand up against the crowd.
—Ian Markham
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