Welcome to day one of our Holy Week devotions, and today we're starting at the triumphal entry of Jesus, what we know as Palm Sunday, which took place the Sunday before Jesus was crucified. Let's read the text together from Luke chapter 19, verses 36 through 40.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. Hosanna!
Peace in heaven and glory in highest heaven.

This was directly from a prophecy found in Zechariah chapter 9. But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that. They knew that the crowd was declaring him king. And Jesus replied, If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers.

The people of Jerusalem were greeting their Messiah. They laid palm fronds and their robes on the ground for his donkey to walk on, symbolizing their acceptance of him as Savior. This was only something that people did when they recognized royalty and submitted to it.

How can we, during this holy season, submit ourselves and lay down our facades and welcome Jesus into our lives as king? What can we give him? What can we lay down before him? Let's think about that and let's pray.

Father, we just thank you so much, Jesus, that you came as our Messiah, as our Savior. We welcome you into our hearts. We say, Hosanna in the highest, Lord God. And we pray, Father, whatever it is that we would hold as a barrier between us and you, Lord God, we just lay it down right now. And we welcome you. Have your way in us. In Jesus' name, amen.