Exhortation

Today at Trinity Reformed Church, the young children of the church led the procession with palm branches. Here are some of the reasons for that.

In part, we took a page from the worship of ancient Israel. At the climax of Israel’s liturgical year, everyone commemorated the wilderness period by living for a week in shelters made from tree branches. The Eucharist is the new covenant memorial of Jesus, but occasionally, like Israel, we memorialize Jesus’ saving work in other ways.

Worship always memorializes God’s past works, but worship always also anticipates the end and gives us a taste of a renewed creation. When John enters heaven, he sees an innumerable multitude of martyrs from the great tribulation standing before God’s throne, wearing white robes and holding palm branches. This morning, we saw a glimpse of heaven in our worship here on earth. Here in the present, we got a sight of the worship of the future.

Worship is play, very serious play, but play nonetheless. Every week, we act like we’re back in the Upper Room with Jesus; every week, we act as if we’re sharing in the wedding feast of the Lamb. We do this because we believe it is true, but we cannot do this without being a little childish.

And that is another lesson of Palm Sunday. “Do you hear what these are saying?” the chief priests and scribes complained indignantly to Jesus when they heard the children crying out “Hosanna to the Son of David.” And Jesus answered, “Have you never read, Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have prepared praise for Yourself?” Palm Sunday is a reminder of Jesus’ words: Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.