The palms of the people of Jerusalem are an expression, both of faith in this unconquerable King of Glory — they are so sure of his victory that they give him the triumphal parade before he goes off to war rather than when he returns — and a recognition of the eternal nature of his defeat of the enemy, for from his entry into Jerusalem, from his incarnation, even from the creation of the world, it was already a foregone conclusion that evil didn’t have a chance.

We join the people of Jerusalem in this celebratory parade and then bring these blessed branches of palm into our homes to serve as reminders throughout the year that Christ is utterly victorious, and that no suffering, no horror has a chance at lasting, because Jesus Christ has defeated evil for all time.

But we say this: in a world where missiles rain down on civilians in war zones, in which Turkish and Syrian families continue to mourn and rebuild after the deaths of thousands in a catastrophic earthquake. We say that Christ has defeated evil in the midst of mass shootings and rampant racism, we say that Christ has defeated death in the face of cancer and heart disease.

What exactly does the victory of Christ look like in this kind of world? It looks like the faith of the people of Jerusalem: in this inspired moment, they know that the raging of the enemy, the horrors of death, the sufferings of this life are not true reality, but a momentary blip on the screen, soon to be wiped out forever.

We as Christians are called to live in the light of this victory. Not by sugar-coating life and pretending it’s all hunky-dory, but by looking death in the eye and not flinching. We as Christians are called to see the sufferings of the world, and not run from them, but towards them — not to escape suffering, but to see how we can comfort, serve, and help.

Where in your family, in your neighborhood, or in the world is someone battling sickness? How can you as a Christian be a comfort to them? Be an agent of their healing? Where is someone isolated and alone? How can you as a disciple of Jesus bring them joy? Where is someone hungry, homeless, anxious? How can you proclaim the victory of Christ by feeding them, sheltering them, and bringing them peace? We are

called to live here and now, in a world of death and corruption, but also to wave our palms. To show sin, evil, and death that they no longer have power, but have been defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ, and that, at any moment now, the eternal victory celebration will begin.

But this, as anyone who has tried it can tell you, is easier said than done. This is why the people of Jerusalem also cry out, “Hosannah!” to Jesus. We often imagine that Hosannah means something like “Hooray!” or “Fantastic!” as though it were a shout of rejoicing, but this is not the case at all: “Hosannah” is a request, a petition, a prayer, and means it “Oh God, make speed to save us!” For we on our own don’t have the courage, the grace, or the power to joyfully wave a palm in the face of evil, but Jesus, God the Son incarnate, working in us and through us does.

This Easter, how is God calling you to change? To be less anxious and more joyful, to be free to serve others in the light of Christ’s victory? Shout out Hosannah to Jesus, invite him into your heart to transform you by his grace, and then take y triumphal victory over evil and death.