Emphasis Preaching Journal

On Palm Sunday, in many of our congregations, we reenact the events of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem by having a procession of palms. As I reflect on the excitement and enthusiasm of those pilgrims who entered the holy city with Jesus, shouting their hosannas, I wonder if our lives are permeated with heartfelt hosannas. Too often, I fear, we just walk through the motions, say the right (or rite) words at the right time, without the emotion in our motions. The biggest characteristics of too many worship services is apathy.