The Real Reason I Love Palm Sunday

If you know anything about me, you will know this: I absolutely love Palm Sunday. Part of this comes from my adoration for our friend the donkey. I mean, who doesn’t love a cute little donkey! In my time as a pastor, I have been graced with live donkeys on several occasions. One of the donkeys we had was a donkey named Jackson. Jackson was amazing...when he wanted to be! But other times, well let’s just say that he acted more like a naughty Shetland Pony! One time we got all ready for the parade and Jackson wouldn’t come out of his trailer. Another time he came out and ate all the children’s palm branches.  And another time he bolted on out of the trailer and never looked back! For 15 minutes about 30 of us tried to chase him down. Finally, the owner told us just to leave him be. “He’ll come back on his own!”   So, we did. We went into worship and during our children’s anthem, guess who showed up...in the sanctuary.... Jackson! Let me tell you, no matter what mood Jackson was in, I absolutely adored him. He made our Palm Sunday worship an event...a happening...as it should be!

But as clever as Jackson the donkey was, he isn’t the real reason I love Palm Sunday. My love for Palm Sunday all goes back to a little girl named Makayla and her family. Makayla and her sister and mom and dad arrived one day as guests for worship. It was Palm Sunday, so we were all outside getting ready to parade around the block shouting “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna! Hosana!”  But right before we took off, an old, beat up van pulled up, and out of the back came Makayla...riding an electric wheelchair.  She had some serious issues going on.  But down the rickety old ramp she came. Her head was sideways and was propped up by metal braces and her legs were going every which way, but on her face was the brightest smile you could imagine.

Next to her was her younger sister, Jesse, and her mom and dad. Mom and dad looked like they had just come out of the movie Forest Gump. If you remember the character, Lieutenant Dan? Well, that would be Makayla’s dad. (He really was a Vietnam Vet). Makayla’s mom greeted me and said, “Were here for the parade, right? Do we have the right place? Makayla loves a parade.”  I shook her hand and said, “You have come to the right spot!” And then I got a nudge from God, and I blurted out, “Would your daughters like to lead the parade?”   It was then that both suddenly gave me a hug and with tears in their eyes they both said, “You don’t know how long we’ve been waiting to hear those words!” 

And the rest is history.

Makayla and Jesse grabbed a palm branch and Makayla, as bold as brass, led us down the street. It was truly a God moment (with a capital G) for all of us!

But this isn’t the end of our story. For just as Palm Sunday doesn’t end with the parade, neither did our story with Makayla. Just like Jesus’ Palm Sunday’s story ends up with Jesus turning over the tables in the temple, so did Makayla’s in a way.

Listen up.

When Makayla showed up on Palm Sunday, she didn’t just win my heart, she won the heart of our congregation! We all just loved her, and not only that, but we also went to bat for her. When we found out that the trailer her family was living in had one of the worst looking ramps in the world, we all pitched in and built her a new one. When Makayla had to go to the Children’s hospital in Minneapolis for surgery (she had had 12 major surgeries by the time she was 11) we used our church van to transport her! I mean our church went all in.

But the real end to this story happened in high school. Makayla, you see, was a flute player and she played in the band.  But when she got to high school, the band director decided that Makayla wouldn’t be able to play in the marching band due to her disabilities. At first, we all thought it was because it would be too hard for her to keep up, but one night at our youth group, Makayla started crying during our prayer time and the word got out about the real reason she wasn’t able to march.  It wasn’t due to her physical limitations...it was all because of “straight lines.”  Those in power had determined that the lines in the marching band would get all goofed up if Makayla marched in her wheelchair. If Makayla marched in the parade, it would affect their marching score!

I remember praying for her that night, but what I didn’t realize was that our youth group took their praying very seriously. At the next parade in our town, guess who was marching...you got it...our Makayla. The high school kids in our youth group confronted those in power and insisted that MaKayla be allowed to march with them right beside the other flute players!

In a sense, they did just what Jesus did. They turned the tables over. Their great love and compassion for Makayla didn’t just mean they cared for her; it meant that they loved her enough to remove the obstacles that prevented her from being treated as a person of true sacred worth!

And there you have it...the real reason I love Palm Sunday! May we all learn to do the same!

Your friend and pastor, celebrating both the Palms and the Tables- the Hosanna and the Justice, of Palm Sunday