Every year around this time, churches hand out palm branches like we’re passing out party favors.
Soft music.
A decent sermon.
Maybe lunch plans afterward.
And most folks leave feeling… nice.
But Palm Sunday was never meant to make us feel nice.
It was messy.
Public.
A little uncomfortable.
It was a protest.
A Donkey, Not a Throne
Jesus didn’t ride into Jerusalem like a king.
No war horse.
No armor.
No show of force.
A donkey.
Not exactly the transportation choice of someone trying to impress the powerful.
More like someone quietly, but clearly, saying, “This whole system? Yeah… I’m not playing that game.”
And the crowd? They weren’t just waving palm branches because it looked meaningful. They were trying to say something.
Not “Give us a king.”
But “We’re tired of the ones we’ve got.”
And Here We Are Again
Fast forward a couple thousand years, and… well… here we are.
Still dealing with leaders who hold onto power a little too tightly.
Still watching systems protect themselves at the expense of people.
Still hearing language that sounds a whole lot like, “Trust us, we know what’s best.”
And wouldn’t you know it, people are back in the streets again.
Saying something simple.
Something honest.
No kings.
Not here.
Not now.
Not like this.
Let’s Be Honest About Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday wasn’t “spiritual” in the way we’ve been taught to think about that word.
It was public.
It was visible.
It pushed up against power.
And if our faith never does that…
If it never raises its voice a little…
Never makes anyone uncomfortable…
Never asks hard questions about who holds power and how they use it…
Then it might be worth asking what, exactly, it’s doing.
Because a faith that only shows up in safe spaces isn’t Palm Sunday faith.
What Palm Sunday Faith Looks Like
Palm Sunday faith shows up.
It doesn’t just remember.
It participates.
It stands with people who are saying, “This isn’t the way things are supposed to be.”
And no, showing up to something like a “No Kings” rally isn’t about picking a political team.
It’s about paying attention.
It’s about recognizing what happens when power goes unchecked.
It’s about caring who gets hurt when leaders forget they serve people, not the other way around.
It’s about believing things can be different.
Turns out, waving palm branches and raising your voice in the street have a lot more in common than we were taught.
So Here’s the Invitation
So this weekend, you’ve got a choice.
You can just sit in a pew and remember Palm Sunday.
Or…
You can also step outside and live it.
Because a faith that never disrupts anything will never change anything.
And the world doesn’t need more quiet faith.
It needs courageous faith.
