Palm Sunday

When we pray, we are entering into a form of communication that is the most ancient in the world - the communication between humanity and God. Before people communicated with each other, God communicated with us, so praying is the most basic way that we communicate. God is the originator of that communication.

Prayers come in many forms. There are prayers of blessing, which ask God to look favorably on someone or something. Prayers of adoration show deep love and respect for God, treating God with great importance as God deserves. There are prayers that confess our wrongdoing and wrong thinking as well as prayers that ask for forgiveness that go along with confessional prayers. We can't forget about the prayers that offer thanks for all the loving family and friends and wonderful things that God has given to us!

Prayers can also be expressed as an appeal to God asking to be supplied with help; or asking God for comfort and care for us because we are depressed, grieving, or in need of being healed; or to save us from the hardships that we have to deal with. These hardships could be from situations that we must deal with because we can't avoid them, or those that we bring upon ourselves through bad decisions that we knowingly make or make due to mistakes in judgement. During harsh times, these prayers can also be pleading, as in begging God for help in desperation. Finally, if the situation becomes unbearable, the prayer may then become plaintive, which is sad and mournful as the desire to be saved from hardship and troubles becomes overwhelming.

There is another word that once was used widely in ancient Hebrew - hoshi'ah-nna. Later in Aramaic, hosanna was used in Judaism. This word means, "save, we pray." Eventually, hosanna took on a much different meaning over time. 

To understand the difference in its meaning, read this Sunday's Bible reading from Matthew 21:1-11. You will find the account of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey as crowds of people lined the roadside laying palm branches and palm leaves on the road in front of Jesus. As you read it, look for the use of the word Hosanna and hopefully, you will discover how it changed in usage after that Palm Sunday parade.