Poetry: Hosanna, Hosanna

Art

Annalise Pehney shares a spoken word reflecting on the passion narrative. A recording and transcript of the piece are found below.

Staring at the cross

I remember what's meant to be

How bittersweet to think of my saviour hanging on a tree.

But what I often forget is the journey 

I get caught up in the destination 

I forget to remember what came a week before calvary.

The King made his entrance 

On a donkey.

Unlike Roman emperors 

Flaunting wealth n status 

Stealing the taxes

But Jesus rose above 

The only thing he stole was our sentence.

 

Before he tried to keep secret, 

Tried to hide his identity 

For his time had not yet come

But now

It is time

The time has come for his triumphal entry 

Into the holy city, Jerusalem

Bring the Donkey,

Cut the palms, with your palms  

Lie your cloaks in his path so he may not touch dirty ground

For he is the Holy one.

HOSANNA

HOSANNA

HOSANNA

SAVE NOW

JESUS, save us now in this place

Take our dirty deeds 

Dirty sleeves

Make us new and holy as promised through your prophets.

But what they didn't know is not five days later 

They would betray him.

Bad company corrupts good character 

But rather keep company with Barabbas the murderer 

Then their innocent saviour.

But I guess that’s just human nature.

As they lay down cloaks

Waved palms, held in their palms 

Rejoicing, praising the King 

Fulfilling the prophecy

Shouting

HOSANNA 

HOSANNA

Quite literally saved 

But maybe not quite the way they expected it to be.

He took our punishment on the tree

Took my place

And yours

Beyond recognition 

He cried out

Father forgive them for they know not what they do

With that, he took his final breath.

But good news spreads fast.

Healing men with leprosy,  

Incurable diseases rendering victims hopeless

Raising dead to life 

but that's who Jesus is

He is the resurrection and the life 

He is the King who saves

Who brings hope to hopelessness 

Setting us free from our own incurable disease

Sin.

So on that day, the waving of the palms meant something

Not just celebration

But liberation 

From religious laws

Shackling us to the shame of our own incurable disease

And that is the coming of our King.

~

Annalise Pehney is currently a student at Carey Baptist College who lives in Tauranga.

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