Poetry: Hosanna, Hosanna
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.