Lent.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ (Matthew 21:9)

To know the true meaning of this scripture we must break down the definition of Hosanna. Both root words of Hosanna and Jesus mean “Save” or “To save”. It also means the crowds adored him and were filled with joy by accompanying him into Jerusalem. When the crowds shouted out to him they were rejoicing and asking for saving.

Often we need to be saved by Jesus from the temptations we see in everyday life. This can mean thinking about Jesus before making any major decisions or asking yourself if you would do this knowing Jesus was watching.

Another thing we do not do often enough is rejoice in the fact that we are blessed enough to have a warm, and welcoming place to worship. These people were following Jesus in the hot sun, simply because they wanted to be saved by him, while we so often take his loving grace for granted.

So try to make a change in your everyday life by remembering Jesus and being enthusiastic because of the saving grace he offers us.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, we praise you and thank you for your saving grace. May we never take it for granted. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written by Isaac Irwin and read by Ryan Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.