Big Idea: We say "Hosanna, Our God Saves!" Our God made a way to save us.

Bible Passage: Mark 11:1-11

This week we celebrated Palm Sunday – the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As Jesus rode into the town, the people welcomed him as King and Messiah. They waved palms and shouted, "Hosanna!". They were celebrating that Jesus was the long-awaited saviour to save them. However, the people believed Jesus was going to save the Jews from Roman rule. Jesus had actually come to save the world from sin. Our God made a way for us to be saved, and to have our relationship with Him restored through the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

We talked about how we can praise God with our palms, too. We don't need to wave tree branches around, but we can use our hands to praise God. We asked the children to think of ways we can use our palms (or, our hands) to worship and praise our God. Some ways we talked about were: lifting them in worship as we sing, hugging others, making food for others, and Hi-5s. We can use our palms in many ways to praise God for saving us by sending our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Family Activity

Throughout the week, give children opportunities to use their hands for service to others. Encourage them to pick up laundry, write letters of encouragement, or even dry the dishes. Clean up the yard togehter, or wash the car. Whatever fits into your week this week, be intentional about pointing out that when we serve others in kindness with our hands, we are doing so because Jesus first did this for us in dying on the cross. Use Hi-5's as a reminder that we can use our palms to bring glory to God. 

Whenever you see a palm tree this week as you drive or walk, call out 'Hosanna!' See how many palms you can see on each journey as you drive. Ask children to remember what "Hosanna" means (Save now!) and why the people called it out to Jesus.