Palm Sunday Devotion - Get in line to follow Jesus!

This is a made-up story based on the true story of Palm Sunday in the bible: Matthew 21:1-16

It was a very special day. It was the day of the big festival in Jeursalem. We went to Jerusalem every year for the big festival, but this year was extra special. This year, everyone was talking about Jesus. Everyone had heard about all the miracles that Jesus did. He healed sick people right on the spot. He made blind people see! And that's not all. He even brought a man back to life after he died! We were hoping Jesus would come to the festival too.

People from all over came to Jerusalem for the festival that day. So many people were coming that It was getting very crowded in the streets. Since I'm a little kid, I couldn't see very much in a big crowd, so I asked Dad if he would lift me up and put me up on his shoulders. And, just like always, Dad grinned and said, "Sure!" So up I went, way up high. Whee! What fun it was to ride way up high sitting on Dad's shoulders. I held on tight so I wouldn't fall.

Just then, I heard this funny sound. It sounded like this, "Clip-clop, clip-clop". What could it be? It sounded like the hooves of a little donkey as he walked down the street. And sure enough, that's what the sound was. Off in the distance I could see a little donkey walking towards us. The little donkey was carrying someone on its back. I couldn't see who the donkey was carrying when they were so far away. But, soon they got closer. Now I could see! It was Jesus! I was so excited. Finally I got to see the one we were all talking about. Here was the one who we wanted to be our king! Everybody was taking palm branches, waving them in the air. Dad got a palm branch for me too. I waved my palm branch and shouted, "Hooray! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise to God in heaven!" I wanted to praise Jesus too because I knew he deserved it.

Jesus and the donkey were getting closer and closer. Clip-clop, clippety-clop. I asked Dad to put me down so I could go out to meet Jesus. Once my feet hit the ground, I ran and got my friends Jesse and Davey. "Jesus is coming! Jesus is coming! I told them...Look over there!" We were so excited we started jumping up and down. We ran out to see him, and shouted praises as he passed by, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'. We waved our palm branches way up high in the air. We took our coats and laid them down on the ground to make a soft little carpet for the donkey to walk on. We wanted to do this to show how much we loved Jesus! And we knew Jesus loved children too. We saw a group of people forming a line behind Jesus, and following along behind Him. So we ran and got in line behind the people who were following Jesus and the donkey. We wanted to follow Jesus too because we loved him. It was so much fun following Jesus and praising Him! It was so much fun I could do it all day!

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Well, I hope you liked the story about following Jesus and the praising him. Even the children were praising Jesus and following him. I hope you join in and sing praises to Jesus too...not just on Palm Sunday, but every day because He deserves it. He loves you so much. And he is happy when you praise him. I hope you decide to follow him, too, because he wants to be your leader.

Even though some people don't believe the Bible, everything in the Bible comes true. The verses about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey came true that day - even the part about the children singing praises to Jesus! So I hope you believe in Jesus too. Because whether or not you believe it, Jesus will come back for his followers some day soon, to take them home to be with them. It will really happen, just like everything else that has come true in the Bible. So, won't you follow Jesus too?

Now let's all make palm branches just like the kids had in Bible times, and shout praises to Jesus.

PRAYER:

Dear God,

Thank you for loving me so much.

I praise you now because I love you.

You are the one who deserves praise.

You are the one who loves us so much!

Help me learn more about you, and learn how to follow Jesus.

In Jesus Name, Amen.