The entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem is a terrific way to begin a new church year. When we look at the entirety of the church year, this one act encapsulates the entirety of Christianity – Jesus entering Jerusalem to go to the cross to die for the sins of the world. Today’s Gospel reading sets our hearts not on the manger, but the cross.

It is the cross that opens up the church year and it is cross that leads us home, tying a beautiful bow on our last two weeks at church.