This Sunday in many churches around the world, the event known as Palm Sunday will be taking place. Many of us have memories as children of lining the sanctuaries of our churches and waving palm leaves and smiling and singing “Hosanna.”

The happy event that many of us were taught as children in Sunday school gave us such a good feeling and we could only imagine the excitement that took place many years ago in Jerusalem. The excitement was and still is a very moving experience and one that continues to move hearts today.

However, the excitement we experienced as children will be changed as we begin to understand what happened as the week continued.

The innocence of children waving branches gives way to the hurt that we feel, as we know what happened to Jesus as some of the same people who welcomed him only a few days earlier were shouting “Crucify Him” just a few short days later.

The innocence could be similar to the feeling we have when our life is going well, home life is good, your kids are doing well, the sun is shining and even the dog is happy. The feeling we have after a good church service when you really felt the presence of God and your heart is full and beats a little faster. The excitement of knowing that we are the recipients of His love and the best is yet to come.

Then comes Friday when all falls apart.

From the happy crowd singing “Hosanna to the King” and waving palms in celebrations to being beat, spat on and nailed to a cross. He went from being hailed as a king to being treated worse than what a common criminal would have been.

For what crime was He convicted? Maybe loving too much?

He, who had committed no crime or sin, who had only shown love and how to love, was killed.

When life falls apart, when we reach the bottom, when we cannot fall any lower, when the excitement of Palm Sunday is gone and innocence is lost, just look up and remember one thing. We can still sing “Hosanna.”

The man who many thought they had killed willingly gave up His life for even those who took it. The love He had could not be ended by the cross or death and the grave could not hold Him.

One day again we will sing Hosanna as Jesus enters Jerusalem, when all will hail Him as King, when His kingdom will not end and we will live in the light of His love for all eternity.

Randy Garrison is the president and publisher of the Hartselle Enquirer.