Hosanna : Save Us

When I first entered into a life of faith, I was totally unaware of the religious norms of the day. By the luck of the draw, the man who introduced me to the mysteries of God attended a Pentecostal church on the east side of New York City. Go figure: beehive hairdo's and long black dresses. I was more than just a fish out of water; I felt like the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo... that's how different I was from that place.

And sure enough, within moments after my first service there (which was blessedly at 3 pm on Sunday afternoon), a well meaning person asked me if I was saved. Little did I know that this was the epitome of Christianese. I had no clue what the person was talking about but figured "yes" would be the safest bet.

I find it fascinating that people waved palm branches and laid cloaks out on the road when Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first day of Passover, which we now call Palm Sunday. And as he passed by, they cried out, "Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." Hosanna means "save us."

"Save us!" They were looking for a deliverer, the one who would overcome Roman oppression; they were looking for a King, a warrior, a prophet, a divine solution to their troubles.

What about today? What do people think being saved means today?

We still call this Jesus, Savior. Despite the fact that Christ didn't save people the way they thought he would. There was no physical annihilation of oppression, just an overthrow within the Spirit.

When people talk about "saving" anyone at Restore Church, we're talking about coming along side folks who want a relationship with God, who want to hit the reset button.

A church is just one of the places we can give God the opportunity to Hosanna our hearts and souls. Loving and accepting people are the spine of a church. And together we rebuild dreams.

This is holy week. It's a time to seriously consider this Hosanna business. It's a time to consider the waving of palm branches within our souls as we struggle with the challenges of 21st century living, whether old or young, single or married, divorced or widowed. Hosanna!

Restore Church has been creating lots of contingencies for people to connect with God and with one another through small groups, introductory classes, volunteerism, and of course, through a number of worship services. This Easter, we will be celebrating God's answer to all of our Hosannas through the resurrection life that Easter represents, at the Havre de Grace location, Saturday night at 6 and Sunday morning at 9:00, 10:15, & 11:30 a.m. and at the new Perryville High School location, at 10:15. Or find another place, that's OK too. Call out to God, Hosanna, wherever you are. Ask! And God will answer.

 Irmgarde Brown
Blogger, Writer, Librarian,
Follower of Christ
Facebook: irm.brown
Twitter: IrmBrown 

Restore Church: One Church, Multiple Locations...

If you knew you had one month to live, would you change everything? Knowing such info would radically transform your life! But why do we wait until we’re diagnosed with cancer or we lose a loved one to accept this knowledge and allow it to free us? Don’t we want all that our life has to offer? Don’t we want to fulfill the purpose for which we were created? Wouldn’t life be a lot more satisfying if we lived this way? Join us for a 4-week sermon series through the month of April called: Change Everything! We’re going to look at the last week of Jesus’ life to learn how to live in such a way you leave a legacy, live with passion, love completely and along the way learn humility! Don’t live another day without knowing it can be your last!

Sunday @ 9, 10:15 & 11:30am| Saturday @ 6pm | 616 Ontario St. | Havre de Grace, MD 
Sunday @ 10:15am | Perryville High School | 1696 Perryville Rd. | Perryville, MD

Restore Church is one church with multiple locations. Our dream is to start 10 campuses over the next 10 years. Our first campus other than the main campus in Havre de Grace is meeting at Perryville High School (1696 Perryville Road, Perryville, MD). Unlike the Havre de Grace campus where there are 4 services (Saturday @ 6 PM & Sunday @ 9, 10:15 & 11:30 AM), there is only one service at 10:15 AM! All of our services are casual, contemporary and on the cutting edge. We are a community focused church, striving to be the change the world is waiting for in Harford & Cecil counties!

For more info, please visit www.RestoreChurch.net