Palm Sunday gets its name from the palms that were spread before Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. The people’s cry, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, showed their excitement over Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah and King. Yet only days later, our Lord would hear a very different cry, “Crucify him!” Today’s service takes us along that journey from joyful expectation to somber contemplation, highlighted by our responsive reading of Matthew’s Passion narrative.