The Wake-Up Call – Sixth Sunday of Lent (Palm Sunday)

Podcast: The Wake-Up Call
Host: John David Walt (with David Walt and Susan)
Date: March 29, 2026
Episode Theme: Palm Sunday – Moving Into Holy Week

Episode Overview

This Palm Sunday episode of The Wake-Up Call centers on preparing hearts and minds for Holy Week through traditional Scripture, hymn singing, and community encouragement. Host John David Walt, joined by his father David Walt and Susan, leads listeners in a time of consecration, Scripture reading, hymn singing, and reflection. The episode underscores the importance of worship as spiritual “practice,” preparing for the true game of living out faith daily.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Consecration and Opening Reflections

• [00:36–01:43]
  • John David Walt opens with a call to wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you—a refrain for spiritual attentiveness and readiness.
  • He leads a short prayer of dedication, offering hearts, minds, and bodies to Jesus and invoking the Trinity.
  • Quote:

    “Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. Help me, Dad. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you.”
    — John David Walt [01:00]

2. Palm Sunday Scripture Reading – Matthew 21:1–11

• [01:51–04:01]
  • John reads the biblical account of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
  • The passage depicts Jesus’ humility and kingship as he rides into the city on a donkey, fulfilling prophecy. The crowds respond with jubilation, spreading cloaks and branches, and shouting, Hosanna to the Son of David!
  • Key Verse Read:

    “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven.’”
    — Matthew 21:9 [Approx. 03:30]

3. Hymn Singing – “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna”

• [04:01–06:13]
  • Susan leads the hymn “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” (Hymn 227), singing all three verses with feeling and reference to Palm Sunday traditions.
  • The hymn connects the ancient Palm Sunday scene with current-day praise, inviting listeners to “ever praise him with heart and life and voice.”
  • Memorable Moment:
    The warmth in singing together, aiming to “practice” for church, weaving generations together in faith.

4. Holy Week Preview and Worship as Practice

• [06:13–08:11]

  • Conversation anticipates the events of Holy Week, mentioning the hymn “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?”

  • John reframes Sunday worship as just the “practice” for living out faith the rest of the week:

    “You know, that's what I call church on Sunday morning. I call it practice…The game's not Sunday. The game’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. We’re coming into church to…get ourselves back in the shape of the cross.”
    — John David Walt [07:33]

  • Quote:

    “We sing our fight songs and our anthems and we hear the word of God and the word preached…we have a good time over in Gillette, don't we?”
    — John David Walt [08:11]

5. Community, Family, and Closing Blessings

• [08:11–09:00]
  • The conversation touches on the local community in Gillette and the joy John feels in preaching with his family.
  • Both John and David reflect on the blessings of family worship and serving together.
  • Quote:

    “I never imagined I'd get to be your preacher.”
    — John David Walt [08:26]
    “It's a bonus for me and Susan.”
    — David Walt [08:34]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Worship as Preparation:
  “Church on Sunday morning…that’s practice...The game's Monday through Saturday.”
  — John David Walt [07:33]

• Scripture at the Center:
  “Hear now the word of the Lord…”
  — John David Walt [01:51]

• Intergenerational Faith:
  The joy and humility in sharing tradition and worship across generations—“I never imagined I'd get to be your preacher.”
  — John David Walt [08:26]

Important Timestamps

• 00:36–01:43 – Consecration prayer and opening blessing
• 01:51–04:01 – Scripture reading: Matthew 21:1–11
• 04:01–06:13 – Singing “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna”
• 06:13–07:28 – Singing “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?”
• 07:33–08:11 – Reflection on worship as spiritual practice
• 08:11–08:39 – Community and family moments, local church mention
• 08:55–End – Episode wrap-up and final blessing

Episode Tone

Warm, familial, and invitational—marked by tradition, singing, encouragement, and a focus on moving from worship to the real-life “game” of faith throughout Holy Week.

This episode of The Wake-Up Call is an invitation to remember the story of Palm Sunday, to praise with both old words and new voices, and to reorient life around Jesus’ humble, transforming love as Holy Week begins.