Filled With Excitement: Meaning, History, and Theology
"Filled with excitement, all the happy throng"
- Written
- 1979
- Category
- Hymn
- Status
- Verified
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Story
Filled With Excitement is Gertrude C. Suppe’s English translation of Rubén Ruiz Ávila’s Mexican Palm Sunday hymn “Mantos y palmas.” Set to Ruiz Ávila’s tune HOSANNA, it retells Jesus’ triumphal entry and invites the church to acclaim Christ as king while entering the deeper journey of Holy Week.
Overview
Filled With Excitement is the English form of the Mexican Palm Sunday hymn “Mantos y palmas,” written and composed by Rubén Ruiz Ávila. The hymn places the congregation inside the Gospel scene of Jesus entering Jerusalem: people gather along the road, honor him publicly, and answer his arrival with the biblical cry of “Hosanna.” Its movement from remembered event to present-day praise makes the song more than a historical retelling. It invites worshipers to join the procession and acknowledge Jesus as king.
The hymn is especially suited to Palm Sunday because its central images come directly from the triumphal-entry narratives in the Gospels. Yet the celebration is not detached from discipleship. To acclaim Christ is also to follow him into Holy Week, where his kingship is revealed through humility, suffering, and faithful obedience. Sung in a bilingual or multicultural setting, the hymn also witnesses to the way Christian song travels across languages while retaining the character of its place of origin.
Historical Background
“Filled With Excitement” began as the Spanish hymn “Mantos y palmas,” written by Rubén Ruiz Ávila around 1972. Ruiz Ávila was born in Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico, in 1945, grew up in a Methodist family, and studied at Instituto Mexicano Madero, where he also directed a choir. According to the United Methodist hymnological account, he composed the hymn while he was living for a time in Covington, Virginia, and participating in a United Methodist congregation there. He wrote it for the church choir, setting his own text to the tune now known as HOSANNA.
The earliest form documented by United Methodist sources consisted of two stanzas and a refrain. The song was published in “Canciones de Fe y Compromiso” in 1978, with an arrangement by Alvin Schutmaat, a church musician and theological educator who worked extensively in Latin America. Later Spanish-language hymnals sometimes include additional stanzas or textual variants; at least one third stanza circulated through popular tradition. Those later additions should be distinguished from Ruiz Ávila’s documented original core.
Gertrude C. Suppe prepared an English translation in 1979 for the United Methodist Celebremos project. The translation first appeared in the “Supplement to the Book of Hymns” in 1982 and then in “Celebremos: Segunda Parte” in 1983 under an earlier English rendering. For “The United Methodist Hymnal” of 1989, Suppe revised the English wording so that it more closely followed the Spanish original. That hymnal prints the text with Ruiz Ávila as author, Suppe as translator, Ruiz Ávila as composer of HOSANNA, and Schutmaat as arranger.
The hymn subsequently spread beyond United Methodism. It appears in bilingual and English-language collections used by Presbyterian, Episcopal, Reformed, Community of Christ, and other congregations. Its cross-denominational circulation reflects the growing place of Latin American hymnody in North American worship during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The English text remains under copyright, as does the modern musical setting and published arrangement; their use therefore requires the permissions or licenses applicable to a congregation or publisher.
Biblical Foundations
The hymn is built on the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Matthew 21:8–9 describes the crowd spreading garments and branches on the road and shouting “Hosanna” to the Son of David. Mark 11:9–10 and John 12:12–13 preserve the same public acclamation, while John explicitly mentions palm branches. Luke 19:37–38 emphasizes the disciples’ rejoicing and identifies Jesus as the King who comes in the Lord’s name.
The cry “Hosanna” also reaches back to Psalm 118:25–26. In the World English Bible Classic, the psalm pleads, “Save us now,” and blesses the one who comes in Yahweh’s name. The Gospel writers place this language on the lips of the Jerusalem crowd, so the hymn’s celebration is rooted in both Israel’s worship and the New Testament proclamation of Jesus’ kingship.
These passages also give Palm Sunday its tension. The procession is joyful, but it begins the week that leads to the cross. The hymn therefore works best when its exuberance is heard as the opening of Holy Week rather than as an isolated festival: the King being welcomed is the same Christ who will continue toward suffering, death, and resurrection.
Verse Explanation
The opening movement places worshipers in the Palm Sunday procession and evokes the crowd’s visible and audible welcome of Jesus. The scene is concrete and communal: the road, the gathered people, and the acclamation of the approaching king all come from the Gospel narratives.
The hymn then turns the remembered event toward the worshiping community. Rather than leaving Palm Sunday in the past, it invites present-day singers to join the praise and recognize Christ’s kingship. The refrain concentrates the song’s response in the biblical language of “Hosanna,” making the congregation itself part of the acclaim.
Some Spanish-language traditions also circulate an additional stanza that looks beyond the historical procession. Because such material developed beyond the documented original two-stanza form, editions should be distinguished rather than blended as though every stanza belonged to Ruiz Ávila’s first version.
Theological Reflection
The hymn’s central theological claim is the kingship of Christ. Jesus enters Jerusalem without the display of imperial power, yet the crowd’s biblical acclamations identify him with God’s promised reign. Christian worship receives that scene not merely as political enthusiasm but as a confession that Christ’s authority is revealed through humility and self-giving love.
A second theme is the relationship between praise and discipleship. Palm Sunday makes it easy to sing with the crowd; Holy Week asks whether that praise will become faithful following. The hymn’s present-tense invitation allows congregations to place themselves within the Gospel story, but it also presses a question: what does it mean to welcome this King when his path leads toward the cross?
The hymn also embodies the catholicity of the church in the broad sense of a worldwide Christian community. A Mexican Spanish song, translated into English and adopted by congregations in several traditions, demonstrates how worship can receive gifts from cultures beyond its own while still honoring the song’s origin, language, and creators.
Church Impact
“Mantos y palmas” and its English translation have circulated widely enough to become a recognizable Palm Sunday song in several Protestant traditions. The English version appears as number 279 in “The United Methodist Hymnal” (1989), while later collections include “Wonder, Love, and Praise” in the Episcopal tradition, “Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal,” “Lift Up Your Hearts,” and “Community of Christ Sings.” These appearances demonstrate documented hymnal circulation across denominational lines without implying that every congregation uses the hymn with equal frequency.
The song is also significant as an example of Latin American hymnody entering English-speaking worship through translation rather than through replacement of its original identity. Many hymnals print Spanish and English together, preserving “Mantos y palmas” alongside “Filled With Excitement.” In that bilingual form, the hymn can serve both Palm Sunday worship and the broader work of helping congregations hear Christian praise through more than one linguistic and cultural tradition.
Musical Notes
The tune HOSANNA was composed by Rubén Ruiz Ávila with the Spanish text around 1972. Its meter is commonly listed as 10.10.10.11 with refrain, and published hymnals present it as the matching tune for both the Spanish original and Suppe’s English translation. The music and text were conceived together, which helps explain the strong fit between the procession imagery and the repeated congregational acclamation.
Alvin Schutmaat arranged the tune for influential published versions; his contribution is an arrangement rather than authorship of the melody. United Methodist sources describe the song’s Mexican character as lively and dance-like rather than stately, a quality that suits Palm Sunday processions and congregational participation. Because HOSANNA and its published arrangements are modern copyrighted musical material, a particular score or harmonization should be used only under the applicable license or permission.
Application
- Use the hymn on Palm Sunday as part of a procession or opening act of praise, connecting the congregation directly with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
- Let the joy of “Hosanna” lead into reflection on Holy Week, asking how public praise becomes enduring discipleship when following Christ becomes costly.
- Pair the hymn with Psalm 118:25–26 so worshipers can hear the biblical source behind the crowd’s acclamation.
- When possible, sing or present both Spanish and English to honor the hymn’s Mexican origin and the work of translation that carried it into wider use.
- Credit Rubén Ruiz Ávila as both author and composer, Gertrude C. Suppe as translator, and Alvin Schutmaat as arranger when using editions that include his arrangement.
Discussion Questions
- What does the crowd’s cry of “Hosanna” mean in Psalm 118 and in the Gospel accounts of Palm Sunday?
- How does Jesus’ humble entry into Jerusalem reshape our understanding of kingship and power?
- What is the difference between joining a moment of public praise and following Christ faithfully through Holy Week?
- How can a congregation honor the cultural origin of a hymn when singing it in translation?
- What does the movement of this Mexican hymn into many denominational hymnals teach us about the worldwide church?
Teaching Tips
- Read Matthew 21:8–9 and Psalm 118:25–26 before singing so the congregation can hear the scriptural language behind the hymn.
- Introduce the Spanish title “Mantos y palmas” and explain that Rubén Ruiz Ávila wrote both the original text and tune HOSANNA.
- Clarify that Gertrude C. Suppe translated the hymn into English, while Alvin Schutmaat arranged the tune; these are distinct creative roles.
- Use the hymn in a Palm Sunday procession, but connect the celebration explicitly with the movement of Holy Week toward the cross.
- If the congregation has the resources, include both Spanish and English in worship rather than treating the English translation as though it were the original text.
Sources
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United Methodist Discipleship Ministries — History of Hymns: Filled with Excitement
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Hymnary.org — The United Methodist Hymnal #279, Filled With Excitement
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Hymnary.org — Mantos y palmas text authority
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Hymnary.org — Rubén Ruiz Ávila person authority
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Hymnary.org — HOSANNA tune authority
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World English Bible Classic — Scripture text edition
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U.S. Copyright Office — Copyright duration FAQ
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Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines — Copyright terms of protection
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