I think the problem is our (American) desire to squeeze all our religion into a one-hour box on Sunday (or a 45-minute box on Saturday night). The ancient Church, reflected in Eastern Orthodox liturgies, had a matins service devoted to the procession of palms, and the one Sunday (Communion) liturgy focused on the Passion. The celebration of both could easily take 5 hours (including that parade around the neighborhood). If we are going to devote one hour, we have to make some choices and that leads to debates over which to choose. Personally, I find the ups and downs reflected in the palms/Passion conjunction to be very instructive for the Christian life and preach accordingly. And as to influences in my life, the late Dr. Norman Nagel set a good example at the Valparaiso Chapel for balancing these elements in a fitting manner.