Sonya Sutton
I’ve only experienced Palm Sunday as a parent, and my first one is a wonderful memory for me. My church growing up didn’t do anything special for the day, so I wasn’t expecting the parade of palms at our church when my girls were very small. I remember a very sweet older lady coming up to us in the sanctuary of our previous church and asking if they’d like to participate. I remember that first palm parade as magical- my girls were excited to walk down the church aisle and wave their palms for Jesus.
When we joined Resurrection Church, I was happy to learn that they also observed palm tradition with all of the church kids, and I love seeing the joy on their faces. I found a picture of our first Palm Sunday at Resurrection Church, and can’t believe how much all the kids have grown in just three years.
My role at our church is as elder and outreach officer, and so this year I’ve thought a lot about the people of Jerusalem welcoming Jesus with palms as he approached their city. They went out to greet him, having heard of the miracles he’d performed and his teachings, and wanted to see him for themselves. I hope our church can offer the same spirit of welcome to all of our visitors. We want to make anyone who comes to our church, even via Zoom as we worship these days, to feel welcome and special. For the people of Jerusalem and for kids walking in the palm procession, the day is about celebrating and beginnings.
I also think about Jesus sending his disciples into the city to get a donkey and foal. We know from Matthew 21:1-11 that Jesus told them to go and tell anyone who asked that they were taking the donkeys because the Lord needed them. This had been predicted by the prophets, too. But how would someone in the city have reacted had they asked and been given that answer? How would we respond if someone showed up on our doorstep and said that the Lord needed our car or bicycle? I’d like to think I would respond with grace and a giving heart, but I think I would be surprised to say the least.
But on Palm Sunday, the people of the city didn’t protest or question the logic of the request. The disciples were able to take the donkey and foal and see their Messiah enter the city on the donkey as the prophets had predicted. God’s hand was in every step that day and in every person’s actions.
But Jesus knew even as he waved to his followers what was coming. He knew how the week would end. But he let the people and his disciples enjoy the day. Hopefully, he found some joy in it, too. I hope he felt loved and honored in that act of the laying of the palms. And I hope that we can all find some joy in the rituals of Holy Week as we reflect on the terrible loss of Jesus’s death and the amazing miracle of his resurrection. And this year, I hope we can celebrate the next Palm Sunday with smiling kids waving their palms inside our sanctuary.