Every year, many Christians all over the world begin their Holy Week journey to Easter with Palm Sunday. This celebration dates back to as early as the 8th century, and became particularly elaborate during the Middle Ages; the procession would begin in one church, go to another to have the palms blessed, and return to the first church for the rest of the service!
The principle feature of this service is the Deacon’s reading of the Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, where Jesus was celebrated with shouts of “Hosannah” and had palm branches spread along the path as an indication of peace and victory. We participate with the retelling of this formative story by walking “with Jesus” on his path into Jerusalem, as we walk our way into our church for the remainder of the service. Sometimes these palm branches are later burned to make ashes for next year’s Ash Wednesday service.
The modern service also now typically includes the reading of the Passion Gospel, which directly connects the vents of the Triumphant Procession to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. At St. Michael’s, we typically read the passion at the end of the service (rather than in the middle), allowing it to be the conclusion to our Palm Sunday service, and our first chapter in a Holy Week of walking with Jesus all the way to the cross on Good Friday, and to resurrection at the Easter Vigil (and Sunday).
(Palm Sunday 2020 Online Worship Video)
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