Next Sunday, April 1, is Palm Sunday. It is a traditional church feast day that marks the beginning of Holy Week - the week that leads up to the feast day we know as Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. All sorts of customs have evolved in the observance of Palm Sunday. The religious jargon attached to these customs is not easily understood in our mostly secular society.
The Bible tells us that after preaching widely in what we now call the Holy Land, Jesus made his way to Jerusalem, arriving there on a Sunday, beginning a week which led up to his crucifixion and resurrection. He joined with countless others entering the city to observe Passover, a reminder of the event which led to the release of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery.
Jesus’ reputation as a teacher and healer was widespread, so when he got close to the city people spread palm branches in the street leading from the city gate that Jesus would use as he entered Jerusalem. Those palm branches are where the term “Palm Sunday” got its start.
That was the manner in which royalty was welcomed, because many thought that he would overthrow the Roman occupiers and become King of the Jews. Convicted falsely as a rebellious threat to Rome, later in the week he struggled to carry a cross through those streets. Traditionally, Good Friday is observed as the day in which Jesus was killed and Easter Sunday is when his resurrection is celebrated.
I’m afraid that most people today have little knowledge of what happened during that week 2,000 years ago. Very few Canadians attend church these days, so these Church feast days mean nothing to them. Even some Christians reject the observance of Palm Sunday and Easter, because some aspects of the Easter celebration have pagan roots. It disheartens me to see these observances lost to so many good folks.
What do I get out of these stories? First of all I must say that I believe these events really happened, and that I see in them a microcosm of our own faith journeys in which we often struggle. Yet, in the end there is a joyful triumphing after we have completely allowed the will of God to direct our path. Jesus set the example for us.
– Lloyd Strickland, Clearwater Christian Church