| 3550 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76133 Phone: 817-926-8277 -- Fax: 817-926-8278 Preschool: 817-923-2040 email: st.christophers@att.net |
St. Christopher Episcopal Church
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To Know Christ and Make Him Known
| A Look at Our Church Seasons and Holy Days - Palm Sunday |
Where does this service take us? What is all this palm waving and Passion reading all about?
Palm Sunday is first of all, Holy Week in miniature. It begins with commemorating Jesus’
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and, by the time the Passion Gospel is completed, we have
seen him crucified.
The palm leaves we carry (they really should be waved vigorously like those foam fingers at
the ball game) are a re-enactment of what those who celebrated Jesus’ final entry into
Jerusalem did. They waved palm fronds to say, “Hey, you’re a big deal!” They also laid
down their garments and palms so that his mount’s feet didn’t have to touch the ground (feel
free to strew your palms down the aisle during the processional). All very celebratory and
nice, right?
The mood of the service changes, however, at the reading of the Passion Gospel or
“Suffering Gospel” since “passion” comes to us from Latin “pati” to suffer, through old
French. Why does everyone read a part? Two reasons: First, to make it more real and alive
and second, to remind us of our own responsibility for Christ’s suffering. At one point, the
congregation joins together and says, “Crucify Him!” It’s best when the congregation really
pours their hearts into the enactment. These events are the reason the Church exists. The
Passion deserves nothing less than impassioned reading by impassioned people.
Finally, we depart in quiet, without a blessing or a dismissal, keeping what conversation is
necessary as low as possible. Why? Think about what we have gone through in the service.
We have gone from exultation to desolation, from triumphal entry to crucifixion. It makes
perfect sense to be considerably subdued in the aftermath of such things. A silent departure
also begs for resolution. You may walk away today thinking, why did it have to end that way
both two thousand years ago, and today? All I can say is, “Keep coming back this week to
all the services. You’ll see…”
How to Make a Palm Cross.
Palm Sunday is first of all, Holy Week in miniature. It begins with commemorating Jesus’
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and, by the time the Passion Gospel is completed, we have
seen him crucified.
The palm leaves we carry (they really should be waved vigorously like those foam fingers at
the ball game) are a re-enactment of what those who celebrated Jesus’ final entry into
Jerusalem did. They waved palm fronds to say, “Hey, you’re a big deal!” They also laid
down their garments and palms so that his mount’s feet didn’t have to touch the ground (feel
free to strew your palms down the aisle during the processional). All very celebratory and
nice, right?
The mood of the service changes, however, at the reading of the Passion Gospel or
“Suffering Gospel” since “passion” comes to us from Latin “pati” to suffer, through old
French. Why does everyone read a part? Two reasons: First, to make it more real and alive
and second, to remind us of our own responsibility for Christ’s suffering. At one point, the
congregation joins together and says, “Crucify Him!” It’s best when the congregation really
pours their hearts into the enactment. These events are the reason the Church exists. The
Passion deserves nothing less than impassioned reading by impassioned people.
Finally, we depart in quiet, without a blessing or a dismissal, keeping what conversation is
necessary as low as possible. Why? Think about what we have gone through in the service.
We have gone from exultation to desolation, from triumphal entry to crucifixion. It makes
perfect sense to be considerably subdued in the aftermath of such things. A silent departure
also begs for resolution. You may walk away today thinking, why did it have to end that way
both two thousand years ago, and today? All I can say is, “Keep coming back this week to
all the services. You’ll see…”
How to Make a Palm Cross.