Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday commences the last week of Lent, Holy Week. On Palm Sunday we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11).  The first believers in Jesus laid out their cloaks and branches from the trees to welcome Jesus. Laying out cloaks and branches on a path before someone arrived to a particular place was a way to do honor to that person in Ancient Near Eastern traditions. The Palm Sunday event is quite an interesting happening, because during so much of Jesus’ ministry he cautions people to keep his works and miracles private. Yet on Palm Sunday Jesus is recorded as making a public and dramatic entry, which is quite different from most of his ministry. It is possible that the fame and knowledge of Jesus was growing so widespread that a quiet entry would have been impossible.  In the Gospel of Luke Jesus tells the Pharisees that even the rocks would cry out if the people were quiet. Jesus and his ministry were moving people to believe a new way was possible.

We, too, at West End have a tradition of handing out palm branches and walking around our neighborhood to celebrate our joyful belief in the Messiah, just like those in first-century Jerusalem. We invite you to participate in the Palm Walk at 10:30 A.M.