“We need a donkey! If we can’t have palms, we need a donkey!” (We did not find a donkey.)
You probably don’t have real palms at home but you might have green paper you could cut into leafy shapes, or greenery in your yard that you could wave. It’s still Palm Sunday even if you aren’t given palms on the playground.
Palm Sunday is the day Jesus entered Jerusalem (riding on a donkey) and was welcomed by many people as a king. The people shouted, “Hosanna!” and waved palm leaves, beckoning Jesus into the city. It was an exciting day but the city rulers didn’t like it. They didn’t like the people listening to a teacher who told them to “love one another.” The rulers were afraid of love.
Over the next week, we’ll hear what happens next. It’s a hard story to hear but love triumphs. It always does. Love is triumphant even when we’re separated, even when we can’t be close to the people we love.
The disciples learned that. We will, too.
The 9:00 AM service (with a reading of the Passion narrative) will be streamed on Facebook Live (@cotcchapelhill). You can download a children’s bulletin from the bottom of this post. You can also download instructions for making a “Holy Week in a Box” to use throughout the week. Each day includes a children’s bible reading, an object to remind you of the story and a wondering question. We would love to see pictures of how your family is experiencing Holy Week at home.
Stop it. Right now. Couldn’t find a donkey? You Bells have finally topped yourselves. Now everyone will be wanting one of those hats. Plus chicks. Plus melodica. Thank you is totally inadequate but Palm Sunday is totally real because of you.
I’ll bet a lot of kids are saying, “hey I wore that hat in the children’s pageant!”