A Survival Guide to Palm Sunday

by William Cowles

For unchurched or little-churched folks who have the urge to do a little recon on a church before the big Easter celebration, I have to warn you that Palm Sunday – that is this coming Sunday – offers its own unique challenges.

If you haven’t been before, or maybe it’s been a long time, here are the main things I think you need to watch out for and my recommendations on how to navigate them easily:

•  Reckless Palm Waving – The aisles will be full of palm-branch-waving munchkins in a parade. Be alert so you don’t take a frond in the eye. It’s supposed to commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem for Passover, but has pretty much turned into a show for grandparents with new cameras.
• Comrades in the Crowd – Because Palm Sunday is a big draw, there will be others among you just as clueless and confused, so look for them and take comfort (even shelter) among them.
• Swarms of Children – They’ll be everywhere because Grandma and Grandpa or Aunt Bea and Uncle George are in town. Families gather during Easter week, and Palm Sunday is the kickoff day. These kids have been hyped for weeks with promises of Easter Egg hunts, candy, new clothes, toys, and baby rabbits. They’ll be raging!
• Pastels – Wear your grunge if you want, but prepare to be surrounded by people in pastel colors. It’s a spring fashion thing and Palm Sunday is prep day for the big Easter dress-up party. You might even see ladies (and almost certainly little girls) wearing hats!
• Weird Religious Symbols – It’s about this time that many churches trot out their “Stations of the Cross,” those symbolic plaques, carvings, and paintings that depict the story of Jesus’ path to crucifixion and resurrection. Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know what they are or whether or not to bow to them, touch them, or pray for them. The church should have material there to explain the symbolism, the story line, and their practices with this custom.
• Limited Parking – Look for the “Guest Parking” if you want to get up an hour early, but don’t bother if you’re running on time or late. No church has enough visitor parking to handle the Palm Sunday and Easter crowds. Enjoy the walk.
• Loud Hosannas! – Everybody shouts “Hosanna” at some time during a Palm Sunday service – and probably more than once. Don’t be afraid to join in! “Hosanna” means something like, “Lord, save us!” It’s what the crowds shouted to Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, and it hacked off the local authorities to hear them acknowledge Jesus as holy in that way. Do it – it’s a good thing!
• God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – Yep, they’ll be there, as they are every Sunday, ready to meet you. Palm Sunday is a great day to see the Holy Spirit at work in people’s hearts, because it’s a time of excitement about the hope for a new King.

For whatever reasons – go to a church on Palm Sunday. Be curious, be questioning, and be skeptical. But, overall, join in the Palm Sunday jubilee celebrating that our God loves us so much that He came to earth to forgive our sins, and rode into town on a borrowed donkey so he could get our full attention. It’s a great story, and you shouldn’t miss it.