Making Room for the Cross at Home- Palm Sunday

Written by the Hobbit and Elf on 4/3/2020
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Observing Holy week at home.

This 4 part series is about the week leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection, and how we can make room for that during this pandemic and isolation.

No one anticipated that Easter services would be at home this year. But then again, the disciples weren’t expecting the resurrection to look like it did either. So we’re in good company to have a truly moving Easter experience. This year there will be no large services, neighborhood egg hunts (except through the windows) and everything will look different. Our hope is that even though this Holy Week is virtual, that it will be a deep and meaningful week that your family will always remember.

What is Holy Week?

Observing Holy Week at home is not just for Catholics or other more classical church believers. Since we are celebrating Holy Week at home this year there’s no better time to try remembering Jesus’ death and resurrection through some of these traditions.

What is Holy Week? It is, in the church calendar, the week before Easter. It begins the Sunday before Easter. We’ll talk about Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into town on a donkey. Then comes Maundy Thursday, which is when we remember the last dinner that Jesus shared with his disciples. Good Friday is the day where we remember Jesus dying on the cross for us. Then comes Easter Sunday when we celebrate the hope that the resurrection brings us. It is important to note here that the church calendar itself does nothing for us in and of itself. What it does is provide reminders and helpful seasons (or rhythms) to help keep ourselves open to God. It has deepened our spiritual lives and we hope that it will deepen yours.

This is Surreal

It feels incredibly strange to be talking about participating in all of holy week at home. If the typical greetings and language around Easter are feeling a little trite this year, it’s a great time to reflect on whether they’ve always sounded that way to our neighbors that are hurting during the Easter season. Many of us have been gifted extra time to really think about what Easter and Jesus really means to us. Not that big Easter celebrations or traditions can’t be fun and important. I’m all for a good egg hunt party. But now is a good time to check if anything was missing in our traditions. Maybe the best way to reach our hurting neighbors isn’t through plastic eggs, or maybe it is. Personally, I’ve felt a tug for a few years to include more sacrificial service as a part of Easter. There’s never been a better time to reach out to friends and hurting neighbors. (Remembering that the Biblical definition of neighbor is basically anyonnnnne you interact with.) 

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and celebrates Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, which fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. The crowds cheered for him, shouting “Hosanna” and recognizing Him as King. They laid palm leaves in his path. Stories of people entering into church waving palm leaves on this day go back over 1500 years.

The Story:

Here is one version of the story from Luke 19: 35-40 (The Message Translation):

35-36 They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode, the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street.

37-38 Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed:

Blessed is he who comes, the king in God’s name!
All’s well in heaven! Glory in the high places!

39-40 Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!” But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”

Matthew 21:6-11 (New International Version) says it this way…

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” ¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

A Prayer

Praying with Younger Kids:

Thank you God for preparing a way for us. We are so grateful for all of the many amazing things You have done in our lives. You died on the cross for our sins and came back to life so that we can be with God forever in Heaven. Even though we can be grumpy and tired of staying at home, we are so very thankful for our house and our family. We pray that this week would bring some fresh hope into this time. Amen.

A prayer that we adapted from the Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty and everliving God,
In Your tender love for the human race
You sent Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ
To become human like us,
And to suffer and die on the cross,
So that our sins can be forgiven.
The World is groaning, Lord.
We need our Hope and Light.
We lay our hearts and prayers,
Like palm leaves out before you.
Lord, today we lament.
In anticipation of the hope of this week, Lord.
Desperately we cry out for health and healing.
For peace where there is none.
Hope where there is anguish.
Protection for the most vulnerable.
Mercifully grant that we may walk with You,
And be a reflection of Your light in this darkness.
That we may hold on to You like Jesus, 
In the way of His suffering, and also share in His resurrection;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Activity Ideas for Holy Week at Home:

Here are a few possibilities of things you can do at home. Let us know in the comments if there is something else you are looking forward to doing.

1) A Palm Leaf in Your Window:
You can cut these out on printer paper and color them or print one out. You might consider writing a word of encouragement, like ‘better together’, ‘hope’, or ‘love one another’ on your leaves. Or maybe even one inviting people to tune in to your church service next Sunday. (understandably you would have to judge if that is smart and safe for your family.)   

2) Act it Out:  
One of my favorite moments from Palm Sunday came from reenacting the day with Kindergartners. While the full bath robes acting scene may not work if you have teenagers, you can still read out the story together.

3) What Can We Lay Down?:
People were laying down leaves and coats to literally pave the way for Jesus. To prepare the path for Easter, what’s something we can give up or lay down? Giving up something to connect more with God, giving up time to check in on and encourage others, or giving up something physical to help someone else.

4) Pray and Listen Outside:
Wow. If the people had been silent the earth itself would have shouted forth praise. One of the nice things about stay at home is that you can now hear nature better. There are mornings where I can sense, in a way, what Jesus was saying here. So, as we enter Holy Week, step into the back yard or into a park. Listen. What is God saying? Also a good time to grieve and pray.

5) Tell Your Story:
The disciples were shouting praises for the wonderful things they had witnessed Jesus doing. Your story and experiences could help encourage someone else. What does the hope of the resurrection mean to you? What has Easter meant for you?

We hope that this was helpful for you.
Part 2 will cover Maundy Thursday.
You can find more of our faith and family posts here.
We would love to hear how you are celebrating Easter this year- drop us a comment below!

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