Today on Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal
entry. In Bible times, palm branches were a symbol of
victory and could be found on coins and important
buildings. We read in 1 Kings 6:29 that Solomon
carved palm trees into the walls of the temple. It was
symbolism the Jews were well aware of when they
spread the palm branches on the road before Jesus.
We know the rest of the story: how Jesus’ triumph
looked very different from what those spreading the
branches pictured. Nevertheless, we celebrate the
triumphal entry precisely because of Jesus’ triumph
over death.
This week is known as Holy Week as we lead into the Easter celebration. We will hold our traditional Maundy Thursday Agape feast on April 1. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words “I give you a new commandment.”
We then proceed to the Good Friday Service of Darkness as we “tell the story” of Holy Week and enter into this dark period between Jesus death on the cross and His rising again from the grave that could not hold Him.
Holy Week culminates with the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior! We celebrate this every week, but we mark this time of year in the Church calendar to culminate the telling of the story. Christ is Risen!