Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
— Zachariah 9:9
On Palm Sunday, we celebrate Jesus fulfilling Zachariah 9:9 as we read and rehearse the gospel passages describing Jesus as the one Israel has been waiting for—the one to come and save them. In joyful and sometimes misguided expectation, the crowds lay their palm branches on the ground as Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem. In the last part of our gathering, we read the scriptures of when the crowds have changed heart, and shout Jesus’ condemnation—“Crucify Him!”
This Palm Sunday, as we gather virtually, we might need to create some new traditions in our homes for this season.
Here are some ideas we’ve curated to help observe this first day of Holy Week:
- Light a candle during meals, and/ find a cross for use during Holy Week
- Make a Palm Frond (homemade or one like this) to wave for our Sunday Zoom gathering
- Find a coloring sheet
- Reflect and then share with someone about your own fickleness around God’s promises