Palm Sunday Fun

Palm Sunday. The day that is proclaimed to be the re-enactment of Jesus’ triumphal ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.

I love Palm Sunday. Not for the sentiment but for the simple fact that Palm fronds are way too fun. For everybody! At church, we were given palm fronds that were grown on a sustainable farm. At least that was our hope. I go to a progressive Baptist church and we are trying to do things “right”. One can only hope that when you order palm fronds from Guatemala that they are a) from Guatemala and b) are actually from the sustainable farm that advertises them. Otherwise, I am not sure what happens. Do you send them back?

The morning proceeds with the usual children’s “parade” down the aisle. Palms waving every which way. There is the little girl who waves it incessantly all the way to the altar. The little boy who sticks the end up his nose and then shows his friend what happens when you do this. He may leave it up his nose even. Embarrassing Mom and Dad and every one else. There is the little boy who waves his open hand palm to family members who are present, palm frond dangling at his side. All in all no one knows what to expect other than it will be a cutie patooties.

The choir then enters from the narthex. Voices carrying upward to the ceiling as we sing “All Glory Laud and Honor”. Now the fun begins. Leading the choir are those members who wave the fronds dramatically in the elbow, elbow, wrist-wrist-wrist action often associated with beauty pageants. Waving their fronds high in the air for the most effective performance of professional frond waving. The men are better at this, waving them instead in front of their music thus having to readjust their music folders AROUND the palm instead of waving the palm in a manner more conducive to holding their music. Maybe waving the frond in their neighbor’s ear. Finally the pastors who have been-there done-this so many times that they have t-shirt that says “I survived the Lenten Season”. They merely allow the palm to be carried as though it were a flag staff. It’ll wave then as it will.

The palms given to the congregation find themselves in all sorts of contortions and conniptions. We sit on them. We drop them in the floor. They serve as placeholders for the next hymn. For certain we do not know when to wave them. Is it during the choir introit? During the solo? We can certainly try our best waves in “Freebird” fashion like we did when we all had lighters in the arena rock days. I tried to do that during the offertory hymn but Heidi wasn’t paying attention and it wasn’t that fun then. Instead, during the prayer Heidi and I practiced our “beauty palm frond wave” as demonstrated by the choir. The older ladies in front of us were playing too. Waving them in each other’s hymnals as the invitation was sung. We are never too old to play.
I am not so sure Jesus’ last week started on such a high note. I would hope those folks in Jerusalem were better palm wavers.

But somehow, I don’t think Jesus would mind our lack of palm waving etiquette. As long as we know what comes next.