Swanson, John August. Entry into the City, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN
The services of the Holy Week form a single great liturgy. Their meaning and power is cumulative, bringing participants deep into contemplation of the mystery of Christ’s passion and resurrection. That said, even if it only possible to attend one of these services, each highlights a particular aspect of the great Christian drama of redemption.
Palm/Passion Sunday: April 13, 8 and 10 a.m. The service on the Sunday before Easter begins outside the door of the church at the early service, and at the later one on the Labyrinth. We hear the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and bless palm fronds to carry in procession. Upon entering the church, the focus of the service shifts to the Passion story, which we present in a dramatic reading. But because this is a Sunday, we place the remembrance of Christ’s suffering and death in the larger context of God’s mighty acts of love, concluding the service with the celebration of Holy Communion. It is traditional to keep the palm fronds from this day until Shrove Tuesday the following year, when they are burned for the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. Some will choose to fold their fronds into palm crosses, and instruction for those who need it will be available in the Parish Hall after church.