Pre-pandemic, you will remember how we celebrated Palm Sunday; either with palm leaves folded into the shape of a cross, or palm branches which we joyfully waved as a sign of our support of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.
I have always liked this service; it is visual and interactive and makes this a special Sunday in the year. For many, it brings back childhood memories of children joyfully processing up and down the aisles of the church.
These days, when so much else is happening, I realize how important it is that we keep as many traditions alive as we can – especially this one as we are bridging a gap of almost 2,000 years.
But we are living in a different time. In fact, this year (as we did during partial lock-down of 2021) we will be waving cedar branches. The uncertainty of whether or not we would be holding in-person worship led to the decision not to order palms this year, thinking that the money would be wasted should we be in lockdown.
Cedars have significance in biblical text, as noted hereunder:
The cedar tree is a tree planted by God (Psalm 104:16, Isaiah 41:19). It is considered to be the first of trees (1 Kings 4:33). The Bible describes the cedar tree as strong and durable (Isaiah 9:10), graceful and beautiful (Psalm 80:10, Ezekiel 17:23), high and tall (Amos 2:9, Ezekiel 17:22), fragrant (Song of Songs 4:11) and spreading wide (Psalm 80:10-11). The eagle makes its nest and perches in the high branches of the cedar trees (Jeremiah 22:23, Ezekiel 17:3-5).
Cedar trees were considered the strongest: Job spoke of the great leviathan as thrashing his huge tail “like a cedar” (Job 40:17). Cedar trees were regarded as the most beautiful and the best: King David lived in a house made from cedar (2 Samuel 7:2), and his son, Solomon, built his house, “and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar” (I Kings 6:9). The great temple built by Solomon was also enclosed with boards of cedar (I Kings 7).
So, this coming Sunday, we will honor Jesus with something which is local and familiar, for the evergreen cedar is a symbol of endurance, eternal life and immortality.
Can there be a more fitting way celebrate Jesus and to enter Jerusalem with him?
In peace
Pastor Beryl