Palm Sunday Crosses and Palms

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is this Sunday (5 April), obviously we can’t meet to celebrate in the traditional way, but we will be meeting for a joint service over Zoom.

During part of the service we need people to make palms or crosses (or gather ones they already have at home) to wave during several of the prayers, more details below!

Our traditional Palm Sunday service takes place in three parts:

We would normally meet in the Triangle in Cinderford where we greet each other and share some prayers and readings, including the Palm Sunday story from Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 21:1-11).

We then process up to St Stephen’s from the Triangle singing hymns and songs as we go, including ‘Ride on! Ride on in majesty!’ and ‘Make way, make way’.

Then we share a service together in St Stephen’s including the reading (in parts) of the Passion Narrative.

During one of the prayers in the Triangle, and during the procession, we would hold up palms or branches or palm crosses.

Clearly, things will be a little different this year, but we still want to meet together, share prayers and readings, remember Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, and remember his passion.

We also want to raise palms, branches or ‘palm’ crosses as we pray and sing praise.

But we can’t give you palms, branches or palm crosses to hold.

So we need a little help!

Please can you find, or make, palms, branches, or crosses to hold during our prayer and praises!

Please be creative! Please involve children if there are children in your house!

Please email photos of your palms, branches, and / or crosses to [email protected] or use the ‘Send a Photo‘ page on our website to send a file attachment.

Photos will be added to our gallery of Crosses and Palms.

Please join in. It would be great to share.

Stay safe. Keep praying.

God bless.

Mike Barnsley, Vicar of Cinderford with Littledean