Worship at 10:30 a.m. Sunday

Is Palm Sunday a Celebration?

Faith Family,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as we wind down the first quarter of 2026. I continue to give thanks to our gracious God for putting you all in our lives. Your faithfulness and your enthusiasm fill my heart with joy and helps complete my hope in Christ. Every day I look forward to serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ alongside each of you and growing in our discipleship journey together. I pray as God has continued blessings us, may we continue to be a blessing to others.

I am so excited about what God is doing and how God is moving in our congregation. Leaders are stepping up; small groups are developing; and new faces are present for worship. 

I pray we continue allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. I also pray that we will continue to be persistent in inviting folks to join us on Sunday mornings or even in our small groups.

This Sunday, we begin what is called Holy Week or Passion Week because it begins the last week of Jesus’ life on Earth. I was in a conversation and was asked about Palm Sunday and if I was going to end the service in a more solemn tone. Which got me thinking: Is Palm Sunday a celebration or the start of something sad? My response was that I intend for Palm Sunday to be a celebration and allow Maundy Thursday and Good Friday to take us to a place of sorrow and grief, so that when Resurrection Sunday comes, we are elevated, uplifted, and thankful. It sounds like an emotional roller coaster ride. It is, but so was Holy Week for Christ and the Disciples. 

Jesus rode into Jerusalem with shouts of cheers and encouragement. He later participated in healing, teachings, and even moments of correcting. He spent time with family and friends, while facing adversaries throughout the city. Then Thursday came, and then Friday. A week that began high, came to a low point when Christ died on the cross. More about that next week. So, if Holy Week was a emotional roller coaster ride for Jesus and the disciples, why should we expect anything less for we who follow Him?

Palm Sunday marks Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, as well as the final days leading to his crucifixion.  We are told in Scripture that this particular event fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, which describes a king arriving “gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

Jesus’ followers covered the donkey with their garments and spread them along the road, accompanied by tree branches. The Gospel of John includes palm branches. (John 12:12–19). The day receives its name because people welcomed Christ by laying large palm branches on the road before him. This was a Middle Eastern custom signifying great honor. In Jewish tradition, the palm frond symbolized victory and triumph.

The observance of Palm Sunday dates to at least the fourth century in Jerusalem and spread to the Western church by the seventh or eighth century (Robert Webber, The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, The Complete Library of Christian Worship (Nashville, TN: Star Song Pub. Group, 1993), 201–202.).  

Our current traditional features include processions commemorating Jesus’ entry and the blessing of palm branches. We here at Kerrville Global Methodist Church pass out little palm crosses that we keep for a year as a reminder of this triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, but also the tragedy on the cross. 

So, yes Palm Sunday is a celebration. Any chance we can gather in the name of Jesus Christ is a celebration, even if that celebration has some ingredients of sorrow and grief. I look forward to seeing you in worship this Sunday proclaiming our “Hosannas” for Jesus the Christ.

I pray your continued journey in 2026 to be an Acts 2 Church will be found with limited stress and an abundance of peace and joy.

Have a blessed Week!

Pastor Frank