Palm Sunday 2010

Nearly 2000 years ago when people on Palm Sunday were welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem they probably did not know how that day would forever change the face of Christianity. Today, about two thousand years later, in 2010 more than one billion Christians celebrate the Palm Sunday. Others are asking "What is Palm Sunday?" And the search goes on for the story. Here are five ways to celebrate the day with fulfilling spiritual reward.

First, let's see what is Palm Sunday and what is the story behind.

Palm Sunday is also called Sunday of the Passion. It starts the week of Passion with Jesus' entrance to Jerusalem. The Gospels according to Luke and John tell the story of the Palm Sunday. See the reading references below. Normally Jesus walked everywhere he went. At least that's what is recorded in the Bible. However, this is the only occasion when we see Jesus borrowing a donkey's colt and entering the city having an animal ride. Why Jesus took an animal ride while always avoiding the trappings of power is a topic for different story. However, one of the reasons is that he fulfilled the prophecy. See John 12:16.

While Jesus was entering Jerusalem the people were greeting him with Palms on their hands and saying Hosanna: a declaration of praise that originally meant "save now."

Bringing it home, today in 2010, here are five things one can do to signify the meaning of the Palm Sunday Story and live the day with fulfilling spiritual reward.

Start Palm Sunday by Going to Church. Small parishes celebrate the Mass or their Sunday services in the mornings. Larger parishes celebrate several services throughout the day. Churches usually have their service schedules on their website and also available for callers as an automated message. If one rarely goes to church, going to the Palm Sunday service today, will help better understand the meaning of the events of the upcoming week, called Holy Week. They will lead to the Passover, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Crucifixion and conclude with the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.

Make a good family mean and try to celebrate with friends. Sharing a community meal after a Sunday worship is a very old Christian tradition coming from the first century. Take your family home and prepare a dinner possibly involving your children, making it a family activity filled with joy and excitement.

Tell your children about Jesus. Tell the story of the Palm Sunday explaining how and why things happens the way they did. Contemplate on what it means for you and for your community in 2010, nearly two thousand years later.

Spend time reading the Holy Scripture. Bible readings about the Palm Sunday can be found at Luke 19:29-40 and John 12:11-19. There are many good online and offline sources that help to interpret the scripture. Sometimes questions arise, as the writings were written two thousand years ago in a different cultural and social settings, while having a message for the generations to come.

As the day winds down and you are ready to go to sleep, say an evening prayer. Count your blessings and contemplate on your life. Some of the readers here may not be Christians, but all of us have had blessings in our lives. If you focus on difficulties of this life, it may be helpful to consider why it took such a tremendous suffering for Jesus to do the work he did.

Written by Armen Hareyan
HULIQ.com