This page is out of date. Please see our updated Palm Sunday Resources page.~

With Palm Sunday just a week away, I wanted to make sure that I got my resource list updated. This is the first of Holy week resource lists. I will post on Good Friday, Stations of the Cross, Easter Sunday and Resources for Holy Week with Kids as the week progresses.

There are of course a huge number of resources available for this season but I particularly wanted to highlight some of the out of the box, creative ideas I have come across. I also wanted to remind us that we are entering the most subversive week of Jesus life – it begins with shouts of Hosanna but ends with shouts of crucify him. Read more in my post Meditation Monday – The Subversive Walk of Holy Week.

Use a Little Creativity

• I love these creative “out of the box” ideas from Steve Taylor (emergent kiwi) and his invitation to walk the streets and create outdoor spirit signs.
• Here is another very creative and interactive liturgy from Rowland Croucher at John Mark Ministries in Australia.
• Rebecca Joy Sumner’s idea for creating a labyrinth listening walk through the neighbourhood is not specifically for Palm Sunday but I think would create a great Palm Sunday walk.
• Or you might like to download this Palm Sunday labyrinth. I think it would be a great focus for meditate on Palm Sunday.
• I have posted other creative suggestions on my Holy Week and Easter Pinterest board.

Traditional Resources for Palm Sunday.

• I love the collection of Palm Sunday images at Ennis Blue.
• And another great “global arts collection” for Palm Sunday that helps us appreciate the ways different cultures view this event.
• As usual Textweek.com has a very comprehensive and excellent list of resources from all over the world to help prepare for this celebration.
• Anglican Prayer updated this list for Palm Sunday in 2014. Most of the links still work.
• Work of the People also always has good video clips available.
• Some great prayers from Carol Penner.
• Some great downloadable resources from the Mennonite Church of Canada.
• And from our friends at re:Worship.
• A powerful film clip called Scattered Palms from The Work of the People.

On Saturday, I posted these suggestions on what to do with our palms after the Sunday service. I like to hang onto mine to burn on Ash Wednesday the following year but there are lots of other creative things to do with them.

Minas Thomas has created a whole series of videos on palm weaving from a Coptic Christian perspective that are well worth viewing. He instructs us on everything from a simple cross to braiding of palm fronds and, a more complex Coptic cross and a donkey. Here is the link to the first video:

Reach Out To the Neighborhood for Palm Sunday

I encourage you to think about ways to make the Palm Sunday procession a way to reach out to your neighbourhood rather than a way for your church to just have fun walking around singing songs. Maybe an invitation to a Sunday Easter lunch or another church event. Hilary and Trevor Horn, who live in our upstairs apartment, went around the neighborhood recently giving succulents to all the people who have moved in over the last year. I think this would be a great activity for Palm Sunday.

My Favourite Palm Sunday Songs.

Benedictines of Mary have beautiful music for all seasons of the liturgical calendar including their Easter at Ephesus recording. Here is a glimpse of their beautiful music:

This post is part of a series on resources for Holy Week. Check out other posts in the series:

• Resources for Palm Sunday
• Resources for Maundy Thursday
• Resources for Good Friday
• Stations of the Cross
• Resources for Celebrating Holy Week With Kids: 
• Resources for Easter Sunday 

Please check out our complete list of Godspace resources for Lent through Holy Week