What to use for palms this Palm Sunday...
Pick up a palm from Hosanna!
We'll have real palms during in-person worship on Palm Sunday. However, if you're not ready to join us in person, you can stop by the church building Sunday morning before worship starting around 8:00.
Cut a branch from a tree
It sounds odd, but this is what people did the first Palm Sunday. There's nothing sacred about palms. It was just the kind of tree they had available to wave in their procession. Use an evergreen or any other tree that has leaves right now. Have a flowering tree in bloom? Even better!
Color a Picture
Download a coloring page here to wave or hang it up!
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Coloring Page A (Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing it)
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Coloring Page B (Thank you to Lutheran World Relief for providing it)
Chalk your driveway
Use sidewalk chalk to put giant palms, Jesus on a donkey, or a big "Hosanna!" on your driveway.
Make your own palms
The first people to wave palms didn't order them. They used what they had on hand. Use what you have on hand! Use paper, pipe cleaners, paper plates, wood, or whatever else you have around your house to make something special. However, it doesn't have to be a palm either. Look around your house and make a display that you feel honors God--arrange flowers poking up outside, draw a picture, or make a balloon sculpture.
Go as simple as cut a palm out of paper and gluing it to a stick. Download this palm that you can color and cut out if you need a pattern (thank you to Illustrated Ministry for providing it).
You can also see what some really creative people out on the internet are doing. Here are a few instructions for making palms:
Super Simple
More Complex Fan Palm
More Elaborate, but Still Easy
Complicated Branches
What to do with your palms...
Hold them and wave them during worship on Palm Sunday
Having something in your hand makes worship more real. The first people to welcome Jesus with palms did it because it made the occasion seem more festive and exciting, like we often have balloons at our celebrations. If you're joining us online, having these present when you join us for worship on Palm Sunday will also help you feel like you're a part of the celebration (not just ours, but the celebration going on since that first Palm Sunday!).
Decorate your door, and include a sign that says Hosanna!
Make a statement. Attach a tree branch to your door and put a sign on it that says, "Hosanna!"
Have a parade around the neighborhood waving your palms
Let the world know that God is with us during this time. Take your palms, walk around the neighborhood, and sing your favorite Hosanna or Bible songs at the top of your lungs.
Post pictures or video to social media
Arrange your palms, do some art, find your Hosanna! sign you got on Hosanna! day two years ago, and take a picture. Post it to social media and let others know that God is good! Include the words "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna!" While you're at it, share a link to our HosannaTogether.org website and invite people to join us for worship during Holy Week and Easter.