Jesus Enters Jerusalem
April 5, 2020

Jesus’ special entrance into Jerusalem is now a celebration that we call Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week – exactly one week before Easter Sunday.  Today is Palm Sunday!
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Palms were a symbol of grace and victory in Bible times. By waving the palms and placing them on the ground before Jesus, the people were welcoming him as a king.

To color your own Palm Branch click here!

To print a Palm Branch that is already colored, click here!

Discuss

• Why do you think we call this day Palm Sunday?
• What kind of animal did Jesus ride on into Jerusalem?
• How do you think a King would arrive in a town?
• Why do you think Jesus choose a donkey?

Song – “Hosanna Rock"

If you haven't yet colored your palm branch, do so now! Once it is colored and cut out, have a parade around the house! If it's nice, go up and down your neighborhood. (Maintianing social distance!)

Craft Idea ~ Clothespin Donkey Craft

http://www.freefuneaster.com/easter-crafts/clothespin-donkey-craft/

Jesus rode in on a donkey, revealing himself as a humble peasant. 

Supplies 

• Black Yarn
• Wooden Clothespins
• Wiggle Eyes
• Ribbon
• Gray and Black Paint
• Printed Donkey ~ pdf here

Instructions

1. Paint the wooden clothespins gray and black to form the legs. Allow time to dry. Print, color, and cut out the donkey and palm leaf tag.
2. Glue on wiggle eyes and yarn.
3. Punch a hole in the paper palm leaf tag and thread ribbon through the hole. Tie the tag onto the donkey. Allow time for your craft to dry.​

Snack Idea ~ Palm Sundae Dessert

https://www.southernmadesimple.com/palm-sundae-dessert/

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO GET STARTED:

1. Ice Cream
   • You can’t have a sundae without it! I opted for plain vanilla, but really I think you could choose any flavor.
2. Crushed Cookies
   • The crushed cookies symbolize the rough and rocky road that Jesus traveled on when coming in to Jerusalem.
3. Green Candy for Palm Leaves
   • You’ll want to find a green candy for this one. I actually got insanely lucky and found leaf-shaped mint candies at my local Dollar General. Alternatively, you could use green sour straws, jelly beans, green sprinkles, fruit roll ups, gummy worms, green raisins, etc.  You’ll pour this on top of the crushed road to represent the palm branches that were waved and spread across the road during Jesus’ arrival.
4. Miniature Kit Kat
   • This represents the donkey that Jesus rode on.
5. Sour Patch Kid
   • This represents Jesus. You can use whatever candy you want for this, but I thought it would be perfect since it is sort-of-human shaped. Gummy bears might also work.
6. Sprinkles
   • This represents the joy and celebration of the crowd as the Messiah entered into Jerusalem.
7. Reddi-Whip or Cool Whip
   • This is solely just for aesthetics. You can’t have ice cream without a little extra cream! Plus, it makes it so much easier to place Jesus, the donkey and the sprinkles.​​

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If you make these, post a picture of your creation! Pastor Erica is pretty excited about this treat!

Prayer
We thank you, O God, for your Son, Jesus, who entered into Jerusalem on a donkey to show that he came to bring peace and love. Help us celebrate Jesus this week and show your love to others as we prepare for Easter next Sunday. Amen.