Palm Sunday

One of the things that I enjoy most about worship in Malawi is how participatory it is. All the worshippers are actively involved in the service, with songs and choruses, with invited responses. But Palm Sunday, the participation increased greatly. The congregation marched, with palms waving, to reenact Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This was the opening of worship for both services.

The clergy led the procession from the chancel out of the church, followed by the youth choir and their drums, then the congregation. At the door we were met by a “donkey” and rider to represent Jesus. Our make-shift donkey consisted of two strong young men, one walking tall in front, as the head, leading the second, who was bent at the waist, head against the first one’s back and his hands on his friend’s hips, to lead him. This second one was draped with a chitenje (piece of fabric) and a young boy, also covered with a chitenje, representing Jesus, literally sat on his back. The three of them lead the procession as the congregation sang “Hosanna to the one how comes in the name of the Lord” waving our palm branches. This procession went out of the parking lot onto the main road, down the road about 500 yards to a traffic circle (called a roundabout here), around the circle, back to the church and into the sanctuary, where worship continued. The elders had made arrangements with the police for the right to block traffic for this festive march. Drivers joined in the singing as they slowly processed behind us.

Our first service is the larger of the two, with over 700 people in worship. The entire congregation processed, so the event took some time to file out of the church, march the path and file back in, all the time singing and dancing. This took almost an hour but time was not a factor. The spirit and the music were joyful. The service in the sanctuary did not begin until 8:30, but nothing was cut short. The march had set the tone for the rest of the worship and especially for the preaching, which was powerful. The second service, which is scheduled for 9:30 began at 10:30 with the same procession and the same joy of celebration. That service ended more than an hour later than usually, but that didn’t matter to anyone. It was the joy of the day and feeling that we were living our history that carried everyone. But both sermon offered the sobering reminder that some of the same people who cheered and sang for Jesus on Sunday, jeered and screamed for his crucifixion on Friday. The challenge was to know who we are in the crowd. The procession powerfully drove that point home, as only participation can. We were, we are, part of the crowd today, as much as those who marched and sang that first Palm Sunday.