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Children - Sunday, 24 March 2024 – Palm/Passion Sunday, Year B
PALM PROCESSION
Children should have a prominent participation in the palm procession. At the very least they should carry branches, but they also may be involved in distributing the branches to others, carrying the cross in front of the procession, singing songs (especially ‘All glory, praise and honour’), and perhaps in acting out the palm procession gospel. If little children cannot see what is happening in the crowd, parents should be encouraged to lift them up to see. Maybe the children could be given bells, tambourines and cymbals to use in the procession.
If the congregation as a whole does not observe the palm procession, the children may do the procession into the church at the beginning of the service (with the minister(s)).
PALM CROSSES
Palm crosses can be made by the children and distributed to the members of the congregation after the service. You can find instructions on how to make palm crosses here.
Even if crosses are not made, the children may be given pieces of the palms to take home with them. In Eastern churches the practice is to place these palms behind the crosses and sacred pictures they have hanging on the walls of their rooms.
PALM SUNDAY READERS THEATRE This script could be used instead of the children’s address today. It was supplied by GROW Ministries. GROW offer an excellent GIFT (Growing in Faith Together) resource pack for Lent. You can purchase it here.
GROW Ministries have kindly made the following Lent and Easter resources available for free:
GIFT Celebrating Lent in Worship Creative Ideas
GIFT Celebrating Lent in Worship Cross Explanations
GIFT Celebrating Lent in Worship Lent-Easter Tree
GIFT Celebrating Lent in Worship Lent Calendar
21 Days of Praying and Fasting (Devotional Guide for Young People)
There are many visual and dramatic elements which can actively involve children and young people in the Lenten season, and which could be adapted for home use. Please see the Visual Arts and Drama section for some ideas.
Children's Address for Palm Sunday Year B: Palm Sunday Year B
Leading Children's Addresses
The advice above and many other great resources for Children, Young People and Families have been developed by Grow Ministries.Visit their website to discover more!
Come and See Jesus
The Come and See Jesus curriculum published by Openbook Publishers has a wealth of material and ideas that may be adapted for use in worship. Please note that a new edition of this material is currently available for the Revised Common Lectionary.
The story for Passion Sunday is: Holy Week (to be found in the original edition Series C, semester 1, Passion Sunday, and in the RCL edition Series B, semester 1 for Palm/Passion Sunday).
