Tomorrow, Holy Week observances around the world begin. Palm Sunday is the first observance of Holy Week. Based on Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem, it begins a cycle of daily commemorations of that awful time. Palm fronds from last year’s Palm Sunday observances have already been burned, creating ashes for Ash Wednesday in February. New palm fronds are used in many churches in recognition of the greenery thrown on the roadway as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.

Many Anchorage churches will not observe Palm Sunday tomorrow, but strangely, will celebrate Easter, although both occasions are strongly based on the gospels.

Anchorage always has its share of Palm Sunday observances, but the Anchorage Daily News Matters of Faith listings today contained only three church notices of Palm Sunday Services tomorrow. ADN does a great job of putting in all listings that are submitted on a timely basis. It’s too bad more churches do not use this great free service. The churches listed were:

St. John United Methodist Church
St. Mary’s Episcopal
First Baptist Church

A Google search using the search terms “palm sunday anchorage 2012” revealed the following churches offering Palm Sunday services in the first three Google results pages. Usually people doing searches don’t go beyond the first or second page. Hyperlinks to these churches’ webpages have been included as a service to readers of this blog. They are listed in the order that Google presented them.

All Saints Episcopal Church
St. Mary’s Episcopal
St. John United Methodist
First Congregational
Faith Presbyterian
St. Benedicts
Trinity Presbyterian
Archdiocese of Anchorage
Anchorage Lutheran
First Baptist Church
Christ Our Savior Lutheran

Palm Sunday is a joyous time that ultimately culminates with Good Friday’s somber realities. I’ll be visiting one of these churches on Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is a wonderful time to connect with faith communities and strengthen your personal walk.