Palm Sunday Procession

Starting out from St John's

Passing the United Free Church

Riding Isaac the donkey

At Westwood Recreation Ground

Blessing our Palm Crosses

Reading the Gospel

Our joint congregations at Westwood Recreation Ground

Completing our service at St Paul's Goodmayes

Fr. Ben leading at St Paul's Goodmayes

The new tryptich at St Paul's Goodmayes

Last year, for the first time, Palm Sunday in Seven Kings saw a congregation of 130 process from St Pauls Goodmayes to St Johns Seven Kings accompanied by a donkey and children dressed as disciples. The procession was jointly organised by the two churches and is intended to become an annual community event.

Today we reversed the procession beginning at St John's and ending at St Paul's, stopping midway at Westwood Recreation Ground to bless palm crosses and read the Gospel. This year our donkey was called Isaac and, as last year, our children loved the opportunity to have a ride. Also as last year, the congregation of the United Free Church came out to greet us as we passed by at the beginning of the procession.

As we went we handed out a leaflet explaining what we were doing and why:

The original Palm Sunday featured a joyful procession as Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a colt and the people praised God and spread cloaks and palms on the ground (see Matthew 21): “They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

Rev. Jonathan Evens, Vicar of St John’s, says, “This service and procession are a joyful celebration for us and, we hope, a visible act of witness to our community.” Fr. Benjamin Rutt-Field, parish priest of St Paul's Goodmayes, has said that the procession reminds him of his three month sabbatical in Japan, "where the indigenous faiths of Shinto and Buddhism celebrate their festivals with joyful and colourful processions, conveying to the whole multi-faith community, something of what they personally believe in and why it is important to them."

We are grateful to the Metropolitan Police and the London Borough of Redbridge for their permission and help in enabling this procession to take place.

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Kirk Franklin - Hosanna.