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3/29, Rev. Kimberly Deckel, "A People of Procession"

March 30, 2026·18 min·1 clip

Rev. Kimberly Deckel explains why the church extended its Palm Sunday procession to avoid an awkward traffic jam.

The episode is a Palm Sunday sermon by Rev. Kimberly Deckel at Church of the Cross, focusing on the theme of procession. Deckel begins by describing the church's physical procession into the sanctuary, noting they extended it to avoid awkward traffic jams. She explains that processions symbolize Christ leading worship weekly and mission afterward. Deckel contrasts festive parades like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or Phoenix's Electric Light Parade with Jesus's entry into Jerusalem, which she calls strange and messy. She reads a passage from the Book of Belonging, a children's Bible, depicting Jesus weeping as he enters Jerusalem and crowds asking if God is still with them. Deckel references theologian Fleming Rutledge's book 'Means of Grace,' which discusses a teenage acolyte's confusion on Palm Sunday. She then outlines three characteristics for being 'a people who process with Jesus': fixing eyes on him, praising him always, and focusing on eternal hope. Deckel warns against fast-forwarding through Holy Week's tension, urging engagement with events like Judas's betrayal and Jesus's crucifixion. She mentions church services from Monday to Holy Saturday, including foot washing and Stations of the Cross. Deckel cites Rabbi Abraham Heschel's phrase 'praying with your feet' to connect praise to action. She emphasizes that the resurrection transforms suffering into victory and invites listeners to slow down during Holy Week. The sermon concludes with a call to tether hearts to Jesus's promises.

As heard by us

A Palm Sunday sermon finds patient meaning in procession, palms, and following Christ through Holy Week.

Palm Sunday becomes a meditation on faith at a turning point, shaped by the simple act of procession. The sermon begins inside the church, where a once-short walk into the sanctuary had become a cramped stop-and-start shuffle, and where a longer route now allows song, attention,…

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Want to stay with Palm Sunday's strange tension instead of fast-forwarding to Easter?

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