In the Palm of My Hand

Easter’s almost upon us. Our church like so many others are preparing special worship services for Easter morning. Some churches have Sunrise Services, breakfast, then a regular service or Sunday school. Our church has a regular Easter Sunday service and in lieu of Sunday school, we have a cantata and drama presentation.

Usually the church is decorated with flowers that line the altar rail. The aroma of hyacinths and Easter lilies fill the sanctuary while tulips, daisies, and hydrangeas mingle their varied blossoms into a tapestry of vivid colors.

The front of the auditorium is being readied with props for the drama. A cardboard cutout replica of the borrowed garden tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea fills one side of the platform. Wednesday evening, I said to our Pastor, “Isn’t the tomb to be a garden tomb?”

When he answered, “Yes,” I said, “It looks bare. Would you like a palm tree to place at one side?” He answered in the affirmative. I promised to create one from cardboard stock I keep in my basement. I have the large cartons that protected my sofa, my chair in delivery, and from the supplies used to remodel my upstairs bathroom.

Wednesday evening after returning from church, I searched the web for photos of date palms from gardens of the Middle East. Doing a quick sketch, I went to the basement and chose pieces of cardboard I would use. Gathering supplies and several cans of spray paint I readied the cardboard, applying a light spray of greens and brown for background colors, then set them aside to dry.

Thursday morning I chose the craft-paints from my horde and began to detail the palm fronds from three colors to vary each frond in color and shape. I’d thought of adding bunches of brown dates, but the fronds filled the cardboard piece. Dates would have looked too busy. Sometimes adding too much detail is as bad as not enough, especially for stage props. While the palm fronds dried, I used a thick permanent marker to simulate the rough trunk of the tree.

I don’t have a truck or van to transport my large creations, so I designed the tree in three pieces. Two pieces formed an adjustable trunk and the third piece was the palm fronds. If you’d like to see the tree, our Easter Sunday service is at 11 a.m. April 21st at the Mt. Zion Community Church, 159 Kreinbrook Hill Rd. Acme PA 15610. You’re welcome to visit.