From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-
Today as members of St. Andrew Lutheran Church wave palm fronds to commemorate how Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem, they will do so believing that Jesus would approve of how their palms were harvested.
The Shadyside church uses Eco-Palms, which are harvested by workers who earn fair wages and practice preservation of tropical forests.
"They're more expensive than other palms, just as the coffee we serve here is more expensive because it is fair trade. But it's a statement of social justice that we're glad to make," said the Rev. Janet Grill, pastor of St. Andrew, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
"It makes sense that when we celebrate the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, it's done in a way that honors Jesus in those who work for very little money."
Eco-Palms are full fronds attached to stems, not the long, narrow strips of torn leaf that many churches use.
"The kids love it because you can really wave them. I love them because you can't use them as spears," she said.
Palm Sunday, one week before Easter, is based on John 12:13. It says that when Jesus' admirers heard he was entering Jerusalem "they took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!' "
Read more:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10087/1046239-323.stm#ixzz0jT2Bhn4d
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