Superintendent Minister of the Anguilla Methodist Circuit, Rev Dr Wycherley Gumbs, delivered the homily at the Palm Sunday Service at the Trough in The Valley on April 13 for the first time. Prior to taking up his present appointment, he served in St Kitts where he recalled participating in similar mass Services of the Palms and processions to various churches along with other Ministers.
On this occasion in Anguilla, he was accompanied by Assistant Anglican Priest, Rev Menes Hodge, and Father Paul Czoch of St Gerard’s Roman Catholic Church, both of whom also participated in the Blessing and Service of the Palms.
In delivering the homily, Rev Gumbs referred to the tradition in many countries of carrying flags and banners by congregations with respect to religious events such as Palm Sunday. “Our symbols today are palms as part of the symbolic meaning of Palm Sunday,” he told the mixed gathering of worshippers. “I ask you this morning, who and what are we waving for? The crowd [in the procession to Jerusalem] was waving and singing hooray for Jesus but, in my life and your life, as Caribbean people, and part of the world, we can also easily wave flags for all kinds of purposes and all kinds of Jesus. We can wave flags for self or for family and friends who become the centre of our thinking. Yet there are those who wave for country, for military fighting and people scrambling for power in one form or another.
“What are we in Anguilla waving for? For unity, peace, goodwill in our homes, our churches, our chapels or our work places? Are we waving for hooray to Jesus – for peace on earth and goodwill to all persons in our actions with our neighbours and, most importantly, with our workmates? Am I offering peace and goodwill so that our world and Anguilla could become a better place – so that which is broken can be mended and that which is disunited can find unity?
“We must now find ourselves waving the flags of wholeness and unity – symbols of our togetherness as one community. Someone said ‘the earth is but one country and all mankind its citizens’. We are citizens of one planet – earth – and live in one island – Anguilla; and so we are called upon to exhibit, as far as we can, and by all the means we can, the best for wholeness.
“Some persons spend their lives waving for politics. ‘My party is always right, so help me God’ is perhaps Anguilla’s death knell. ‘I am always right’ means you are always wrong. Let us wave the flag not just for party, friends or family, but let us wave the flag for wholeness, for family, for God and, of course, for our island and all it stands for. We are going to be given palms – little ones or big ones – symbols of peace, but peace demands hard work with you and me working together. So in our chapels and churches, our homes and meetings all around the island, let us wave the flag for peace, for wholeness and may God bless us all.”
Following the Service of the Palms, the three groups of worshippers proceeded to their respective churches – Ebenezer Methodist Church, St Mary’s Anglican Church and St Gerard’s Roman Catholic Church – for the main and separate Palm Sunday services.
