O Christ, who rode through Zion’s gate

1
O Christ, who rode through Zion’s gate,
Mid palms and pilgrim song,
Our Midlands fields recall that day
Where praise and dust belong.

2
As olives stirred on Olivet,
So Barrow sallies sway;
Where robins flit through budding briars,
Our children sing today.

3
You knew the road from Bethphage rose
Would darken t’ward the cross;
As Midland ridges evening cast
Their long, foreboding loss.

4
The palms that waved in joy foretold
A crown of woven thorn;
Like curlew cries on bogland winds
Before a coming storm.

5
Yet still you rode with patient love
For all who called your name;
As hares keep watch on quiet fields,
Your mercy stays the same.

6
So lead us through this Holy Week
By Midlands lanes and stone,
Till Easter light on Zion’s hill
Meets dawn on Kildare’s own.

Hymn information

First line: O Christ, who rode through Zion’s gate
Text: Michael McFarland Campbell 
Metre: Common Metre
Tune: St Peter
Theme: Palm Sunday, Holy Week

Reflection

is hymn for Palm Sunday sets Christ’s entry into Jerusalem alongside the familiar textures of the Irish Midlands. The palms, stones, and hills of the Holy City are allowed to resonate with our own lanes, ridges, rivers, and wildlife—reminding us that the story we enter this week is not distant history but a living journey carried in every place we call home. Hints of the coming cross are woven through the natural world, as curlew, hares, and evening shadows echo the solemn path ahead. It is a hymn of welcome, recognition, and quiet readiness as we step into Holy Week.

Copyright

© Michael McFarland Campbell. 2026. 
Permission granted for local church or parish use with attribution. Not for commercial reproduction.

Written recently and shared here as part of the NeuroDivine hymn collection.