WHY HOLY WEEK? After a 40 day journey through Lent, we come to the celebration of Holy Week. What are all these services and where did they come from? We rely greatly on the travel diaries of a Western European woman who lived in the late 4th century. Egeria traveled to the Holy Land and sent letters home telling of the rituals observed during the week leading up to Easter. Her postcards home gave the larger church a picture of these liturgies and shape our own Holy Week observances. 

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. At St. James we start the service with a paradethat commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-40) just days before his arrest and crucifixion. This was often called the “triumphal entry” but riding into town on a donkey wouldn’t have seemed all that triumphant. This is especially true when you consider that on the other side of town, the Roman governor was holding a parade with horses and armed soldiers to remind all the folks gathered for Passover that the Romans were in charge. We re-enact that parade that declares Jesus King and end our worship with the Passion reading (Luke 22:14-23:56.). Find out about the other services by accessing John Mark's full length Easter blog at THIS LINK.