Holy Week inspires local Christians

The story of Jesus Christ's final days is one of betrayal, sacrifice and blood.

But amid the mourning, many Christians see the week leading up to Easter as a time to focus on the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice and his promise of eternal life. The darkness of his final days helps underscore the power of his resurrection and make the celebration of Easter that much more joyous, they say.

Starting today, congregations in the Boulder area mark Holy Week with special contemplative prayers, dedicated hymns and re-enactments of milestones outlined in the Bible. Major events can include detailed Palm Sunday rituals, dramatic re-creations of Christ's teachings or silent prayer in darkened sanctuaries.

"Holy Week is the summation of Jesus' ministry that ends in a tragic outcome. Nearly everyone abandons him, and he ends up dying the death of a criminal -- a very disgraceful death," said Father Ted Howard, of St. John's Episcopal Church. "But he gives his life on behalf of what he stands for in terms of his teachings. He gives his love for all of us."

For a group of five churches near Pine Street, Holy Week traditions are a community affair.

To evoke the feeling of what it might have been like to live during the time of Christ, the churches stage an annual Palm Sunday re-enactment of Christ's journey into Jerusalem. Several hundred congregants line Pine Street, ready to lay down palm branches as church members lead a live donkey down the street.

Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week, which marks the day Christ rode a donkey into Jerusalem before his trial and execution. The scriptures tell the story of his arrival, where people celebrated his presence by laying down cloaks and palm branches in his path as a sign of respect.

Members of First Baptist Church, First Congregational Church, First United Methodist Church, Trinity Lutheran Church and St. John's Episcopal Church usually participate in the event before making their way back to their own churches for individual worship. An interdenominational choir leads the event with songs such as "All Glory, Laud and Honor," a processional hymn that describes the events of Palm Sunday.

Bob Ballance, a senior pastor at First Baptist Church, said Holy Week and Easter have a special meaning for him because of the element of redemption.

"Through Jesus' suffering, we learn how to make the world and society better," he said at a previous year's procession.

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Holy Week inspires local Christians