WHO:
Let us start with the WHO of the celebration. The "who" of this celebration is no other than JESUS CHRIST, the center of the holy week. We celebrate Jesus because of His life, specifically His passion,death and resurrection is commemorated in these special days.
WHAT:
What we celebrate? The celebration is for 7 days. This year it is dated on April 13,2014 (Sunday) leading to April 20 (Sunday). I find it nice to share with you what the website of our denomination (Grace Communion International) released about the day-to-day significance of the holy week:
Here’s a summary of traditional Christian worship during Holy Week, and the events in Jesus’ life that are memorialized:
- Palm Sunday: Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt (Matthew 21:1-11). He is accompanied by crowds of people who create a path for him with their cloaks and branches cut from trees.
- Monday: Jesus drives the money changers from the temple and spends the night in Bethany (Matthew 21:12-17).
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Jesus continues to teach in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:18-26:16). The chief priests and Jewish religious elders form a plot “to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him” (26:1-5). Judas agrees to be a conspirator and to hand Jesus over to them (26:14-16).
- Thursday: Jesus has his last meal during his earthly ministry with the disciples. He washes the disciples’ feet and institutes the Lord’s Supper or Communion. After teaching and encouraging them, he goes to Gethsemane, where he prays in anguish. He is arrested by the Jewish temple police and is taken to the Sanhedrin, where he is condemned (Matthew 26:17-75).
- Good Friday: Jesus is shuttled between Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas. Pilate finally orders Jesus to be beaten and then crucified. Jesus dies in the late afternoon on Friday. Around sunset, Jesus is buried in the tomb (Matthew 27:1-61).
- Saturday: Jesus rests in the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66).
- Easter Sunday: Jesus is resurrected (Matthew 28:1-15).
In our local church (GCI Baguio City/La Trinidad Church), we commemorate Palm Sunday by having a Palm Sunday-themed worship service in songs and the message of the pastor. Maundy Thursday by having an evening service to do the Lord's Supper and footwashing ceremony. And then on Easter Sunday, as a church we are having a worship service and a family potluck after.
HOW:
How to celebrate it? In what I do, I usually go back to the gospels and read portions starting on Jesus' passion,death and resurrection. I follow the assigned day for the particular event like what is written above. Aside from that,I also watch movies on Jesus' life and listen to meditative songs.
Some christians find these days good for personal prayer, worship, fasting,recollection,retreat and others. It does not matter on how we celebrate it according to our personal preferences, what is important is that we know WHO and WHAT we celebrate during this precious times of the year.
I hope that it is not only on this "Holy Week" that we become "Holy" but in our everyday lives we continue to commemorate and remember the greatest event ever happend in our history...When our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life for the whole word to die on the cross, then in 3 days be resurrected to give us power and hope.
Let us all have a meaningful Holy Week celebration!
Let us proclaim the mystery of our christian faith...
CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN,
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN!
Amen and Amen!
