Drama of Palm Sunday captured by Anna Maria Island church

ANNA MARIA -- Palm Sunday, according to the Bible, is the day Jesus Christ sat atop a donkey and rode into Jerusalem a week before his death and resurrection roughly 2,000 years ago.

Christ's triumphant trek into the city caused crowds to express their belief that he was the king of Israel by breaking off palm branches and waving them, church leaders at many Manatee and Sarasota churches told their congregations Sunday.

"Palm Sunday is the Sunday when Christ came into Jerusalem knowing it would be his last week on Earth," said Kristen Stanton, director of music ministries at Roser Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria.

"But the people welcomed him," Stanton added. "They thought he would be their savior. They praised him and put their cloaks on the road and took palm branches off the trees to hail him as he came in. So, it's a triumphant, exciting day, but you quickly move into the darker events that will happen later in the week."

The "later in the week" of which Stanton speaks, involves Christ's betrayal, arrest, conviction and sentence, all leading up to his death and resurrection, which local churches will celebrate at the end of the week on Easter.

"Palm Sunday to me begins Holy Week," said the Rev. Neil Crowell of Roser Community. "It's a celebration, but I won't say a celebration that is all happy. We observe and we mourn the death of Jesus Christ, and next weekend we celebrate that he conquered death and rose from the grave."

To give the congregation a sense of the week ahead, Stanton commanded a choir of 43 strong voices and five talented musicians to perform the powerful and emotional cantata, "I am Lord of the Dance" on Palm Sunday.

"I am Lord of the Dance" is a folk-type hymn and a metaphor about the life of Jesus," Stanton said. "It takes you through the whole ministry of Christ up until Easter. It's dramatic, and our orchestra and choir could really dig into it."

The cantata "I am the Lord of the Dance" is a hymn with words written by Sydney Carter in 1963. The arrangement was by Joel Raney, Stanton said.

"My choir is fantastic," Stanton added with a grin. "Our choir swells for this cantata. It's not always this big. Some people join us just to sing for this event."

Reacting to every twinge of Stanton's baton in the 102-year-old Roser Church on Palm Sunday were Phyllis O'Keefe on piano, Isaac Mingus on cello, the Mary Deur on flute, Emily Champagne on violin and Bob Salzman on oboe.

The Rev. Crowell, who has been at Roser two months, was as stunned by the performance as were the 300 or so in the standing room only sanctuary.

"It was unbelievable," Crowell said.

Pat Sakellis, from Massachusetts, was visiting Roser for the first time -- and what a time to come.

"It was fabulous," Sakellis said of the cantata. "I just loved it all."

Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.

This story was originally published March 20, 2016 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Drama of Palm Sunday captured by Anna Maria Island church ."