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Christians Mark Palm Sunday amid Persecution

CBN

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Christians celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday kicking off Easter week events around the world.

In Jerusalem, thousands of Christian pilgrims retraced the steps of Jesus. Many waved palm branches just as the first followers of Jesus did to celebrate the coming of the Messiah as he entered the Holy City, just before his arrest and crucifixion by the Romans.

This week, as Christians remember the suffering of Christ, believers in Bethlehem are also remembering their suffering brothers and sisters facing persecution throughout the Middle East at this time.

"Unfortunately, these days we are celebrating Palm Sunday and Easter while the whole Middle East is suffering - the children, the people of Iraq, of Gaza, even Yemen," Bethlehem resident Anthony Habash said.

"So we pray in this Palm Sunday, we pray that God gives us the strength, gives the people, gives the children the joy to overcome all these sufferings, and all these horrible days that we are witnessing," he said.

On the African continent, Nigerian Christians braved the threat of a possible Islamic terrorist attack to make it to Palm Sunday services.

But fewer believers came out, fearing that Boko Haram might target Christians as they've done on previous Christian holy days. Fears were even higher after more than 40 people were killed in election-related violence on Saturday.

In the United States, tens of thousands of Christians packed into a football stadium in Texas for a Palm Sunday service.

Dozens of churches collaborated in the event called The Gathering at Baylor University's stadium in Waco.

The Rev. Tony Evans challenged Christians to openly serve the risen Christ and "stop treating him like he's dead" by hiding their faith.

Evans told the crowd, "Everybody else is coming out of the closet. You might as well come out, too."

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