Holy Week

For many, the week leading up to Easter holds great significance. It begins with Palm Sunday and ends with the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead, which is now called Easter.

Holy Week is a good time for us to ponder and reflect on our belief in and reliance on Jesus Christ. How does knowing that He died for us affect us? How does knowing that He lives for us affect us? How does this knowledge influence our day-to-day decisions?

Jesus was born of a mortal mother, which made Him human, and of Heavenly Father, which made Him a God. He was born in humble circumstances in a place reserved to feed animals. There was no fanfare about His birth, except for those who recognized the signs and believed the Messiah had been born.

Jesus grew in maturity until He was ready to begin His mortal mission. He taught all who would listen. He preached about His Father and about life eternal. He healed the blind, the sick, the deaf, and the maimed. He showed us compassion, kindness, mercy, justice, and grace. He loved all. During his mortal ministry, He was always about his Father’s business.

He knew He would be betrayed. He knew what would happen. He knew the suffering and the price He alone would have to pay, but He willingly did it. He willingly laid down His life for you and for me. No greater love hath a man than this.

Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, indeed the glorified Savior and Redeemer.

Palm Sunday

Jesus fulfilled prophecy when He entered the city riding on the back of a donkey. All who recognized Him as their King, put down robes, garments, and palm fronds along the road to signify His royalty. The crowd welcomed Jesus with honor and respect. They shouted, “Hosanna” and waved palm leaves to their promised King.

Palm Sunday reminds us to invite Jesus into our lives with love, humility, and devotion. We can invite Him into every aspect of our lives and He will willingly and humbly come if invited.

Activity: make palm fronds out of green construction paper and express gratitude by writing something you love about Jesus on the palm fronds.

Cleansing Monday

On Monday of Holy Week, Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem. He found merchants and money changers taking advantage of believers who needed animals for temple worship. They were turning a sacred place of worship into a marketplace and a distraction, which is not what the temple grounds should be.

With righteous indignation, Jesus overturned tables and drove these merchants and money changers off the temple grounds. Jesus wanted to make sure His Father’s house was honored and respected. Jesus showed He had deep reverence for holiness and a desire for purity in worship.

We can examine our own hearts and remove anything that distracts us from worshipping God in holiness and purity. We can also make sure that when we worship at church or in the temple, we are doing it with sincere devotion, an attitude of repentance and humility, and seeking to connect with God.

Activity: share three ways to cleanse your heart so you can worship God with sincerity.

Teaching Tuesday

Jesus often taught in parables. The parable of the ten virgns, the parable of the talents, and the parable of the fig tree are all examples of how Jesus used ordinary items and situations to teach gospel truths.

Parables allowed Jesus to teach those who were ready to learn while those who weren’t ready didn’t understand what He was saying.

Jesus spent time teaching those around Him. He taught against hypocrisy and spent time ministering to the people. Jesus was the master teacher and he took every opportunity to teach any who would listen.

Activity: write a simple parable and share it.

Preparation Wednesday

We don’t know a lot about what the Savior did on this day, but many scholars believe He spent the day preparing for what was to come. He knew He was going to be betrayed and He may have been preparing Himself to do what needed to be done.

Jesus did go to Bethany and spend time with Mary and Martha. Mary anointed Jesus with oil. She recognized He had an important work to do and she wanted to honor Him. Even though some chastised her for using the expensive oil, Jesus reminded them that He would not always be with them and that she wrought a good work on Him.

We can take time to think about Jesus and how we can honor Him and His teachings. We can ponder on how we feel about His sacrifice for us.

Activity: write down a way you can honor Jesus.

Last Supper Thursday

Jesus took His disciple to an upper room and there they had a meal. It most likely consisted of dried fruit, some bread, and maybe a stew of some sort. This last meal was significant as He spoke to His disciples and instituted the sacrament.

Jesus taught that the bread which he broke represented His body and the wine represented His blood. As we partake of the sacrament each Sunday, we can think of Jesus and His sacrifice. We can remember all He has done for us.

Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed in solitude. In an incomprehensible act, Jesus took upon Himself all of our sins. Somehow, He took upon Him all of our sorrows, heartaches, sicknesses, and afflictions which caused Him such pain that he bled from every pore. He willingly paid this price for us because of His love for each one of us.

Thursday was also the day of the betrayal by Judas. This was not a surprise to Jesus. He knew Judas would betray Him and even alluded to it at the last supper.

Activity: make a meal with dried fruit, pita bread or tortillas, bitter herbs (like arugula), and some grape juice.

Crucifixion Friday

After Judas betrayed Jesus, He was taken and bound, then thrown into prison. His trial was a farce. It wasn’t a real trial at all.

Jesus was “convicted” of blasphemy and sentenced to death. The custom was to release someone and the crowd demanded that Barabbas, a known murderer, be set free and that Jesus be crucified. The crowd cheered for Jesus’s death.

After He was mocked, ridiculed, and beaten by the Roman soldiers, they set a crown of thorns upon His head that dug into His skin. He was led to His place of crucifixion, then cruelly nailed to a wooden cross where He hung until He died. His family and friends watched Him suffer and die. The world was in tumult and darkness.

In a poignant moment, one of the Roman guards uttered, “Truly this was the Son of God,” (Matthew 27:54).

Activity: make a cross out of construction paper and talk about Jesus’s sacrifice. Write a reason you love Jesus on the cross.

Waiting Saturday

Their beloved Jesus had died. He’d had the power to save His life, but instead He chose to lay it down and sacrifice it for every single one of us. His disciples must have spent this day waiting for the prophecy of His resurrection to be fulfilled as Jesus’s physical body lay in the tomb.

Saturday was probably a very long day filled with sorrow. Their friend, teacher, mentor, and Lord was dead. The disciples mourned His loss as they waited to see what would happen.

Sometimes, we have to wait on the Lord because His timing is not our timing. Sometimes, we have to wait to see answers to our prayers or to see promised blessings. Even though waiting on the Lord can be difficult and painful, it teaches us to be patient and faithful.

Activity: Share a time you had to wait for a prayer to be answered.

Resurrection Sunday

When disciples came to anoint Jesus’s body, they discovered the boulder that had sealed the tomb had been rolled away. The tomb was empty. Jesus was not inside. Angels declared, “Why seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen,” (Luke 24:5-6).

Mary Magdalene was mourning the loss of Jesus when someone approached her. She thought it was the gardener, but it was Jesus. She must have been overwhelmed with gratitude at seeing the risen Lord. She ran to tell the others that Jesus was alive. He had actually risen from the dead, just as He said He would, on the third day.

Jesus died for each of us, but, more importantly, He lives for us. His glorious resurrection from the dead means that we will all live. It means that our loved ones who’ve passed to the other side of the veil are alive and that we will see them again.

Activity: share your feelings about the resurrection. Who will you be excited to see again?

The Greatest Event

The greatest event that has ever happened in this world is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We recognize his crucifixion, but we celebrate His resurrection and all that it means. Because of Him, death has no power over us. And, if we choose to follow Jesus and His commandments, we can return to live with Heavenly Father for eternity.

What a profound blessing that Jesus was willing to be the infinite and eternal sacrifice for all of us. Every day we should be so grateful for Him and for what His sacrifice offers us.

Easter truly is the greatest story ever told.

For more ideas on how to celebrate a Christ-centered Easter, you can find my book, He is Risen: A Family Guide to Celebrating a Christ-Centered Easter, on Amazon.