Whether you’re hunting eggs and playing chocolate bunnies or not, often referred to as Holy Week or Passion Week (the week before Easter) is a great time for your family to absorb (or go back) the true story of the week.
Palm Sunday – Winning Entry
Holy Monday – Jesus cleans the temple
Holy Tuesday – Jesus returns to Jerusalem
Our Savior had a lot to say during the day’s activities. Read one or more of these long sentences today.
Holy Wednesday – Judas plans to betray Jesus
Maundy Thursday – Last Dinner (Last Passover)
This day has a lot of meaning. It celebrates the last night up, the surprising example of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and they commemorate his “new” commandments Love each other Just as he loved them.
If your family has the opportunity to participate in Passover meals, this can be a powerful lesson to help your child understand the importance of the ultimate Passover lamb. For that Lamb, the Passover of that year, the last and last Passover of Christ on earth. Jesus is our Passover now.
- read Matthew 26:17-35, Mark 14:12-31and/or Luke 22:7-38
- read John 13–17. In these five grand chapters, John records careful messaging to the Savior’s disciples before his crucifixion. These words are incredibly rich, so we recommend reading your mind slowly.
Good Friday
When I was young, I wondered why we called it Good Friday. After all, it seemed like the worst Friday or worst day in history.
But for humans, that’s a very good thing. Certainly plain. But this is a day commemorating God sacrifices himself so that he can return to God.
How much better is that?
To reflect that sacrifice is to enrich the soul.
You may consider fasting on Good Friday and meditating while praying at the next passage.
Many churches offer Good Friday services. go.
And if you have kids at home, that Good Friday service can start an impactful Easter weekend, like my former neighbor, Kate Watson.
When Kate, her husband James and her children return from Good Friday Service, they collect all the flashlights, lanterns, candles and even headlamps.
Because Watson’s house is dark from Friday night until Sunday morning. There are no overhead lights or table lamps (the light switch is tape-tap so no one will forget to flip it). They also close the blinds and curtains tightly so that sunlight won’t penetrate.
Kate explains more here:
We go as far as we can, from Friday evening (when the body of Christ was placed in the tomb) until Sunday morning (when the woman is empty), without our light, reminding us that there is no light in the world many years ago. The light of the world was buried at his own will, separated from the love of his father, and experienced darkness and death that we would never have to endure. If you were in my house, you know it’s all open curtains, lamps everywhere, as much light as I can get. The darkness of this exercise feels oppressive every year, but it is very, very important. When you restore the light, you will feel the freedom, joy and light of Christ’s resurrection! We also see everything we missed in the darkness. Like our sin, our confusion is so easily ignored in the darkness. But goodness, when we live in the light, we see more and more
Watsons eats on lantern lights. Kate Watson
I deeply regret not hearing this idea until my children are gone. What a vivid exercise to bring home the deepest Bible truths!
“Again Jesus spoke to them, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me does not walk in the dark, but the light of life” (John 8:12)..
But that doesn’t mean kids don’t think it’s fun:
Kate Watson
Holy Saturday – The Great Sabbath
The days leading up to Good Friday and Resurrection are days of waiting and contemplation (and if you decide to try the above ideas, a day in the dark).
The Sabbath, the week when Christ died, was the last time God needed to keep the Sabbath. This article clearly explains. There are many misconceptions about this issue.
For those who believe that Christians must keep the Sabbath, a considerable number of Scriptures do not. Colossians 2:16-17 and Romans 14:5. More details can be found here. (Also, to be clear, Sunday was not a Sabbath day, but early Christians began to meet that day and commemorated the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week.)
If you’re trying to do an Easter basket, Saturday will be the perfect day to fill your child with rocks! Check out this great idea here or Variations here. I can’t imagine a better reason to play an Easter basket!
Saturday nights are the best time to make revival cookies with your kids – Read all about it here.
Easter Sunday – Resurrection Day!
Yes, turn on all the lights! Christ has risen, he is certainly rising!
Enjoy those Easter baskets!
I’ll go to church (go early and the parking lot will be a bear).
Enjoy egg hunting with family and friends before a festive Easter brunch or dinner.
One day we will follow in sleep amazement at the truth that we will see this glorious Savior face to face.
Blessed by all Easter!
