Rhythms & Resources for Holy Week
I don’t know about you, but this Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, feels a lot heavier, more solemn, more necessary than any other in my life. Having grown up in church, for me Easter always meant my sister and I would get new matching dresses to wear to our church’s Sunrise Service. 5am y'all, we were at church at 5am on Easter Sundays! I think back to those days as sweet, simple and so solemn for our little farm town church.
The older I get, the more I value what that cross means for me, for all of humanity. I never want to get over the wonder, the awe and the remembrance of what Jesus did, choosing to come, die and give everything for a chance at eternal communion with you and me.
Here are 5 resources and rhythms I’ll be practicing this week to engage my spirit and soul in remembering. More than observing, which can be done by just passively looking in, I think this is a time where the Father is inviting us to actively engage in remembrance of both the death and resurrection of Jesus.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, there are so many great resources out there, these are just ones I’ve gathered and love. As you read through, consider which would be best for you, it might be one, it might be all, but let’s engage and remember this week, together.
1.Bible Reading - Each day this week, I’ll be reading in the gospels and their accounts of what happened on this specific day of Holy Week. So for example, yesterday I read what happened on Palm Sunday. You may also want to choose 1 of the gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) accounts and just read that one for each day. It’s completely up to you! If you’d rather listen to the readings, the That Sounds Fun Podcast by Annie F. Downs is releasing a daily podcasts with the readings for Holy Week. Below is a list of references for each day this week.
Monday: Matthew 21:12-22, Mark 11:12-18, and Luke 19:45-20:8
Tuesday: Matthew 21:28-23:39, Mark 11:20-12:44 and Luke 20:1-40
Wednesday: Matthew 24-25, Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:1-11, Luke 20:41-47 and Luke 22:1-6
Thursday (Last Supper): Mark 14:12-72, Luke 22:7-52, John 13-17 and John 19:1-16
Friday(Good Friday): Mark 14:53-15:41, Luke 22:47-23:48 and John 19:1-37
Saturday: Matthew 27:57-66, Mark 14:53-15:4, Luke 23:50-56 and John 19:38-42
Sunday(Easter!): Matthew 28:1-20, Mark 16:1-7, Luke 24 and John 20
I read using both the English Standard Version (ESV) and The Passion Translation (TPT), which you can find for free on Bible Gateway.
Daughter of Delight, which I was a writer for last season, has also released a beautiful Holy Week Guide, which includes a daily reading plan and space for prayer and reflection. It’s completely free here
2.Devotionals - To accompany the daily Bible readings, I will be going through the She Reads Truth Lent Bible Plan: His Love Endures , which you can purchase for a couple of dollars on their app or you can get it completely free on their website.
If you’re looking to jump into a longer form piece during this season that is centered around the Cross, I would suggest the book The Broken Way by Anne Voskamp (available on Kindle and Audible).
3.Worship - Worship is a powerful way to cultivate an atmosphere of gratitude and attention to Jesus. I created a Holy Week 2020 playlist on Spotify specifically for this week, which I plan to play throughout my days this week. I chose songs that are all centered around the work and victory of Jesus on the Cross.You can use it while you work and please don’t @ me if it wrecks you while you try to work! It’s soooo good!
4.Prayer - I wanted to have a specific prayer focus for each day this week. I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to create your own prayer focus list, or you’re more than welcome to use the one below:
Monday - Conviction of our sins and repentance - a true turning of our hearts and eyes towards Jesus.
Tuesday - Protection for our families and all those still in the workforce.
Wednesday - Awakening of the church & harvest of new souls.
Thursday - Provision for every house in these times of apparent lack.
Friday - Healing of our land. Physical healing for the sick and spiritual healing of our nation.
Saturday -Rest of our spirits and souls in the perfect work of Jesus on the Cross.
Sunday - Gratitude! Today I’m simply saying, thank you for coming!
5.Fasting - Fasting is a practice, which means, there’s room to learn and grow! Fasting is to reduce your intake or abstain from food for a certain period of time. Jesus himself fasted in preparation for his ministry and He commanded His disciples to do the same (Matthew 6:16-18).
We are not fasting for an outcome, we are fasting to draw closer to God, to align to Him and to prepare for what He has prepared for us. If your health condition does not allow for you to fast food, try fasting something else (social media, entertainment, etc.) that will be a sacrifice or distraction for you and replace that time with prayer and Bible study.
This week I’ll be choosing 2 days to what’s known as a Partial or Sun Up/Sun Down fast, which means fasting throughout the day (while drinking plenty of water!) and breaking the fast at dinner time. If you’ve never fasted, start slow, maybe start with fasting one meal, and work your way up. Here, the posture and hunger of our hearts are what count!
Again, friend this isn’t an exhaustive list, but just a few ways to keep our attention and affection in a special place of remembrance throughout this Holy Week. I pray that more than anything, you would have a deeper revelation of just how loved you are and be led to respond.
I’d love to hear of any resources or rhythms you are practicing this week! Let me know below.
