Holy Week

Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed:  “Father the time has come.  Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you…John 17:1

The past few weeks I have been shopping!

Shopping for items to fill Easter baskets!

Shopping for items to fill Easter eggs!

Shopping for Easter egg coloring kits!

Shopping for lots of fun things for my children and grandchildren!

But this week…I want to set shopping aside and focus on Holy Week, which is the last week of the 40-day season of Lent and the week preceding Easter.

During Holy Week, we focus on the last week of Christ’s life.

Today is Palm Sunday and we are reminded of our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem five days before His crucifixion! 

John 12: 12-15 says…The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

           

“Hosanna!”

            “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

            “Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

“Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion:

see, your king is coming,

seated on a donkey’s colt.”

Our little children blessed us and helped us to remember by singing and waving Palm branches during service this morning.

As Holy Week continues, we arrive to Maundy Thursday…often referred to as Holy Thursday…where we remember the events in the upper room the night before Jesus died. 

Mark 14:17-26 says…When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.  While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me – the one who is eating with me.”

They were saddened, and one by one they said to him. “Surely not I?”

“It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.  The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.  But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!  It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them.  “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

On Good Friday, we remember Christ’s crucifixion.  Several accounts of this can be found in Matthew 27-28, Mark 15-16, Luke 23-24 and John 19-21.

This week my Sunday school teacher encouraged our class to read each account, to study the scriptures…to meditate upon them, so I am encouraging you to do this as well.

But my heart breaks as I read how Jesus was treated in Matthew 27:27-31, which states…

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of solders around him.  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.  They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front him and mocked him. 

“Hail, king of the Jews!”…they said. 

They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.  After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him. 

As we enter into Holy Week, I pray that each of us remember what Jesus did…the price that he paid for our sins!

I pray that each of us grows during this week.  I pray that we grow as the Holy Spirit works through the Gospel and Sacraments that we hear and receive during these days!

This Holy Week, I pray that we taste and see that the Lord is good!

And after remembering…celebrate Easter with your family, remembering Christ’s victory over sin and death, as well as the promise of everlasting life!

Dear Heavenly Father…I pray that each of us spends time reading and studying your word this week!  I pray we spend time in prayer…and I pray that the Holy Spirit will reign on us as we draw closer to you!