Holy Week Reflections
New Monkland and Greengairs Parish Churches.

Holy Week Bible Reading Guide

With very grateful thanks and all credit to Julie Cosgrove: The View.

Easter is not a day - it is a season, and a way of life. This year, consider beginning your Easter preparation an entire week before so you experience Jesus’ last week on earth as a man.
These seven days are called Holy Week because without the crucifixion, there would have been no Resurrection Sunday.
Had Christ not hung on the cross, taken on our sins, and defeated darkness and evil, His rising again would not have been as meaningful. We wouldn’t be singing hymns about it. The New Testament probably wouldn’t have been written and no one would have eternal life.

Through Scripture, you can “walk in His shoes.” We know how the story ends, but try not to jump ahead in your mind and heart. Put yourself in the moment each day, and take the place of the disciples, of Jesus, of the Roman soldiers, and if you dare, of Judas. Live it as it unfolds. Here is a guideline for your reflections. We are using the Gospel of Luke, but you can also find theses passages paralleled in the other Gospels (Matthew and Mark, and some of them in John).
Start on the Sunday prior to Easter Sunday Read about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and the meaning behind it as fulfilled by the prophets. This is traditionally known as Palm Sunday;

Palm Sunday	Read Luke 19:28-42 and Zechariah 9:9	Reflection: How often do you praise God for coming into your life?
Monday	Read about Jesus at the Temple in Luke 19:45-20:8.	Reflection: Think about your body as the temple. What does Jesus need to clean to be truly honoured?
Tuesday	Read about Jesus teaching at the Temple in Luke 20:1-40.	Reflection: Have there been times when Jesus’ truth has seemed harsh to you or hard to follow. Did you grumble and back away? Did you question Him?
Wednesday	Read who Jesus said He was and the reactions that followed in Luke 20:41-47 and Luke 22:1-6.	Reflection: It is sometimes hard to be a disciple of the truth and the way. Sometimes we want Jesus to do what we want or act the way we feel He should. Think on this and how that led Judas astray.
Maundy Thursday	Read Luke 22:7-46. Here is some background: Maundy is an old English word for washing, so it reminds us how Jesus lowered Himself - literally and figuratively - to wash His disciple’s feet. Then they celebrated Passover, recalling when God, through Moses, delivered their ancestors out of slavery in Egypt. The night before, they put the blood of a lamb on the door mantle so the angel of death would pass them by. This foreshadows how Jesus will deliver us from the slavery of sin through His death on the cross as the Lamb of God. Finally, follow them into the garden where Jesus prayed for strength to endure what was to come and was then arrested.	Reflection: Jesus told us when we break bread (eat a meal) to remember Him. Do you say “grace” before you eat? Think of the disciples. His disciples couldn’t keep awake even one hour to pray with Him. Tonight see if you can spend one hour praying with Jesus. Scripture tells us He prays for us unceasingly.
Good Friday	Today, sometime between 12:00 noon and 3:00 pm stop for a few moments to reflect on Jesus’ death on the cross. Read Luke 22:47-23:48 and John 19:1-37.	Reflection: If you are self-isolating or social distancing perhaps you could watch a movie about the life and death of Jesus, keeping in mind He did this all for you. He loves you that much. The Passion of the Christ, Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Greatest Story Ever Told are good ones. *Or listen to and reflect upon hymns and songs about the crucifixion.
Holy Saturday	Jesus lies alone in the tomb. Scripture is basically silent about today. Scripture does state the women left His body in a tomb and hurried away because their tradition said they had to wait to prepare His funeral until after the Sabbath was over. Read Luke 23:50-56 and John 19:38-42.	Reflection: As you prepare for Easter, think of what Jesus is doing for your sake even though you can’t see Him.