Life on word read-along

Holy Week

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How did Jesus spend His last days leading up to the crucifixion?

For Christians, Easter Sunday is one of the most important days of the year. It's a day of reflecting on all that Jesus endured for us, and celebrating the empty tomb. But have you ever reflected on all the events of Jesus' last week? This is the week that Christians have declared as Holy Week. Thankfully for us, the four gospel authors knew that the Church would want to know as much as we could about this time. In fact, the last week of Jesus' life makes up about 30% of each gospel. That's a major portion for just a few days given that Jesus' ministry was for three years!

As Easter approaches this year, I want to invite you to read Scripture with me once again. In real time, we will be looking at all four of the gospels, reading through what Jesus was doing in His last days before the crucifixion and resurrection.

The purpose of this read-along is not merely to learn new things (though we may, which is great!). Instead, my hope is that, through reading about Christ's last week before His crucifixion, that we will also grow in love and affection for our Savior. As humans, we are not just people who think and are able to rationalize; we are people who love. As Christians, we do not just assent to the beliefs of Christianity as if they are concepts of math or history; we come to have an affection for God and worship Him, ordering our lives around Him.

My hope is that by reading the events of Holy Week, we will each day have our minds and our hearts re-directed to Jesus. This is not a burdensome task to add to your mornings. Rather, this is an opportunity to open yourself to God, to put yourself in amidst the crowds and witness Jesus' final days of ministry before His death and resurrection. We will be reminded of Jesus' humanity, of the gravity of His choice to go to the cross on our behalf.

Here are some details:

This read-along will be simple. For every day of Holy Week, you will receive an email with a compilation of Scripture that details what Jesus was doing that day. For example, on Palm Sunday (the 13th), we'll read of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, of some Gentiles who were seeking Jesus, and of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. When certain events are recorded in multiple gospels, I've included the full text from one of the gospels with notes of where you can find the accounts of the same event in the other gospels. Each email will conclude with a simple prayer. The reading plan is based on the ESV Bible's "Harmony of the Events of Holy Week," found here.

As this time of year is when many are unusually receptive to the Gospel, I encourage you to share this read-along with a friend. You'll receive the first email a week from today on Sunday, the 13th. In the mean time, I am praying for you - I'm praying that you will come to see Jesus as increasingly beautiful and that the Spirit will continue to transform you into His likeness.

If you joined this newsletter for the December read-along, but have no interest in joining us for this one, no pressure! Feel free to hit "unsubscribe" at the bottom of this email!

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