We are entering Holy Week, the week in Jesus' life that leads up to His death and resurrection. This is a time where we can pause and reflect each day on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us which resulted in the ultimate victory- from Death to Life! As you go through this week, we have daily devotionals with activities for adults & families, as well as some worship song ideas below. Please also join us online on Good Friday at 7:00pm. Keep scrolling to the bottom of the page to view the order of service as we worship together from our homes that evening.
HOLY WEEK
FAMILY DEVOTIONAL
HOLY WEEK INDIVIDUAL DEVOTIONAL
HOLY WEEK
WORSHIP
As we prepare for Easter, take time each day to walk with Jesus during the week before His death. There are activities, as well as devotions for families in the pdf below. As you go through each day, create something as a family that represents Jesus' actions on that day and post a picture to instagram with #mygroveholyweek which will be a fun way for us to stay connected as a body while observing Holy Week.
Holy Week Family
Devotional PDF
Holy Week Adult
Devotional PDF
Holy Week Video Playlist
Song Ideas:
Palm Sunday
O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing - David Crowder
Majestic - New Collective
What A Beautiful Name/Agnus Dei - Travis Cottrell
The King Is Here - Corey Voss
Monday
I Surrender All - Jadon Lavik
Give Us Clean Hands - Chris Tomlin
Return - Fir Hill
From The Inside Out - Hillsong
Tuesday
Great Is Thy Faithfulness - Austin Stone Worship
Sovereign Over Us - Aaron Keyes
Cornerstone - Hillsong
It Is Well - Bethel Worship
Wednesday
In Christ Alone - Passion
Open The Gates - Jon Eagan
Grateful - Elevation Worship
Build My Life - Passion
Thursday
Blessed Assurance - Jadon Lavik
Way Maker - Leeland
This I Believe - Elevation Worship
Remembrance - Hillsong
Friday
O Sacred Head Now Wounded - Fernando Ortega
The Blood - Shane & Shane
Man Of Sorrows - Hillsong
Carried To The Table - Leeland
Saturday
The Old Rugged Cross - Alan Jackson
Living Hope - Phil Wickham
Overcome - Elevation Worship
My Savior My God - Aaron Shust
Sunday
Christ Arose - Brookwood Praise Choir
Forever - Kari Jobe
O Praise The Name - Hillsong
He Has Won - Vertical Worship
The observance of Good Friday reminds us of the significance of the death of Jesus on the cross. Prepare your heart as you begin with worship.
Matthew 27:32-56 - As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it. When they had crucified Him, they divided up His clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. Above His head they placed the written charge against Him: this is Jesus, the king of the Jews. Two rebels were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. Those who passed by hurled insults at Him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked Him. “He saved others,” they said, “but He can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if he wants Him, for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
Luke 23:44-49 - It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When He had said this, He breathed His last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew Him, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Reflection:
Jesus told them it would be like this; He would suffer and die. Did they remember what He had said as they witnessed the One who was their hope dying on the cross? Or, did the sight of Jesus’ broken body push out any hope that had remained? The sky had grown dark. What about their hearts? Were they darkened too? They must have believed that somehow, He would rescue Himself in these last moments and usher in His kingdom. Instead, He had breathed His last breath. Could they have understood, as Jesus committed His spirit into the Father’s hands, that this was indeed the path to the kingdom, or did their loss and grief push any such thought from their minds?
Reflection Questions:
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Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
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In short, sin. Every single person has sinned against a holy God.
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Romans 3:22-23 - There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
“Men are opposed to God in their sin, and God is opposed to men in His holiness.” -JI Packer
God is holy and cannot be in the presence of sin. We are sinful and opposed to God.
How can this dilemma be resolved?
Jesus, the perfect Son of God, willingly offered Himself as the sacrifice to bear the punishment that the sin of humanity deserves.
1 John 2:2 - He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus died willingly because He loves us.
Romans 5:7-9 - Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!
We can know a holy God and experience His love because Jesus died to bear the wrath our sins deserve. Jesus saved us from our sins.
Remember:
During the last supper Jesus had with His disciples, He instructed them on how to remember Him.
1 Corinthians 11:23-28 - For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
The reason Jesus died on the cross was because of our sin. Paul instructs us to examine our hearts before we take communion. Please have your communion elements ready. These can be: for the bread - bread, matzah, saltine or wheat thin type crackers (ideally, something without yeast) and for the cup - red wine, grape juice or any red juice in order to symbolize wine.
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Take a few moments in silent prayer to confess your sins to God.
John 19:38-42 - Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Reflection:
What did they feel as they took Jesus’ body down from the cross and prepared it for burial? Now, with the crowds gone, alone with the body of the One who they loved and followed, could they remember the words He had spoken? Was there any hope to be had, or had they given in to despair? From where would their hope come now? Would they wait, or would they scatter back to their homes and villages? Would they return to the lives they lived before this son of man stirred their hearts and healed their spirits? Could they hold on to the words Jesus had spoken, the promises He had made? Would they remember the prophecy that was being fulfilled? Would their grief allow them to cling to the hope Jesus had stirred within them?
We are ending our Good Friday at home with a time of silence in remembrance of the sacrifice made on our behalf.